Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-10-02
A TERRIBLE SCENE.
Particulars of the Loss of the Brit
ish Ironciad Captain.

L
English papers contain the following
particulars of the loss of the Captain:
| About midnight, on the 9th inst, the ship
was in company with the Channel fleet,
| about forty miles off Cape Finisterre,
cruising under double-reefed fore and
maintopsails, and foretopmast staysail and
maiDsail, and foresail hauled up; there
being at the time very strong breeze and
heavy sea. The starboard watch had
been called at IL o'clock, and were being
mustered, when a squat struck the
ship on the port side, causing her to
give heavy lurch to starboard. AS she
did not right herself, Capt Bur-
goyne, who was on the bridge, gave
order to lower the foretOp sail, but in con-
sequence of the yards being sharp up, the
ship at the time being on a port tack, it
did not come down. Orders were prompt
ly given, '1et go the lee braces aud man
the topsail downhand, but by this time
the ship had been again struck by heavy
sea and was completely hove on her beam
ends, with water pouring down in the
funnel, and she then turned bottom up
ward, and gradually sank stern first
From the time the ship was first struck to
her going down only from five TO ten
minutes elapsed. The number on board
at the time was about $40. When the
Captain was first lost sight of, it was
thought she had missed the fleet-not an
uncommon occurrence on dark night,
and when it is blowing hard, and no one
imagined sne had gone down; but
alas the sad fact soon became
apparent when first was picked up
boat, then spar, and subse-
quently one man who had lashed himself
to grating, but did not succeed in saving
his life. On the morning of Thursday
the Monarch, which had been searching
round the coast, brought intelligence to
the flagship that one warrant officer and
seventeen men had been landed from the
Captain. Mr.. James May, gunner, states
he was awakened about u o'clock on the
night of the 9th by some marines making
a noise outside his cabin, and finding the
ship more than usually unsteady, he dres-
sed himself to go on deck and see if the
guns were all right in the turrets. When
he got up into the after-turret the ship
gave Very heavy roll to starboard, and
continued in that position, gradually heel
ing over more and more until he found the
water coming into the portfolio on top
of the turTet, through which he crawled,
and then he found himself overheard.
He, however, succeeded, with five
others, including Capt. Burgoyne, in
reaching a steam pinnace, which was
floating bottom uppermoSt, and observing
launch passing within few yards of
them, he cried out, 'FNow, jump men!
this is your only chance" He aud three
others did so, and succeeded in getting
into the boat. THY in vain endeavOred
to regain the pinnace to save their Cap
tain, but the sea running so very high
prevented them fulfilling their task; and
in the attempt they were struck by the
heavy sea, nearly swapping the boat, and
washing one man overheard. 1t was
then determined to let the boat run before
the sea. As land was known to be lee
ward, they made for it, and succeeded in
landing about noon of the 7th