Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1861-10-01


Th5re is much anxiety felt for the Great
Eastern, which was in apparent trouble, when
passed by the Persia on the 10Th inst, some
two hundred miles from Queenstown. One of
the passengers on the Persia relates the follow
ing incidents connected with the reported dis
aster:-
She was rolling very badly, and it was no.
ticed that she had lost both her paddle wheels,
her boats, with tie exception OF two, and her
rudder head She was steering tor home with
the aid of her rudlder chains. Large ropes
were stretched from bulwark to bulwark, for
the passengers to cling to, and the rolling was
so fearful that one moment the great ship re-
vealed the whole of her decks at most dis
tressing angle and the next the bige was
plainly visible. On discovering the plight of
tile vessel, Captain Judkins hosted signal
'Did you require aid (Which as only re-
piled to by large board being displayed on
the paddle box but the characters thereon
being so small, the writing could not he deci-
phered. The Great Eastern still kept on her
course, working with her screw, and for TWEEN
ty minutes the Persia followed her, in order to
get an answer to her signal.
The passengers Of the Great Eastern were
| scatter ed over the decks There were reported
to be about four hundred on board of her), all
| OF whom seemed st:aining anXiously forward
| TO catch view of the Persia. The ladies
wa ed their handkerchiefs, the men their hats,
aud, Notwithstanding the extraordinary roll of
the vessel, the utmost enthusiasm seemed to be
manifested by her passengers. Up to this
time no answer had been given TO the signal
of the Persia, and as she dipped her ens- n
and turned her Roadway, another board writ
len on was elevated from the paddle box of
the Great Eastern, with no better result Even
with the ail OF the glasses of tn officers the
characters could not be distinguished During
| this time the Great Eastern had not slackened
| her pace, and when the Persia had got some
! distance from her she hoisled the signal,
| "cOme within hail :" but as Captain ,Judkins
| justly said, he had followed her for half an
| hour, asked her if she required aid, and re-
ceiving no reply IN the usual manner, he could
lose no iulIher time by ain putting back.
1t was a matter of wonder on board OF the
Persia why this signal had not been given be.
fore, as ample time was afforded. After the
Persia left Liverpool on Saturday she met
with rough weather along the channel the
wind was blowing hard from the westward
and it is supposed that the Great Eastern must
have experienced II tremendous gale to have
met with the disasters that had overtaken her
The history of this large vessel has been
one Of continuous calamity, aud this last
mischance will shake public faith in her to
vast extent. it is fortunate there were no
cavalry troops in her, as the rolling was so
terrific the horses must have been literally
dashed to pieces. Many of the a.going
passengers ON board OF the Persia gave it as
their deliberate opinion that they never in the
greatest storm saw any vessel roll so wildly as
the Great Eastern did. By the next steamer
from England we hope to be able to report the
safe arrival of the passengers, many of whom
were Americans.