The Nevada journal., 1853-12-23
Terrible Shipwreck ON the Hebrides!

Terrible ShipWreck enthe Hebrides'
One of the most terrible disasters bysses
of which we have any record, is the wreck
of the ship "Annie Jane," Capt. Mason
from Liverpool, for Quebec, which was
driven ashore on the night of the 2Sth ult.
on the Barra Island, one of the Hebrides
| No less than three hundred and ferty-eight
emigrant passengers, men, women and
children, met with a watery grave. Al
the moment the ship struck, most of the
passengers were below in their births We
copy from the narrative in the London pa.
pers i'll continuation, as follows -
Many rushed on deck in a state of ma.
kedness wives clung to their husbands,
and children clung to both, some mute from
terror,and others uttering appalling screams
and eagerly shrieking " Is there no hope ?"
The scene is described by the survivors
as the most agonizing which it could enter
into the heart of man to conceive. After
the first shock was over, the passengers
rushed to the boats, three of which were
placed between the mizzen mast and the
poop, and the fourth lay on the top of the
cooking house forward. The light boat
had already been lost. But the boats
were of no earthly use, for they were all
fixed down and secured, or lay bottom up.
While the passengers we're thus clustered
round the boats, and within very few
minutes after the ship had grounded, she
was struck by sea of frishtful potency,
which instantly carried away the dense
mass of human beings into the watery
waste, and boats and bulwarks went along
with them. At least one hundred cf our
fellow creatures perished by this fell swoop.
The wild wall of the sufferers was heard
for moment, and then all was still.
The great majority of the women and
children, as we'll as some of the male pas
sengers, remained below, either paralysed
by terror, or afraid that they would be
washed away in the event of their coming
upon deck. But their time also had come
The frightful humping of the great ship,
taken in connection with her cargo Of
railway iron, must have Immediately beaten
the bottom out Of her; and while her fab.
ric was in this weakened state, another
dreadful sea broke on board and literally
crushed that part of the deck situated be-
tween the ma inmast and the mizzenmast,
down upon the berths below, which were
occupied by terror-stricken women and
sleeping children. They were killed rather
than drowned as was fully evinced by the
naked, mutilated and gashed bodies which
were afterwards cast on shore. The main
and mizzenmast went at the same moment
This second branch of the catastrophe
took place within a very few minutes
after the passengers and part of the crew
had been swept away from the decks,
along with the boats.
The most of the remaining scamen and
passengers now took refuge on the poop,
which was very high one, and each sue
|ceeding assault Of the sea carried away its
victim or victims. In short, within one
hour after the Annie Jane struck, the
remaining stumps of her masts went by
the board and she broke into three pieces
An additional number perished at this dis
ruption; and all the survivors remained
on the poop, with the exception of seven
men, who had secured themselves on the
topgallant forecastle. The poop fortunate
ly floated well, and, as it was about high
water, the wreck was drifted inwards by
the wind and each heaye of the sea, when
it finally grounded about 4 o'clock A. M.
The forecastle, with the seven men, came
ashore much about the same time.
The wreck had been observed from the
island almost as soon as the day broke;
and, in the first instance, seven or eight of
the Barra men came down to render such
aid as might be in their power. The re-
mains of the mizxenmast were still at
tached by the shrouds to the wreck of the
poop, and by the help cf the islanders it
was placed so as to form a sort of bridge
or ladder between the poop and the shallow
water; and, as the tide had now fully
ebbed, all the survivors got on shore with
out much difficulty by seven in the morn
ing. When mustered the survivors were
found to number total of 102, of whom
one was child, IL were women, and %
belonged to the crew, exclusive of the cap
tain, who was also saved. When the poop
was drifted ashore he secured himself upon
its skylight The beach was literally lined
by the dead bodies, as well as by innumer-
able fragments of the ship, and the light
part Of her cargo. None of the survivors
estimate the loss Of life at less than 800,
and consider it close upon 400 souls. At
daylight the bay was strewn with dead
bodies to the number of nearly 800, greatly
|dis6gured, many OF them without limbs
and head, and nearly all naked, thereby
showing how instant must have been their
death, and the fearful strength of the
waters, which in so short time made such
havoc. Only one child was saved 1t
belonged to an humble Irish woman, who
with her two children, was about to join
her husband in America. She struggled