Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, South-Carolina) 1852-1852, 1852-04-27
Awful SAiptyccck.
Four Hundred oad F;jtyjour Lfves Los


the shore of Southern Africa. TIE exact spot at
which the calamity happened was Point Danger
OFF this point she struck upon reef OF Su''keh
rocks, The ship was stealnln5 eight ana Il ''"',
knots at the time. The water WAS smooIh al"
the skv serene; but the speed at which tiiP VS.
sci was passing through the water rfo'co il'r
destruction. The rock penetrated through hcr
bottom lust after the foremost ana III twenty
minutes; time there were lew To"''hg Sp'f'
and few miserable creatures cilngInG to them,
and this were all that remained OF IN" Blrkrn-
head OF six hundred and th!rty-eigFt persons
who had left Simon's Bay in the gallant ship
but few hours before, only one hundred and
e;obty-four remain to tell the tale. olcsS than
four hundred and tifty-four Englishmen nav"
come to so lameutable an end
There is no mystery about the calamity. we
arc not left. as in the case Of the Amazon to
conjecture the origin of the disaster. Just what
bappcnod to the Orion off the Scottish coast, or
to the Great Liverpool OFF Finsterre, has happen
cd now Captain Salmond, the officer m com'nahi'
anxious TO shorten the run Algoa Bay as much
rs was possible, and more than was prudent,
hucoed the shore too closely -Four hundred
and ffv-four persons have lost their lives IN
consequence Of his tcmcrity. As soon as the
vessel struck upon the rocks the rush OF water
was 50 GREAT that the men on the lower troop
deck were drowned in their hammcckS. lhclr>
was happier fate-at least they were spared inc
ter rble agony of the next twenty minutes. A'
least the manner of death was less Paihtnl 'h'h
with others, who were first crushed pch"Nh 'he
falling spars and funnel, aid then swepta"aTt to
be devoured bv the sharks, who were proving
round the wreck From the momcnt the snip
struck, all appears TO have been done mat hu-
man courage or coolrcss could effect. The SOL
diers were mustered on the atterdeck. Inc IN
stinct of discipline was stronger even thah inc
instinct of life. The men fell into place as cool
ly as on the parade ground. They were tod Oh
, into relefs and sent, some to the chalhs.puihlS
some to the paddle box boats Captain Wright,
of the 9lst regiment, who survives to relate the
dreadful scene tells us:
Every man did as he was directed, and there was
not cry or a murmur among them until the
vessel made her final plunge. could not name
anv individual officer, who did more than another
All received their orders, and had them earned
ont as if the men were embarking instead OF
poine to the bottom; there was only this d'!ier-
ence-that never saw any embarkatlon con-
ducted with so little noise or confusion.
Poor fellows had they died in battlefield,
and in their country's cause, their fate would
have excited less poignant regret; but there Is
something inexpressibly touching in the ,4uet'
unf1inchlng resolution of so many brave hearts
struggling manfully to the last against an Inc
vitable disaster 1t is gratifying, also, to find
that the women and children were all saved
They had been quietly collected under the poop
awning, and were as quietly got over the snip
side, and passed into the cutter The boat stood
off about $50 yards from the starred brkenlead
and all were saved. There IS not maine OF
single woman or child upon the list OF persons
who perished The other boats, as is l.adai IL
such cases, were not forthcoming III the hour OF
need. One gig and two cutters were al tiiat
could be rendered available. In one account
we find that when the men were ordered to get
the pabble-box boats out, the pin OF the davis
was rusted in, and could not be got out. Cap
tain Wright, on the other hand, tells US that
when the funnel went over the side 1t carried
away the staboard paddle-boX aud boat, and that
the other paddle-box boat capSized as 1t was
being lowered. Of the 1S4 persons who were
saved, l16 made their escape in the three boats
which succeeded in getting clear OF wreck
Never was destruction more sudden or NOR"
complete. Within iiften minu,t> alter the YES
sci struck. the bow broke short off fv" minutes
more elapsed, and the hull Of the vessel went III
two, crossways, just abaft the engine-room: Inc
stern part Of the vessel immcdiatcy Surged iiIicd
and went down The only hope of the survivors
Law in the main topmast and main tolSaII yard,
which still showed above water There were
some fragments ofthe heforecastlc deck still floating
about; there few spar<, and drittwood.
About forty-fvc people to the yard, and alter
remaining until 2oclock the following afternoon
were picked off by the Lioness, schooner winch
was providentially at hand. Capt. Wright as,
serts that Of the 200 persons, more or less, who
were cnging to the drlitwood when he got away,
nearly every man might have been saved had
one Of the ships boats done her duty. Into this
boat the assistant-surgeon he'd got, with eight
men. They Immediately pull'd away, ard Ian
ded about fifteen miles trcn tho vessel. The fact
appears to have been that the poor creatures Who
were clinging to the driitwood had been carried
by the swell in the direction Of Point Danger
There they got entangled among the ,cawe"d,
which at this point Of the coast IS thick and OF
immense length. Capt. Wright'S opinion Is,
that had not the assi>tant-surg'on carried OF the
boat, or even had the boat pulled back to the
scene of the disaster after landing the medical
gentleman in safety the majority Of these persons
MIGHT have been picked off the scawced. 1t Oh