The Norfolk post. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 1865-1866, 1866-02-05
CHE Aarfulk gpst.
MONDAY. FEBRUARY 5, 1856
{ A FEAST OF HORRORS.

Our exchanges come to US laden WIFI
terrible disasters on the high seas ant
elsewhere. The men who goodwin toth'
sen in ships, and encounter the dangers
of the mighty deep, have been sacrificed
by scores during the past month, but in
falling they have bequeathed to the
world such glorious record of calm
heroism, that their fate was grand mo.
raj triumph over the horrors of the
grave; and although gone from among
us, they shall still live in history to
prove how brave men and women can
resign themselves to die, and meet their
doom with unfaltering dignity. No
such example of heroism is recorded as
that shown by the passengers of the
steamship London, which was lost at
sea in the early days of January, carry
ing with her to the bottom go men, wo-
men and children, composing the pas
sengers and n portion of her crew.
Nothing that we have ever read of ship
wrecks and disasters by sea, can COM
pare with the following simple and
pathetic story of the noble conduct of the
captain of the London and his passen-
gers, as they calmly awaited the APP
proach of death. We take the account
from the London Ne,os, which informs
us that the London was ole of the finest
passenger ships in the Australian line,
of l, 1852 tons brrthen, and only little
over one year old. She left Gravesend
on the Both of December. Nothing re-
markable occurred until Sunday, the
18th, when the vessel encountered
heavy gale. But we will give the words
of the Ne,os:
Captain Martin stopped his engines
and made the ship snug under reefed
topsaills, just to keep her on her course.
The gale lulling little at noon, the en-
gines were again set going. Nextmorn-
ing the force of the wind carried away
the jibboom, foretopmast, foretopgaIant
mast and royal mast, and these spars
the main royal mast was blown clean
out of the socket. Still Captain Martin
endeavored to keep his ship slowly
steaming ahead. About 8 P. NJ. on Tues
day, tremendous sea carried away the
port lifeboat, and that evening and
| night, the sea was running mountains
high; but the screw was still kept NOV
| ing. 1t was not till A. M, on Wednes-
day, the 10th instant, that Captain Mar
tin resolved to put back to Plymouth,
| the London being then some 200 miles
southwest of Lands End. But it seems
| to have been already too late. At 1O1
o. clock on Wednesday night, a tremen-
dous sea swept the ship, broke into the
| engine ROOM and put out the fires. This
was the night on which the thirty yes
sells were wrecked, ut once, in Torbay.
All 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
passengers together, and told them they
must prepare for the worst. The ship
had already sunk as low as her main
| chains. One boat was lowered and in
stantly 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 Captain Martin that there
was no hope left, they quietly joined
with clergyman in prayer. There was
no wild and selfish terror, no screaming,
no rushing to the boats; there was the
agony of sudden partings, and of ever
lasting separations of parent and child,
and husband and wife; but with the ex-
ample of Captain Martin before them,
all these dying men and women, were
composed, and all resigned, while the
children wondered and asked why their
fathers and mothers looked so sad.
Captain Martin remained at his station
on the poop, once or twice only going
forward, and once or twice into the sa-
loon to join in the devotions of the pas
sengers. 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 sengers-determined to
trust themselves to the chances Of the
sea, lowered 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: mo, will go down
with the passengers; but wish you God
speed, and safe to land" The boat then
pulled away, and five minutes after the
London, with go souls OH board, went
down, and all was over. 1t seems that
after the pinnace came away an ineflec-
tual attempt was made TO get the otheI
boats out, but it was too late.
There must be no reflections cast by
the public upon the conduct of the sur
vivors. They did not desert the sinking
ship and its precious cargo of their own
accord, but under imperative orders
from the captain. 1t was a forlorn
hope" for they never expected to reach
land in such sea but as death was
behind them, worse fate could not be
in their front, and so the experiment
was made, and they were miracuousIy
saved to tell the world with what calm
heroism those they.left on board met
their fate. The .great actor, Gustavus
lV. Brooke, was among the passengers
and went down in the tempest with the
others.
But not upon the sea alone has death
been busy Within the past few days 8
rich harvest of victims has been gathered
upon our western waters, through thu
explosion of two steamers, causing {
: fearful loss of life. The following de
scription of the disaster to the Miami i
very graphic:
The steamer Miami whichleft Mem
phis on Saturday night, heavily loade
with freight and crowded with passen
) gers, in addition to ninety -one soldier