Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-04-19
THE.PERILS OF THE SEA.

A Vessel Drifting i'm Mid Ocean fOl
Three WeekS-URparalIeI Inhu
manity of a Sea Captain-An In
Vestig alton Called for.
From the New York Times, April Is.
The steamer Samaria, of the Cunart
line, plying between this port and Liver
pool, arrived at her dock, Jersey City,
yesterday morning at s O'Clock, after a
pleasant voyage of eleven days from Liv.
erpool. 1t viii be remembered that the
Samaria departed from Liverpool on the
Goth of February last, en- route for New
York, and while on her voyage, in mid
ocean, she broke her screw shaft, and was
by this accident compelled to pursue her
route under sail alone. In consequence
of adverse winds this was an extremely
slow process, and her commander,
Capt. John A. Martyr, who has prob
ably had that experience in ocean
navigation that but few who ego down to
the sea in ships" have enjoyed, deter
mined to bout ship and proceed back
again to Queenstown to repair damages;
but the attempt was fraught with peril,
as the sequel proved. For nearly three
weeks nothing was heard of the missing
steamer, and her non arrival at this port,
coupled with the anxiety of the public in
regard to the rumors of disaster to
the City of Boston and 10 the Schmidt,
tended, in a manner, to make those who
were waiting anXlously for her arrival to
have misgiviugs as to her ever reaching
her destination, but on the 30tn of March
the news of her safe arrival at Queens
town spread like wildfire throughout the
city, and great was the joy of those who
had friends and relatives on board, as
well as of the officers of the company,
who were beginning TO entertain grave
doubts of her safety.
From several of her offers our reporter
has obtained facts that go far to show that
our mariners of the present day have for
gotten, or at least they seem to ignore,
the common dictates of humanity-Ui6e
the conduct of Capt. Eyre, of the Bombay
in their treatment of vessels in distress.
The Samaria, with the American mails on
board, and full list of passengers, after.
the accident that befel her propeller, lay
like log in the sea, making no Roadway
and with her stores of proyis-
ions, which were only calculated to hold
out twenty five days, gradually being eaten
up and famine staring her freight of hui
manity in the face, the prospects were
anything but flattering. For days and
weeks she lay in the ocean utterly help
less, but on the 18th day of March, at 10
NJ, a steamer was deserted in latitude
= 10
"a min. west, the sea being smooth, with
very little wind. A large steamer,
which was afteTward ascertained
to be the Manhattan, of Williams s. Cru
Ions line, hove in sight on the westward
horizon, and gra lually approached the
Cunarder Capt. Martyr, of the
fired several guns, and hoisted
the commercial code signals, engines
and 81 wish 10 communicate,
and also lowered the maiutop-gallant sails
to attract their attention to his disabled
but the stranger, without pay
ing the slightest attention to the signals
or the booming of the minute guns, sud
denly sheered off aud pursued bis course,
evidently trying to run away, but a rocket
being sent up she displayed her ensign as
a token of recognition, and was soon lost
to view. The officers of the Samaria
and a greater portion of the passengers
on deck, who were anxiously scanning
the steamer, aver positively that she could
not have been more than six miles distant,
as through the telescope persons were
moving about her decks, and
three or four were seen in the rigging.
After this disgraceful and inhuman &C
ton of the officers of the Manhattan, in
refusing to succnr their helpless brethren,
the Samaria was favored with series of
stiff elbows" from the North and East,
and with her canvas furled to the breeze
she made the Irish coast on the 29th of
March, but owing to q terrible land-breeze
she was compelled to lay to. On the
evening of that day boat was sent
landward, manned by portion of her
crew, under the command of third officer
David Brown, who was directed to seek
Kingston harbor at all haz rds and secure
a pilot This he did, and on the 3Oth
the Samaria anchored in the roads and
discharged her mails and passengers,
which were subsequently transferred TO
the steamer Java, of the same line, whose
arrival at this poIt last week has been
duly ammo mced.
The action of Capt. Forsyth, of the
has been severely criticised,
both in this country and England, for the
seemingly inhuman conduct, and from the
bitter feelings engendered it is not at all
that he will be called upon TO au-
swer for his course. The passengers and
officers of the Samaria speak bitterly on
the subject, and treat with contempt his
letter in which he states that ''there was
nothing in the appearance of the steamer
TO indicate distress, as it was too far off
TO make out any signals"