Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1865-1869, 1866-02-07
RICHMOND WHIG.
WEDNESDAY MoRNING.....FEB. !, 1866.
SCENES OF HORROR.

SCENES OF HORROR.
The Details Of the Loss OF the Australian Steam
ship L.ondon.-IIe rtrending Incidents Of Hero
ism and Suffering Two hundred Doomed Be
ings Waiting fDr Death--NOble Conduct Of the
! Capiain--The Passengers shooting themselves
| 10 Avoid Drowning, &c., Ac.' Ac'
The wreck of the Australian emigrant ship
| London, with the loss .! over two hundredlNes,
has already been recorded. The English pa
pers received by the Africa furnish details OF
the catastrophe, excelling in horror and in-
tereSt anything of the kind that has occurred
in Europe since the loss Of the Royal Charter.
uERoISM OF THE CAPTAIN.
Il was not till four A. NJ. on Wednesday, the
10Th instant, that Captain Martin resolved To
put back to Plymouth, the London being thch
| some two hundred miles southwest ot Lands
End. But it seems to have been already too
| Iatr At half past ten On Wednesday night
tremendous sea swept the ship, broke into the
engine room and put out the fires. This was
the night np which the thirty vessels were
wrecked at once in Torbay. All the paSSen-
gers OF the London worked at the pumps, while
/ the gale became hurricane, and the ship was
losing all control. At length, ut ten a, NJ OH
! Thursday, Captain Martin called his PaSscn-
gcrs together and told them that they must pre-
pare for the worst. The ship had already sunk
| aS low as her main chains. One boat was low
! cred and instantly SWamped, but the hNe men
in her were dragged on board the ship. No at
tcmpt was made to launch the other boats but
the passengers gathered into the chief cabin,
and having been calmly assured by
Captain MaEtB that there was no hope
lett, they quietly IoiEGf Eith i clergyman
ia prayer. There was nO Wild ana selfish ter,
ror, no screaming, no rushing 10 the boats )
| IfI,. 1 ~ d Suuuel
everlasting separations OF parent and chlld, and
| husha.l and wife; but, with The example of
| CAPTAIN Martin L6fore them, all these dying men
| and women were composed, AMI all resigned,
while the children wondered and asked why
! their fathers aud mothers looked so sad. Cap
tain Martin remained at his station on the poop,
once of lgire only going forward, and once or
twice into the saloon - join in the devotionS OF
The passengers. Al two u, M, the ieg meh
who were destined to survive to bring tho sad
story homc-SiXteen of the crew and three of
the paSSengers-determned to trust themselves
to the chances of the sea, lowered eway tho
pinnacc, and launched her clear of the ship
] These men called to the Captain To come with
them Lut this brave and SteadflSt English sea-
man declined, saying, "NO, ,cW 80 GOtoa trth
the passengers GHi } FiSh HoR cod speed, and
safe 10 lani." The boat then pulled 9way, and
live minutes after the London, with 2f0' souls
ON board, went down, and all was over, 1t
seems that ancr the pinnace came away, an In.
eilcctual attempt was made to get the other
boats out, but it was too late.
| pEMEAN0R OF THE PASSENGERS.
The agony Of suspense had been so long
maintained that OF Dc day thp I.undon i"un
dercd the passengers were pcfirctiy I4'et Sng
uucxcited, and surprising degree Of rcSgna-
ton was exhibited throughout. Miss Marks, oi
old Kent road, London, was at first almost
frantic vet when the boat left she stood calmly
ON deck barcheaded, and waved an adieu to
Mr. Wilson, Nr, tirant, one Of the officers,
was lively throughout and pncaqrGgcd many TO
toll at tie puInpS-a work rendered Lf iAe
wind highly dangerous and diilicnlt. Miss
Booker, from Pinrlico, was heard to say, Us she
wrung her hands, ''Wcll, have done all that
/ could, and can do no more" She then be-
c:mG oatWardy calmly. On Tuesday night,
after the Passengers hat bean alarmed by the
Shipping Ot water, Mrs, Price, MfS. Wood iwhO
had with her her husband and live childlcn),
Miss Booker and Miss Marks read the Bible by
turns ia the second cabin. ltw0s GA that nigh!
that after the sea had poured down the hatch
the CAPTAIN said, % Boys you may say your
prayers" At twelve o'clock on the following
night Mr.. Draper held gcaeral prayer
messing in the saloon. An extraordinary
fact deserves Ia be recorded. A pOorold couple
who had three children with thgin hoi ttieI in
in vain three times to go upon their voyage.
First in vessel unknown, and which was
! wrecked next in the Duncan pUnbar, which
also gas recently wrecked, and lastly Gardner,
the steward s,,S lie nror wifi washed over
board from the l."u.lUh, 10 iCeFard, her huS
band following ef presently beneath the bill.
lows. Among the passengers were two stout
old people who had become iayorites un heard,
and who had been sent for by their only son.
The poor creatures, IN learning that they must
drown, took q small quantity Ci Jrdpdy and
,r,pl 6piJlo to die together II Heir cabin. Mr..
Bcvan, a wealth. coach proprietor, and his
wife, of Melhoutne, Who ihd boon enjoying a
ts:p in Europe Mr.. Lemon, ronmongfr, Burke
street, Melbourne Mr.. Mclean, owner of cX-
tcuSive baths, opposite the Albion Hotel, Mel
bourne who had brough hS son tOb educated
ia England, and Mr.. Barnett, Russell street,
! Melbourne, were among those who persisted.
BROOKE, THE TeAGEDIAN.
Down into the waves .ith two hundred and
,iXtv-nne others, has sunk GuStavuS V. Brooke,
the lameil tragedian, Who was bonnd Tor the
country which had beer the scene OF reverse
of fortune to him, but previously of many bril-
liant successes lie viii be well remembered
as a tall man, Of poweiul build, and he is sta
ted bv the rescued passengers to have eXerted
his strength to the Utmost in helping to Keep
the shin atluat. The Batch portion of the crew,
| lwcuty-one in numhtr, refused to work, and,
l,ccoriing to the English sailors who were
| saved these men went to their bcrthS and re-
manned there, so flat the passengers had to
work at the pumps tor many honrS with the
| EnrIisb seamen. MIR. G.. V. Brooke eXerted
himself necessarily. Attired only in red
Crimean shirt and trousers, with no hat on, and
lhnrrtooted he Went backwards and forwards tO
tbr uuu,,S until working ut them was found to
lac nScl,Ss and when last seen, about four hours
| b.f,rc tbr SteamCr went down, he was leaning
with crave cumpoSUTc upon one of the half
IonrS at the COMPANION. His chin was resting
upou both hands, and his arms wcFe-On the top
of the door, which he gently Swaycd to and
irn. while he calmly watched the scene, une
ot the passengers who saw hln has SAID, "he
had worked wonderfully, and, i'll fact, more
hravcly than any man on board of that ship"
To the steward, who made himself known, Mr.,
Brooke said, - II you succeed IN SdCug your
Selc qire M tdreIoeH to the people Of Mel
bourne"
| THINKING OF HIS FATHER.
Next must be mentioned a circumstance, the
publication Of which may prove great impOr-
lance. Mr.. Munro states that Il passenger
named Eastwood, with whom lac had been ac-
quainted prior to the voyage, said TO him
"Wel, Jack, think we are going to CO." The
answer was, IL think We are, Eastwood" The
reply was, " We cannot help it. There's only
one thing | regret about it; of a draft for five
hundred pounds on the Bank Of Victoria, Bal
larat, l only received twenty pounds, which
gave to the captain in the office OF Money Wig
ram 4 Co. | should have liked my poor father
to have got the balance The speaker was
among those who periShed; but, fortunately
and Sngularly enough, his communication was
made to one of the three surviving paSSem-
gers, and as the deceased Mr.. EaStwood'S ia
..s..r 1
liability is that his sons wish will he fulfilled
a wish that was so iervcnt that Mr.. Eastwood
she'd tears rs he expressed 1t.
STICKING BY WIFE AND CHILD.
One Of the passengers in the hoat-Mr. John
! W;I.,,, . ,,,i,. or MnutroSe-Went down into