, 1860-02-16


z.1lzallllnlllzalzuuun
The Drowning Of Captain tanrrtson*
of the Grcat Eastc rm-'-Ehc Hoat Dis"
asteF aIao nas hns@ "a
tFFon tho Lonsoa i4mea' Jan. .'!
The wear which opened so g1oonily for all
couuec:ed with the Circuit Eastern, has nlready
coutinued ii fortune. Another most tragic in
dent has been added to tue long list Of catas-
trophies which seem to have logged the course
Of Ibis il.fa1ed vessel from the very first day Of
her existence. The Victims in this case how
ever are not poor stokers. 1he 1.e lot Of death, in
this instance. has fallen among others-on nj .
less than CAPTAIN Harrison Li,use1f-tle very |
tyne of an Enclish soilor of nil that yas frank |
:;1ndd manly. Of iii that wa4 sk;llfni and hraye.
Il il quite impossible to describe the Gloom
ubic}, this caumitv ha, sp-uad through the
tnTn Of Southa,npiou. His loss to the per.
plexed shareholders Of tbe Great Eastern IS ir-
reparable. for no man connected With the COM
pany ia any way ever epioyed 50 larre portion |
Of their confidence, md none ever deserved it |
halt SO well The circumstances which led to |
this last and most painful catastrophe connect |
ed with this vessel are, shortly, as follows: |
-moorcd at her winter quarters, Captain Harri-
son, with his wife and family, had occupied |
small rilla, called Hythehouse, on the opposite
side Of he Soleut to Southampton and almost
facin. Ne.ley Abbey. Every morning, at about
half past nine o'clock, his sig, in eharge of his
thence he wert by water either to the Great
Eastern or Southampton, as the business Of the
shin required. as usual the gig started from
the ship to csil at Hythe at about eight o'clock
las, Saturday morring. Captain Lay, the chief
purscr, with his son, m engaging youth Of .1S,
left in the boat to breakfast with Captain Harrl-
son before coming up to town. Ogden, rs usu.
al! was in charge Of the boat, with his crew Of
i've picked men.
1t is the case in the Solent, as in all large in-
land sheets Of water, tha. the wind ia had
weather comes in strong and heavy gusts,
Of hurricane, though with intervals of almost
perfect calm between. The weather on Satur-
| dav morning was dull and threatening, though
| there was hut little wind when the gig left the
| ship, and not the most remote idea ~us enter
| tanned that the boat would not be more than
| Que Of the large cutters, capable Of carrying
| forty men with ease, would hare been sent in
stead The captains xix is fine, though raih-
er light boat, 50 feet long bY rather less than
l. 5 feet broad; Of course, very swift acd light,
though, like ail boats OF her class, rather WEI,
| and almost too fine for very rough weather OF
! rery bo}d sailing. When tho Wild favored she
| c.rIied one large lug sail, which was often set
| with single reef in it, though in leaving tue
Great Eastern on Saturday nlorplng last it was
| close seefed, for the SKY looked bad, though rs
yet the sea Was tolerab1y calm. Ogden. the
captains coxswain, who was always in charge
| Of her, was one OF the most experienced boat
men in tue great ship, and though :ayoung man,
| .xus well known for his skill III managing any
boat in any weather.
Wiki this skitlfut sailor, therefore. having
CHARGE o, the lucsai1. aud with Captain Law al
The i5r,m. The Ii uuit,.d the Great Eastern at
eight o'clock On Saturday morning. As We
h:rc already stated the lucsail WIS close reefcd.
but the morning was still! tolerub1y fair, so the
Zig made fair and quick run down to the
UYthe house, Here Captain Lay and his son
landed to breakfast with Captain Harrison aad
l,s family, and with DR., Watson, the surgeon
OF the Great Eastern, who had stayed at uy,he
! house from the previous evening" i few min
| utes before ten o'clock Captain Harrison. with
Cantain Law and his sou. came down again to
| IT, D;er tn embark and cross the water: Can.
| tain Harrison, having that morning received the
customary checks to nav the weekly bills con
| nec,ed with The great ship. had, Of course, to
.et ,hsn, cashed At Southalrp pton before going
IN hoard with the doctor, The whole party
therefore seated themselves in the rig, whicI,
| immediately cot under way and stood straight
| a~rnss the So]ent for the entrance Of the tidal
deck Ut Southampton.
But during the time that had. elapsed since
t;,. boat had first arrived ut Hythe, the weather
hat changed sadly for the worse. The sky had
cr,dna1jr bpcome overcast. tie waves we;e
| trhft.A anil fnrrtH and HYPFTth1nr seemed &c
,l,rn.tcn ;, sonaIj IL M ordinary t;rrceness und
I,,.,;nn R-,wc.1 niue and eleven .,'c]ocL o.
~. Somshomnton si,ic of the wuter. It blew al
,nost hurricaue. Muuv gentlemen connectet
witi The docEs. who were in them at the time
state that durir.s this hour or SO that the squaI
tnr The last seyeuteeu years, 4 collier whici
was beipr towed cut Of dock By steam t1l:
| was blown buck. tu.r and alI. into the larboi
atain, The Indus, which bud arrived of III,
docks in tile night. was quite unable to aitemp
com;u- ina thing alutost unprecedented i
| Southamutou. She was compelicd tole 20 he
',nchnr IN The stream about one hundred an,
t;ffv nr ncrh,ns twn hundred yard. from th
,r,ranc,. tn H.. t;.lal doeLs. This. il may b.
s,;i was had weather for ury party to yrntur
mi IN m omen ei... but it must be 'remcmbere
. ,h,t The wsni ,sas fir for cou,ine oyexto tb
acts % an, ,h,t nndcr The lee Of lie Kills On th
: nth.r s;de tho rourh breeze was scarcely felt q
e III t1r. Watson .iistiuc,ly states that thouc
$ tbc weather was bad. it was fur from being at u
c Jarr.rous. or even yery bad, wlen they left tt
G onnnsite shore.
/ tsrcnr,im.. ,ntb;s centieman's statement. the
: s,1od 1an;ajv ucrnst the Solent. with the win
i t,;r m 1hn xtarhnsrJ tact. Cuptan Harriso
: s,t in tis stcrn sheets nj tho helm: Dr. Watso
e and f,.ntn;n iay and son were on The windwar
e s;:ia ~ connterbn1ancc The inclination Of tb
t I'll nnsis,- The Tun across. tie boar, thong
# | -.tha- ,rat hehnv.d we'll Int NJ it ueafed IL
onnos;,.. s;dr ind ,bA and opened out. the souu
/. inr-ea:si fxarful.v ia violence. while tie RI
J. i,r.an To Mitch and move uasteat,,y 10 ler hcll
Tic ,ide Vas yery high, though lust teeinnin
/, to set out OF the ducks against The wind, maxim
j. chonn;nr. danctrous Sea run hich and broker
:, and Which uppeared to get worse every momcn
Tbrouyh th;, the boat Ge1d her own we'll for
d | ,;me tI,nnrh her yawin,, and u;tcbioy heayil
j. increased: 50 hi.b. Indeed. as to attract the
= trn,;on nf snn,e Of The officers md others O
j. hoard the Indus. Still she bore stoutly up, sen,
o ;n.r The foam from her bows. tl,ouyh her ryawiu
n ;aGrrased 50 ,i,at her helm sca-ce = controllr
= her n. ali When she rot into The channel b
IS tween The Indus and Tue docks. the chopin
+ ~, was worse than ever, CAPTAIN uarrisc
e .,uye orders to stand by with the haly ards, IN
j. immei utely afterwards to down will the sal
Il Tie order vas at once obcyed by the crew, b,
it tie sail and halyards we're wet through Meth,
j. moved freely. md The sail. after coming dow
d :. loot sturv fast. The rest occurred in d Mi
e. ,,n TLe Mat Ind still headway cnou.h on h
e tn take he: abreast Of The oreni ,e to the dock
e. when a counter e1dy of wind struck her On Il
,e ,nnns;ta tocL The sail instantly "iibeJ-
of upr Il T. tsrmcIEthat is to say. lie canvass vi
g. frcr,s Lack ao:in,t the mast and the boat in
st second hec1;nT oSer on the siIe on which nlu
n nr he rev were sitting filed and turued o5e
n. ~ JVt.or .vhn a~rta,3 h;rnxe1f so anerva