The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1850-07-03
From the London Aduertiser June II.
The Destruction of Fourteen Vessels by
Icebergs In the Atlantic.

The arrivals during the last few days from the
Atlantic have brought sad intelligence respcctn g
losses of large number of vessels amidst the float
ing fields of icebergs in western lattudes and
among the number, we regret to add, was enc from
the Irish ports with between eighty to one hundred
persons on board every soul OF whom is supposed
to have gone down in the un fortunate vessel and
persisted. Great quantities of ice arc generally
looked for by the traders in those parts of the Al
lantc about the months OF April and May, the re-
suit of the breaking up Of the frost in the Arctic
seas, and driven down to the southwark by the
force of the currents The masses that have APP
peared this season exceed any thing of the kind
that has for years been met with. They have been
immense. Fields of ice, many miles in extent
towering up In all manner of forms to a very great
elevation, have swept the waters of the Atlantic,
and there is too much TO fear that the losses
| appended form very few of the mishaps that oc
CURED. The Inflated vessel, in which so many
| are believed to have pershcd from London l.
derry bound to Quebec. Ten days prior to her
being discovered entanglcd in the ice-the twenty.
seventh of April-shc was spoken with by the mas
ter of the Oriental from Liverpool. She was scarce
of water, having had boisterous weather, and, on
account Of the number of passengers seen ON deck
it was supplied her.
On the 27th tn Oriental was bcset in the ice to-
gether with two other vessels, and perceived her
some ten miles 10 the westward. She in IA
most pcrous position, evidently stove in by ice,
and sinking. Signals Of distress hoisted with
out the remotest chance Of gaining assistance For
two days she was seen in the same forlorn condi-
ton, when she suddenly disappeared, and very
little doubt is entertained Of every soul having
gon, down in the foundcred vessel. Subsequently
a great many bodies were seen ntermingled with
the ice, together with some portion of the cargo
the latter led to the discovery of the port to which
the vessel belonged and her intended destination.
The Oriental eleven DAYS before she rot clca r
of the ice. Another similar catastrophe was wit
messed on the 29th Of March, about twenty miles TO
the westward of st. Pau's, by the ship Signette Nj
Mowatt, from Alloa for Quebec. The vessel was
apparently an English brig, heavily laden with
painted port holes. She had got fixed in the ice,
and had been cut down by it to the waters edge,
| admitting rush of water into her hold. Her crew
were observed working at the pumps, evidently in
the hopes of keeping her afoat, with the expecta-
ton Of assistance; alas however, she soon sank,
and all on board met with watery grave. The
exact number who persisted was MT learned.
Letters have been received communicating the
total loss of the Ostensibe also in the ice She was
from Liverpool, bound TO Quebec, with several pas
scngers Up to the 9th Of May, she experienced bad
weather, when they fell in with an enormous field
OF ice, and got fixed in il for five days and nights
in the of which her hull pierre ed by the
huge Fragments, and she became a lost vessel.
Pumps were kept going till the arrival of the brig
Duke, Captain Welsh, alec for Quebec, which,
after considerable working, succeeded in making
through the ice to the sinking vessel, and resc ut d
the whole of them from inevitable death The
Ostcnsible went down within twenty minutes after.
Two other vessels from Liverpool, the Conservator
| and Acorn, were both lost near the same time The
former WAS on passage to Montreal. She got
pinchcd by the ice within three days after losing
sight of land, and filing Immediately went down
the were lucky enough to the ships boats,
in which they were picked up. The Acorn met
with her destruction within thirty miles of ST.
John, Newfoundland; the crew were saved by the
Blessing schooner, of Sunderland. Among the
other losses in the ice reported enumerated the
Hbcrnia, from Glasgow for Quebec; the British
schooner Collector, from st John. Newfoundland,
| for London; the brig Astrcs, OF Weymouth; the
Wilhclnins, Of Aberdeen; the Gosnell Of New
CASTLE the Sylph, of Leth; and three Others names
of which are unknown. With the exception of the
latter the crews were saved. Most Of the unfortu-
nate vessels heavily laden aud their losses in
total cannot be far short of 4 100. 900.