Ypsilanti sentinel. [volume] (Ypsilanti, Washtenaw Co., Mich.) 1843-1900, 1848-04-05
"A Dreadful Disaster!
AND OVER ONE HUNDRED LIVES LOST

The Boston editors have received St. John
IN. b. papers of the 23d, from which they have
gathered the following dreadful particulars OF
the fate OF a portion of the immigrant passcn-
gers of the ship Omega, reported day or two
since as have been foundered at sea:
The Omega was British ship of 1900 tons.
bound from Liverpool to New York, with 327
passengers. These passengers, before the ship
foundered, were taken l40 (chiefiy women and
children) on board the barque Aurora: 1853 on
board the brig Barbara and the remainder on
board the Highland Mary, for New York.
The barque Aurora, reported by the Highland
Mary at New York, as taking on board part of
| the passengers, of British ship Omega, fron, Lv-
erpool, arrived at Halifax on Saturday last, with
seventy-three of these unfortunate people. hav-
ing landed thirty-ihree at Canso, and the re-
mainder, about sixty having died on board
Many of the survivors are suffering from sick
ness. Outing the last seventeen days they
were on board the Aurora, the allowance Of
food was limited to % ounces of bread, and
wine glass of water per day each. The British
brig Barbara, Captain Skinner, from New York
for Cork, with cargo of corn, took on board
about $50 more of these passengers on the 9th
of Feb, and afterwards bore away for New
foundand.
On the Cd inst, the steamship Hibernia, cap
tain shannon, from New York, via Halifax,h hove
in sight. A signal of distress was made. and
the steamer bore down to the Barbara, when
the Captain of the latter vessel acquainted the
steamer that they were out of water and it was
further added, ''there are one hundred and fifty
persons on board dying for want of water. to
which the reply from the steamer was, sMere
Is The land. r0 there and ,ref ,rofoy,
The steamer passed on, though the wind was
blowing strongly from the land, so that it was
impossible for the unfortunate brig to reach il.
In attempting to reach st. John, N. F., they
mistook the land, and drifted into cove at Pet
ty Harbor, N. f. and went ashore, and on ac-
count of the heavy surf, struck cliff, and stove
hole in the briggs bow.
Thlrty-fve individuals managed to reach the
shore, and in about five minutes after. the Bar
bara fell over and went down, carrying with
her about one hundred and fifteen souls, among
whom was Capt. Skinner, of the Barbara
The Halifax Post, of the 10th inst, saws:
To-day we give the particulars of the wreck
of the brig Barbara, Capt. Skinner, of Pctou
(owned by Messrs. Fairbanks s. Allisons, of
this city, most lamentable account of suffer-
ing and loss of life. In addition to these par
ticulars, we learn from other sources, that cap
tain Skinner threw overheard part of his car
GO to afford the people he took from the Omega
room below decks. Respecting the steamer
which the Barbara spoke on the I'd inst, it is
remarked that she was probably the Britannia,
which vessel was appointed to leave N. York
on the 26th February-and not the Hibernia, as
generally reported. The Orion brought part
of the crew of the Barbara from st. Johns.
"A mistake. 1t was no doubt the Hibernia,
from New York Feb. 26th. The st. John pa
pers hint at some irregularities on board the
Barbara.