The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1860-09-15
Narrow Escape of the Steamship Arabia
from Wreck.


DR.. Smith, of Springfield Mass, writes to the
Republican of that town the following graphic
account of the narrow escape of the steam oh ip
Arabia from sudden and terrible wreck on
Fasnet Rock, Cape Clear:
STEAMSHIP ARABIA-11 A. M
Friday, August ID, 1860.
Just half an hour ago, while staudn ng on IN e
bows, the ship running If knots an hour uu =
der steam and sails, in u thick fog, l heard a
loud shout land ahead 81 / turned towards
the captain, or rather had my eye on him at
that moment. His face could not ha We ex press
ed more horror if he had seen hell's gates
opened. He sprung TO the gine bell at the
same time shouting ''hard port your helm"
A counter order of f"starboard" was given.
The captain eaped from his footing, shout
ing SO that his voice was heard above the escap.
ing steam, "hard port, in Gods naman His
order was obeyed. Then, turning forward
among a hubu5 of voices, shouting, "We are
lost!" God have mercy on rs = &c, &c i
saw tho rocks not twenty feet from the ships
bows. On their top was ligh house As we
swung around, ii seemed as il we sho i'd every
moment, feel the shock OF striking. Tue huga
swell of the Atlantic was reverberating and
the spray nyng AL around US. The sails took
aback heelIug lis over SO that the deck stood
up like roof of house Women were
screaming, running TO aud fro; and, above all
| the captain ana lieutenanJs shouting SO as TO
be heard above the shrill, escaping steam
"Hard port hard hard Is brace around
the foreyaTd, !" Let fly the hniy2ris and
sheets. fore and att - L stepped abatt the tore
mast, to be out Of the way Of Is fail and vail
ed for the shock.
We approached as all agree within ten feet
OF the ROCK and then began to recede. Just
realize that there were Just ten feet be weeu III
ana eternity. 1t is the opinion of sea-farin z
men on BOARD that the ship, it she had struck
would have sunk i'll five minuIes; tor it is a
sharp ledge of rocks six or seven miles from
any shoTe ana deep water all around. The
boats could not have been got ready and if
aV HnI1lI h.rc tIa
heavy surf. No-it she had gone ten feet far
ther we should have been almost instantly
precipitafed into Il raging sea, where, SIX or
seven miles from land, III dense fog, few of
us would have escaped. We should have all
perlshed as mIseraDiy as did those in the Hun
garian.
Three seconds more would have toiIed the
hneil OF most II not all OF US, for We were
SO enVeloped IN log, and far from land, aud
also no boat at the light house, that ii We had
selZeo fragments OF the wreck they would have
been torn from our grasp by the sea, boiling as
in caulJTon over The sunken reefs hours be-
fore our fate could have been known [ knew
there was no time to run below tor life pre-
sefVers-WhIch are hung up by each berth
ana SO contented my self with Just stringiug up
my nerves tor buffet with The waves Tor
three minutes. can assure you, man sho " ed
what he is when expecting the King of Ter
rors.' Two or three ladies took II heroicaily
ana tsemed 70 draw IN strength from the scene
around them. 1t was a terrible moment ior
81
around, the sails taking aback and heeling
over, every body specie TO teel the grIud!ag
crash beneath our 4eet. l felt for aim, for all
MS great rashhess, aud gladly say that 10 his
decision iE our hour of need we owe our lives
The rock is called Fasnet Rock and upon IL
is the Cape Clear Lght- house. A subsc crIptiOn
Is now being taken up among the passen gers
for the seaman VINO first shouted "breake
ahead" L shall never forget 10 my dying day
the !ace OF the captain when he heard that wild
shout. have seen distress and pain in ali
their forms, bat never 4 face like that, so full
OF horror, perfect agony, and crushing re-
stopping of The engines, the escape of the
steatn, and the shifting OF the helm, all oc-
Cured in one second. 1t seemed 1T the ins ant
as If it Was utterly impossible to stop the
sdlp's way in time TO save US; but God rules.
He put forth His hand and the vessel trem-
bilng as If with mortal fear, yielded to her
powerful engines, receded from the rock, and
we were saved.