Democrat and sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1853-1866, 1854-11-02
Wrecks in 1854.

The British Admiralty Regiser of Wrecks for
1853 has been published. The "Life Boat Jour
nal" supplies the following summary of its coh-
tents:
'sIt is, as usual, fearful list, numbering s32
disasters; but it is gratifying to observe, far
loss of property is concerned that the register of
1858 shows very considerable decrease in the
number of wrecks and casualties as compared
with the preceding year, when ], lis occurred.
Gin the gales of February, March, April and
July, 1853, the numbers exceed those of the same
months in 1852, and the month of May in each
year produced the amount; but in all the
other months of 1853 the numbers fell much short
of those in the corresponding months of the pre-
vious year.
ssThis may be accounted for by the fact that
the gales of the winter months were less frequent
and of shorter duration, although they blew with
occasional violence. On the other hand, however,
the year 1853 records loss of $50 lives, being 60
more than were lost in 1862, when the number,
so far as is known, was 620 This inc.eased num-
Der in proportion to the number of wrecks was
caused by the great sacrifice of life which occurred
in two or three individual instances. Thus, the
loss of the Annie Jane shows 500 alone. that of
"There can be no doubt that these total num-
bers for each year show considerably less than the
actual amount of loss of life which has occurred
on and around our coast, as there no means at
command for ascertaining the number of those
whose vessels sail out Of the port and are never
again heard of. The lives of fishermen and other
bcatmen are undoubtedly also often lost without
any official returns being made of the same.
ssThe Admiralty Register of wrecks is compiled
principally from the coast guard returns, from
Lloyd's published list, from "The Shipping and
Mercantile Gazette" and from the official reports
| of Lloyd's agents around the coast to the Admi-
rally. 1t is prepared by Commander j. v. Reed,
R. N, and although imperfect, as any such regis
ter must be, there no doubt that it is the most
complete account of wrecks published.
| "Annexed to the returns is wreck chart, on
which black spot marks the site of each wreck,
fire or collision, as far as can be ascertained.
The following is summary of the Register:
ssThe wrecks on the coasts and in the seas Of
the Unite6 Kingdom in the year 1853 were sS2,
which may thus be classed:
| Totally wrecked 500
Totally lost iu collision, 81
charge. sss
Damaged seriously in collision, 25
ssThe number of casualties in each month
were: January, LOG; February, 81; March, 50;
April, 7s; May, Al June, 20; July, As; August,
3S; September, 20; October, a6 November, II
December, 123. Total, 832.
ssOf these, 25s occurred on the East coast ot
Great Britain; 76 on the south coast, and $50 on
the west coast; 81 wrecks took place the coasts
of Ireland; were cast on shore at Sicily; IL on
the Channel Islands; at Orkney and Shetland
and IL at the Isle of Man; the remaining 26o
wrecks occurred in the surrounding seas.
The whole loss of lives during the year. as far
as has been ascertained, amounts to sse. =