Eastern times. [volume] (Bath, Me.) 1846-1857, 1852-05-06
Loss Of the BirkanheadI


and the lameniable death of four hundred
and ffty-four gallant soldiers. is a disaster
which will long be remembered in England.
The particulars of this sad affair we copy
from the London Times:
At o'clock in the morning Of the 26th
Q, February, Her MajesIy's steamer, the
n"Nehhead, was wrecked between two and
'n'oe u,i,es ~, from the shore OF Southern AZ
,'ca' Inc exact spot at which The calamity
naPpeneu was Point Danger. Off this point
sne struck upon reef of sunken rocks
Inc snip was steam'ng 1-2 knots al the
uhe. Inc water was smooth and the sky
serene, but the sreed at which the vessel
was passing through the water proved her
destruction. The rock penetrated through
her bottom just aft the foremast, and in 20
minutes time there were few floating
spars and few miserable creatures clngins
to Them. and this was all that remained Of
The Birkenhead. OF 638 persons who had
left Smon's Bay in the gallant ship bur
few hours before, only lS4 remain to tell the
tale. No less than asa Enghshmen have
come 10 so lamentable an end. There is no
mystery about the calamity. We are not
left as in the case of the Amazon, to conjecl
Iure The origin of The disaster. Just what
happened to the Orion off the Scottish coast,
or 10 the great Liverpool off Finisterre, has
happened now. Captain Salmond, the off,
Ger in command, anxious to shorten the run
to AIgoa Bay as much as possible, and mofe
than was prudent, hugged the shore TOO
closely. Four hundred aud fify-four persons
have lost their lives in consequence of his
temerlty. AS soon as the vessel struck u2-
on the rocks the rush Of water was 50 great
that the men on the lower troop deck were
drowned in their hammocks. Theirs wns
the happier fate; at least they were spared
the terrible agony OF the next twenty min-
utes. Al least the manner Of death was less
painful than with others, who were first
crushed beneath the falling spars and funnel
and then swept AWAY TO be devoured by the
hungry sharks who were prowlng round tho
wreck. From the moment the ship struck,
all appears 10 have been done that human
courage or GOODNESS could effect. The sol.
ders were mustered on the afierdeck. The
instinct OF discipline was stronger even than
the instinct of life. The men fell into place
as coolly as on the parade ground. They
were told off into reliefs, and sent some to
the chainpumps some to the tackles OF the
paddIe-box boats. Captain Wright, Of the
9lst Regiment, who survives 10 relate the
dreadful scene, tells us Every man did as
he was directed, and there wus not a cry or
n murmur among them until the vessel uads
her final plunge. | could not name an indi.
vidnal officer who did more than another.
Al! receiyed their orders, and had ;hein car
ried out as II the nlcn trere embarking, instead
of going 10 The bottom here was only this
difference, that never saw any emharcnlion
conducted with so little noise or confusion
Poor feIIows Had they died in battle field,
and IN their couutry's cause, their fate would
have excited less poignant regret; but there
is something inexpressiby touching in The
quiet, unfilnching resolution of so many
brave hearts struggling manfully 10 The last
against an inevitable disaster. Ii is graiiiy-
ing also TO find that the women and children
were all saved. They had been quietly col-
lected under the poop awning, and were as
quietly got over the ships side, nod passed
into the cutter. The boat stood off about
$50 yards from the i'll starred BrkeDhead,
and all were saved. There is not the name
of n single woman or child upon the list Of
persons who perished. The other boats, as
is usual in such cast $, were not forthcoming
in The hour Of need. One gig and Two cut
ters were all that could be rendered avaia-
BILE. in one account we find that when The
men were ordered to get the paddle-box
boats out, the pin of the davits was rusted ia
and could not he got out. Capt. Wight, on
the oihef hand, tells us that when the funnel
went over the side il carried away the star
board paddle-box and boat, and that the other
paddle box boat was capszed as il was being
lowered. OF the 184 persons who were
saved, 116 made their escape in the three
boats which succeeded in getting clear of tho
wreck. Never was destruction more sud-
den or more complete. Within fifteen min,
utes after the vessel struck, the bow broke
short Oft. Five minutes more elapsed and
the hull oftbe vessel went in two, crosswse,
just abaft the engine room. The srern part
of the vessel Immediately surged, filled and
went down. The only hope of the survivors
lay III the mnlntopmast and mainlopsai yard,
which still showed above the water. There
were some fragments of the forecastle deck
still floating about; there We're few spars,
and driftwood. About As people cluug to
The yard, and, alter remaining there until .
o'clock the following afternoon, were picked
off by the Louess, a schooner which was
providentially at hand. Capt. Wright as.
serts thar Of The 200 persons. more or less,
who were clinging TO the drlfiwood when lie
got away, nearly every man might have been
ShStI IItu oHc vi sup DOuls UOne
duty. Into this boat the assistant surgeon
had got, with eight men. They imnedi-
ately pulled away, and landed about 10 miles
from the vessel. The facr appears 10 have
been. that the poor creatures who were
clinging TO the driiIwood, had been carried
hy the swell in the direction of Point Dam
ger There they got entangled among the
seaweed, which at this point Of the coast is
thick and OF immense length. Captain
Wrights opinion is, thar had not the asss-
tant surgeon carried of the boat, or even
had the boat pulled back 10 the scene of the
disaster afler landing the medical gentleman
10 safety, the ajortv OF these persons might
have been picked off the seaweed. 1t only
remains for us to mention here that Capt.
Salmond, who appears to have done his duty
after the vessel slrurk. has not survived the
calamity. When last seen alive, he was
swimming from the Stern post Of the ship,
which hadj just gone down, TO portion of
the forecaslle deck, which was floating about
twenty yards from the main body of The
wreck something struck him in the back of
the head, and lie never rose again.
A CANINE MEMBER OF THE PEACE SoCIEs
TY. A gentlemen who has courtyard con-
necred with his premises 10 Methven street,
was a good deal surprised, when passing his
gate on Sabbath last, 10 observe two cocks