The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-10-30

Scotland.
DREADFUL MARINE DIsAsTER-wRECK OF THE BRIT
TsH SHIP ANNIE JANE on THE SCOTCH COAST
THREE HUNDRED AND FORTY LIVES LOsT-sCENEs
AT BARRA 1sLAND-INCIDENTs OF TIE DISASTER,
ETC., ETC.
Our English files by the Niagara announce one of the
most terrhe caastrophes recordhe total loss the
ship Annie Jane Mason, commander belonging to Liver
pool which driven ashore the iron bound coast of
Barra Island during the recent gales, the night of
Wednesday, the 2Sth u VIII en- no fewer than three hun
dred and tyeight passengersmen women and chill.
dIen-met with watery grave. The Annie Jane was
large vessel and sailed from Liverpool for Quebec and
MONTREAL an the 9th OF last month with hun
dred and fifty emigrants most of them Irish families II
IN presumed that she had made progress across the
Atlantic, when she encountered the kte fearful south
westerly gales, which disabled her rendered her un-
nageehe, and in that hopeless condt she was driven
back an9 dashed the terrible coast of Baria
Hebrides With point called Vateisay, where the
eck cured the leland is six miles length and two
Al -si osoad aud lies some FIVE miles southwest of
he re,t island There IL lighthouse the head
which is the highest in the United Kingdom being $50
feet above the level of the Such is the cha
scer OF e coast however, that there is little chance Of
vessel being rescued when it is entangled among
the reefs Several Of the survivors contriyed get
passage from the island 70 lobcrnory a small sea
port in the Isle Of Null, and from them the hortes
learned that a4s pas engers drowned and 1922 with
Mr Eel the chief officer, and II Of the crew. saved.
We give below portions Of the fearful narrative -
" At the time the ship struck, all the officers
and crew below but there also deck arga
rigging and with feelings Of despair contomp plated their
iate Meanwhile the great majority of the passengers
including all the and Children b.ow in their
teIbs but the striking of the ship gave them fearful
wakepng Many rushed on deck in state of edness
wives clung to their husbands, and children clung
both some mute from terror and others utering ppa
Ing screams and eagerly shrieking, Is there hope ~
The scene is described by the survivors as the most
aeonzipg which it could enter into the heart Of man to
conceive After the first shock the passen gers
rushed to the boats three OF viii Ill placed
the mizenmast and the poop and the fourth lay tha
ready been lost But the boats of earthly USE
Tor they were all fixed down and secured lay bottom
up While the passengers thus clustered around
the boats, and within very few minutes after the ship
grounded, she struck bya of fearful potency
which instantly carried away the dense of human
beings into the wetery waste, and boats and bulwarks
went along with them At least hundred OF our fell
low creatures rershea by this fell swoop The wild vail
of Tho sufferers was heard for momtnt, and then all
still
The great majority of the women and children as well
of the male passengers remained below, either
pars by terror afraid that they would be wa she'd
away in the event of their coming deck But their time
also had come The fghtfu humping of the great ship
have Immediately beaten the bottom out of her: and
while her fabric was in this weaken state, another
dreadful broke bard and literally crushed that
part Of the deck situated between the manmast and the
mizepmat down upon the be ths below which were oc
cuped BY terrorstrcken women and sleeping children.
They were killed rather than drowned fully evil
denced by the Naked muuted and gashed bodies which
we're afterwards cast shore The main and mizenmasts
went at the same moment. This second branch Of the
catastrophe took place within very few mnutss after
the passengers and part 81 the had been swept away
from tie Geek along - the boats The most of the re-
msinuE scser ane gasfengers now took refuge the
poop, which very high one and each succeeding
ssssult ef the carried away s victim victims In
short within one hour after the Annie Jaae struck the
rsmaring stumps OF hei masts went by the beard and
she broke into three pieces An additional number per
ished AZ this disruption and all the survivors remained
tie roop, with the pon of men, who had
secured themselves the sopgallant forecastle The
poop fortunately oaed we'll and it about high
water, the wreck drted inwards by the wind and
each hcsve OF the sea- when it finally grounded about
O'Clock A. NJ The forecaste, with the men,
ashore much about The samo time.
The wreck had been Observed from the Island almost
the day broke and, in the first instance, seven
or eight OF the Barra came down To render such aid
ss might be 10 their power The remains of the m2en-
mast still attached BY the shrous to the wreck of
TO form sort OF bridge ladder between the poop
and the shallow water; and, he. tide had fully
ebbed, all the survivors got shore without much d-
Guilty by O'Clock in the morning. Waen mustered tho
survivors found to number total of hundred
and two, of whom a child twelve women,
and twenty eight belonged to the craw, exclusive OF the
captain who also saved When the poop was drift
ing ashore he secured himself upon its kylght But ths
departed friends OF he survivors ashore before them,
for the beach literally lined with their dead bodies
well as by ian, cradle agmants of the broken ship,
and the light her cargo None Of the survivors
estimate the loss Of life at less than hrss hundred and
fifty, and conscsr 1t close upo four hundred sou. The
latter would be she ii Ave hundred ndvidals in
cludiDg chraa, board, is generally belsvcd
almost all Tho cabin passengers persisted, incldng Cp
Murro, OF Qusbec.
Such saved rer;ained b~ ~unt TIE tide ebbed
when they saded ashore, the water taking them nearly
to the armpts. At daylight tho bay strewn with
dead bod to the number of nearly three hundred great
ly dis6garsd many cs them without limbs and heads,
and nesry all Naked thereby showing how instant must
have bsen their deSkh, and the fearful strength of the
waters which in SO. short tiino made such havoc.
Only one chsl was saved. 1t belonged to humble
lrish woman Hso, with her two children about to
jos her husband in America She struggled hard to pre-
serve them BOTH her back and gaspng the other
her arms but when the ship parted the latter was
l dashed into the sea, and the other remained