The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1859-03-30
Fearful Suffering at Sea--Loss of the
Bark Drom0hair.


1t has already been announced by tele-
graph, that the ship Centurion had arrived
at New York with two of the crew of the
British bark Dromohair, which was water
logged on her voyage from Quebec to Sligo,
Ireland. When the Centurion fell in with
the wreck on the 9th of January, the sur
vivors of the crew, seven in number, had
been subsisting for twenty-one days on an
allowance of half biscuit and little
rain-waser every twenty-four hours. Five
of their companions had perished through
starvation. The rescued men were treated
with great kindness on board the Centurion,
and ON the Gath inst, with two exceptions,
were transferred to the ship Magellan, bound
FOR Swansea, Wales. The New York Eren-
ing Post publishes the following statement
from Elliott and McNaughton, the two men
who came into port on board the Centurion :
They state that the Dromohair sailed from
Quebec on the 20th of November, with
crew of thirteen men and no passengers, la
den with lumber
On Saturday, Dec. Is, about noon, very
heavy northwest gale sprung up, with oc-
casional showers of hail. About o'clock
the ship was hove to. About seven in the
evening shipped a tremendous sea, which
capsized the long boat, and were obliged to
break it in pieces to save small boat inside
it from destruction. The ship then sprung
leak, and all hands were put at the pumps,
where they continued to labor until about
o'clock Sunday morning, the sea running
higher and the leak increasing.
At that time they shipped another tre-
mendous wave, which swept the deck of ali
movables, carried away the bulwarks and
stanclions, split she eovering-boards, took
away the cookhouse, stove the companion
way, and swept away the wheel, together
with the man at the helm, named George
Macintosh, who was not again seen.
The little boat hanging at the starboard
davits was also swept away, with large
portion of the standin and running rigging.
All the sails were at lis time blown from
the yards. At the tin the wave struck all
the men were at the nps. They jumped
for their lives, and wh the water cleared
off they found themGlyes jammed into
corners about the deck One man found
himself high up in the rigging. The water
ran into the cabin, stove the bulk heads, and
flowed into the bread room, destroying all
the bread in it. They had only one barrel
of bread after this calamity, which hap
pened to be slowed away in spare locker.
From this time the weather began to
moderate, and the men worked at the pumps
as much as they could, lodging into the
cabin TO prevent being washed away by
heavy seas.
About o'clock, Sunday night, the pump
gave out, and they were not able to get it
in operation again until o'clock Monday
morning, at which time there was thirteen
feet of water in the hold. Pumping was
then resumed, and by Monday noon, all the
water was worked out. They cleared the
wreck and attempted to get on canvas,
which occupied them until eight clock
Monday night, when another furious gale
arose. The sea rushed over the ship fore
and aft, and the men were compelled to
abandon the pumps. The storm continued
all night about six clock Tuesday morn
ing the water had risen above the cabin
floor, and the sufferers were compelled to
abandon it and take their chances in q small
house on deck, which had been so built in,
that it had not been washed away.
The ship was now completely water
logged, and nothing mnre could be done.-
There were thirty or forty pounds of bread,
but no water. The house on deck stood
well until the bulk heads of the cabin were
washed away. After that the men were IL
able to be deluged at every lurch of the ves-
sci.
About the first of January, John McInnis
died of hunger and exposure. The same
night Harry Frost became deranged, and
went over the side, hanging only by his
hands. Some of the men tried to pull him
in, but he was soon washed away.
Next day James McGrail was washed into
the cabin and drowned. Samuel Coifren
and Johl Murray, IA boy, died on the 9th,
just as the ship Centurion bore down to
take off the survivors.
John Hutchinson, the captain, John FL
liott and Hector McNaughten were alone able
to stand when rescued. The names of the
others saved are Hector Monroe, Vim. Hen
derson, james Henderson and Dugal Camp
bell.