Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1866-02-15
tFrom the London Daily News, Jan. IO.l
A DREADFUL SHIPWRECK-IM-
PRESSIVE SCENE AMONG
THE LOST PASSENGERS.

| A DREADFUL SHIPWRECK-IM
| PRESSIVE SCENE AMONG
THE LOST PASSENGERS.
| The London, 1,752 tuns register
800 horse power, was one ofthe fines
passenger ships out Of the port o.
London, snd belonged to one OF the
Oldest established and the most justly
renowned ofour shipping firms. She
was launched at Blackwell. only the
year before last She had alresdt
made two most successful voyages
to Melbourne, one in ifty-nine days,
unde- one of the ahlest and most ex-
perienced and respected comman
ders in the mercantile marine, the
senior Captain of the Messrs Money
Wigram's Australian feet. The Lon
don left Gravesend on the S0th of
December, and met with such severe
weather in the Channel, that she was
obliged to put into St. HeleD's Roads
for shelter. From st. Helen's Roads
to Plymouth, she had steamed down
the Channel against whole gale of
wind and heavy rolling sea; and
the pilot boat, which put off to take
her into the Sound, was capsized,
and the pilot drowned At Plymouth
she arrived on the 4th instant, and
embarked an unusually large num-
Der of passengers At midnight, en-
Friday, the 9th, she left Plymouth for
her destination, with calm weather
and light wind ahead All the
next day she was under full steam,
and making steady way. On Sun
day morning the wind increased,
and heavy head sea got up, and on
Monday morning it blowed a whole
gale; Captain Martin stopped his en-
gines, and made the ship snug under
reef topsails, just to keep her on her
course.
The gale Iulling little at noon,
the engines were again set going,
next morning the force Of the wind
carried away the tibboom, foretop-
mast, fOretOpgallant mast, and royal
mast, and these spars could not De
secured Two hours later the main
royal mast was blown clean out of
the socket. Still Captain Martin en-
deavored to keep his ship slowly
steaming ahead. About 8 P. NJ. on
the Tuesday a tremendous sea car
ried away the port life boat; and
that evening al d night the sea was
running mountains high; but the
screw was kept moving. 1t was not
till A. NJ on Wednesday, the 10th
instant, that Captain Martin resolves.
TO put back to Plymouthy the fsoldnfs
then being some 200 miIesSouth wes
of Lands nd. But it seems 70
have been already to late. AT 1o55
o'clock on Wednesday night. tre-
mendous sea swept the ship, broke
into the engine room, and put out
the fires. This was the night on
which thirty vessels were wrecked,
at once, in Torbay. All the passen-
gers of the London worked at the
pumps, while the gale became a hur-
ricane, and the ship was loosing all
control. At length, at 10 A NJ. on
Thursday, Captain Martin called his
passengers together, and told them
that they must prepare for the worst.
The ship had already sunk as low as
her main chains. One boat was
lowered and instantly swamped, but
the five men in her were dragged on
board the ship.
No attempt was made to launch
the other boats, but the passengers
gathered into the chief cabin, and,
having been calmly assured by Cap
tain Martin that there was no hope
left, they quietly joined with a clergy
man in prayer. There was no wild
and selfish terror, no screaming, no
rushing to the boats; theirs was the
agony Of sudden psrtings, and of
everlasting separations of parent and
child. and husband and wife; but,
with the example of Captain Martin
before them, all these dying men and
women were composed, snd all re-
signed, while the children wondered
and asked why their fathers and
mothers looked so sad. Captain
Martin remained at his station on
the poop, once OIL twice only going
forward, and once or twice into the
saloon to join in the devotions of
the passengers. At 2 P. NJ. the few
men who were destined to survive to
bring the sad story home-sixteen
of the crew and three of the passen
gers-determined 10 trust themselves
to the chances of the sea, lowered
away the pinnace, and launched her
clear of the ship. These men called
to the Captain to come with them,
but this brave and steadfast English
seaman declined. saying. $40 I sCiu
90 dovn wih the passengers; but 1 t0ssh
you God speed, and safe to land" The
boat then pulled away, and FIVE min.
utes alter the London, with 27O souls
on board, went down, and all was
over. 1t seems that after the pin
mace came away, an Intellectual at
tempt was made to get the other
boats out, but it vas too late.
S The English holders Of the
bonds of the defunct confederacy
still keep up an appearance Of expec.
tation that their claims will be paid
either by the United States or by
the respective State Governments IN
the South. They recently held an
adjourned meeting in London, to re-
I fI,a oat,, p