Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-05-28
NEWFOUNDLAND.
over 40 Vessels WreckedI - Some |
1000 S0s5Is Perish


NEw YORK. Nav 27.-The Times Of to-
morrow viii publish the particulars OF tIe
loss Of vessels off the coasts OF LabraoOr anu
Newfoundland during the sealing Voy ass
this spring. Up to the latest possible man
date over 40 vessels, including four seea,n-
ships, had been heard from as total wrecks,
having been dashed to pieces while anilu
huge icebergs and plains OF ice during the
terrific hurricane. On an average each Oh
those vessels carried about 100 men, VINO
yzere employed as seal hunters, and OUT OF
those 4. 600 hrnaA souls only Us have Deen
accounted for. The large majority OF tnose
unfortupates have left families behind ex-
clusively dependent on them for malntenS
anee. e..
A list Is eiven of the Inflated crafts,
whose crews hate rot been accounted LOT
except in very rare instsncesj and the Few
who were saved could not give any oennlte
intelligence off those they had left behind
durinS The night of the loss Of the steam
sbip Retriever, on board of which vessel was
Cant. AIlston, who furnishes the shocking
intelieenee that Is sail of vessels were
bemmed in bV boulders or bergs OF ice over
which tremendous seas dash high and wiz,
so that it was impossible at times to as
Germ the icy islands, and charge after charge
of the upgoyernable ships against these
rniol1fv barriers soon cleft bows and bull
waTlxs asunder and consigned many stal-
wart forms and brave hearts to Watery
graves. 90. .,
While this fleet lay to as last effort TO
snyviv,e The wild Northeastern hurricane
tbat reared andruled around them. Many
TOSSING crafts cut down each other aud one
faarfnI instance is recorded wherein Vessei
driven OH an iceberg by q huge seas Ieu
with a mighty crash upon bTls, the Twin
Sisters which lay beneath the t9rg ana
large number were instantly crusueu "
death and the Twin Sisters literally burst
in two. The rest, only fifteen men OUT VI
ninety-eiqht chung 20 The broken spars ana
were by chance picked up by the crew OF
the Retriever. LII
Toward morning the hurricane when
had RACED all night without abating began
to subside. In the light of that dreary
dawn scene which presented itself TO lhose
ON hoard of the only survivor Of fleet OF
sixteen, the Retriever, cannot possibly De
described, inasmueh as one who had VIII
messed the sight shrinks hoplessly from the
task of explaining its horror and SnaStn-
| ness. lie lC6 udu - 4
vening between the position OF Vessels anu i1
the shore. Upon rudely heaped bould-
ers and flakes Of ice were
strewn masts, yards, rigging, clothing and
broken hulls in the widest disorder worse
| still, there were blood sIleareo cOrpses
| crushed to death by pan0 u
ice closing on them. Some were actu-
aIIv cut in two by the powerful jammlng
Of the tloes and others half drowned anu
exhausted; died from the intense frost
The stifened bodies lay strewn around ~ ~
the most CHASTITY attitude, while mary o.
them could hardly be recognized, they
had been so mangled in consequence
This wholesale ruin to the hunting flee
of Newfoundland will steep that country
again in poverty and misery. -,
But saws Capt. EI5ton, the whole has no
ro+-haen told. Hundreds of the feet are
stiil to lie heard from, and their fate ma!
be even as gloomy as that OF the torty-on'
vessels of which this act is presented