The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1866-02-28

ihllultNl llNCN, uttN at tti'l1 DttI ItNOIittl
The English papers received by the Africi
furnish details of the catastrophe, excelin!
in horror and interest anything of the kline
that has occurred in Europe since tn,
loss of the Royal Charter.
IiEROlsM OF THE CAPTAIN.
Il was not till four A. NJ. on Wednes
! day, the 10th instant, that Captain Mar
tin resolved to put back to Plymouth, tn,
! London being then some two hundred
miles southwest of Lands End But il
seems to have been already too late. Al
half-past ten on Wednesday night ire
mendous sea swept the ship, broke into
the engine room and put out the fires
! This was the night on which the thirty
vessels were wrecked at once in Torbay
MI the passengers of the London worked
at the pumps, while the gale became a
hurricane, and the ship was losing all
control. At length, at ten a. NJ, on
Thursday, Captain Martin called his pas
sengers together and told them that they
must prepare iog the worst. The ship
had already su6k as low as her main
claims. One bAt was lowered and in
stantly swamped, sbut the five men in her
were dragged on board the ship. No
attempt was made t. launch tho otI e
boats; but the passengers gathered INTO
the chief cabin, and having been camly
assured by Captain Martin that there was
no hope left, they quietly joined with Il
Clergyman in prayer. There was no wild
and selfish terror no screaming, no rush
Ing TO the boats there was the agony OF
sudden pariings, and of everlasting sepa-
ralions Of parent and child, and husband
and wife; but, with the example Of Cap
tain Martin before them, all these dying
men and women were composed, and all
resiened, while tlfchildren wondered and
asked why their fathers and mothers look
ed so sad. Captain Martin remained at
h's station on the pop, once or twice
only going forward, and once or twice
into the saloon TO join in the devotions of
the passengers. At two p. N. the few
men who were destined to survive TO
bring the sad story home-sixteen Of the
crew and three of the passengers-deter-
mined to trust themselves to the chances
OF the sea, lowered away the pinnace, and
LAUNCHED her clear II the ship. These
men called to the captain to come with
them, but this brave and eadla,t English
seaman declined, saying: $40, ! ,c!H 90
doca 'oim tie passengers; but / tciSA yoQ
Goi'Speed and @Je 10 6daG." The boat
then pulled away, and five minutes after,
the London, with 210 souls on board,
went down, AMI all was over. 1t seems
that after the pinnace came away an in
ciitctual attempt was made to get the
other boats out, but it was too late.
THINEING OF HIS FATHER.
Mr.. Munro st tles that passenger
named Eastwood, with whom he had
been acquainted prior TO the voyage, said
to him; "Well, Jack, think we are
gong to 70" The answer was : think
we are, Eastwood" The reply was
1--WE cannot help it There's only one
thing | regret about it; OF II draft for five
hundred pounds on the Bank of Victoria,
Ballart, ! only received twenty pounds,
which gave to the captain in the office
Of Money, Wigram 4 Co. ! should
have liked my poor father to have got the
balance The speaker was among those
who pershed; but fortunately and singu-
larly enough, his communication was
made TO one Of the three surviving pas
sengcrs, and as the deceased Mr.. East
woods father is known to live near Liver
pool. the probability is that his sons wish
will be inliilled-a wish that was SO fer
vent that Mr.. Eastwood shed tears AS he
expressed il.
sn CKlNG BY WIFE AND CHILD
One OF the passengers in the boat-Mr
John Wilson, a native of Montrose --went
down intO the cabin and endeavored to
persuade a iriend-AIr. John Hickman,
from iiallarat, and brother TO Mr.. Hick-
man, solicitor, OF Southampton-to at
tempt TO save his life by going into the
boat but, after being enireated. he said :
$40; Ipromjcd my wite and children To
stay By them, and / ,c,B do So" The water
was then a considerable depth on the lee
side OF the saloon, indeed, over the top OF
the berths; and he asked Mr.. Wilson tc
help him in removing his four children &c
the windward side out Of the water. hi.
was done; and then he shook hands with
Mr Wilson, with "Good-bye, Jack, u
and parted from his friend forever When
last seen. Mr. Hickman was standing in a
row with his wife and children. This
occurred about an hour before the boat
put off; but probably they had persisted
by that time, as the water had before
then poured into the steamer through her
cabin windows, and when the boat LEFT
the sea was flush with the top the poop
| deck, and the corpses of drowned women
and children were floating over the deck
ROOM FOR ANOTHER.
When the men were all in the boat,
one of the seame4 cried: There may
still be room; fetch lady" Mr. Wilson
then sprang over portion of tho deck in
search of "A lady he knew, but not seeing
her, and knowing that every instant wa,
precious, he said TO young girl: evil
you r. She did not refuse therefore
Mr.. Wilson seized her and took her tc
the bulwarks; but when she looked opeI
the rails and saw the distance which she
must spring, she said in despair: "Oh,
cannot do that There was no time for
.