The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1873-04-11
TERRIBLE CALAMITY.
The steamship Atlantic Wrecked Om the
Neva poOtis Coast DIVER 400 Lives sent

Nsva SCOTIA Coast Over 400 Lives Seat
Ia Watery Grave.
From thc Halifax N. s.) Chronicle, April IL
1t 10 our painful duty this morning to record
the most ter,ible marine disaster that has evel
occurred on our coast--tho loss of = great
ocean steamship with about 100 lives. Ysster.
day afternoon report became current that q
steamer had been wrecked somewhere on the
coast, and one or two lives lost. The report
was regarded a. one OF the cansrds put afloat
on All Fools day and little regard was paid to
it. Soon the report became more definite, and
we knew that the steamer Atlantic, Of the
White Star line, was ashore near Prospect, and
that several lives had been lost. Even yet the
public were inclined to regard the story as
MALICIOUS HOAX.
A little later, however, il became known that
the report was well founded, and that but a
small part Of the story had been told, the fact
being that the Atlantic had been wrecked on
Meagher's rock, near Prospect, 20 miles west
Of Halifax, and out OF about 1000 souls Oh
board $50 were lost. Need we say that the
terrible announcement created
PROFOUND FEELING OF HORROR
throughout the community.
Having ascertaned that one man from the
wrecked ship had arrived in town reporter
went in search Of him. He proved to be Mr..
Brady the third officer OF the Atlantic, bruised
and worn ont. and almost speechless after the
terrible events Of the morning. Nevertheless
he cheerfully gave such information as he
could. The Atlantic, Brady said, left Liver
pool on Thursday March 20, forN New York, and
touched at Queenstown the next day to receive
the mails and passengers, after which she
started Oh her voyage across the ocean. She
had a full cargo Of general merchandise and a
very large number of passengers. Brady could
not give the number, but thought there were
more than 800 in the steerage and about so in
the cabin. These, with her crew, would
probably make the total not less than 1000
souls. She was commanded by Capt. James
Agnew Williams.
ROUGH WEATHER
was experienced, but nothing worthy of note
occurred until noon of Monday, the 3lst.
when coal being short, Capt Williams re-
solved to put into Halifax for a supply of coal
The captain and Mr.. Brady had the night
watch up to midnight, and they were re-
lieved by the chief and fourth officer
At that time they judged that Sambro
light then bore n. n. W. thirty-ninc miles.
The sea was rough and the night dark. The
chief and fourth officers having taken charge,
Brady went below and turned into his berth.
The captain at the same time went to his room
lie down. What occurred between midnight
and 2 o'clock, the time of the disaster, Brady
cannot tell, as he was sleeping. He was awak-
ened and
THROWN OUT OF HIS BUNK
by the shock when the steamer struck. She
struck heavily three or four times. Brady ran
mp to the deck and found it full of passengers.
H e found an AK, and with it commenced to
clear away the starboard life-boat. He OBJ
served that the captain and other officers were
engaged in clearing the other boats. Brady
succeeded in getting the lfe-boat out. This
was
THE ONLY BOAT LAUNCHED,
and it had no sooner touched the water than
crowd made q rush to get into it. Brady had
to use force to prevent them crowdng in. He
put two women and about dozen men into
i, and also got himself in. Just then the
steamer fell over and sank. The boat with it's
living freight, was
CARRIED DOWN WITH THE STEAMER,
md all in it were drowned, except Brady.
The hull of the steamer became almost |
wholly submerged, and only the bow and |
nasts remained above water. The greater
part Of the passengers were in their rooms |
below at the time, and were immediately |
l-owned. Indeed, 80 soon after the striking |
lid the steamer sink, that many of the passen-
gers were no doubt sleeping peacefully, in |
3lissful ignorance of all that was going on |
around them, and
PASSED INTO ETERNITY WITHOUT A srRuGeLE.
OF those on deck, numbering several hun
lred, many were washed overheard when the |
hip fell over, and their cries for help as they
struggled in vain for life we're most heartrend-
ne. Many had taken refuge in the rigging
md on the bow, and were still living, but with
he prospect of almost certain death before
hem; for they knew not where they were, and
we're in momentary expectation of the ship
linking further and engulfng them ALL Even
- they were clinging in desperation to the
iggiag, while the sea WAS washing them con-
inually, their situation was most trying. and
very few minutes some of them, benumbed
y the cold and exhausted from their struggles,
posed their hold and persisted.
THE CHARACTER OF THE VESSEL.
The Atlantic was built ct Belfast, Ireland, in
81; was 400 feet long, 40 feet beam, and %
Get depth Of hold, and registered 3,723 tons.
he was constructed Of iron, and had four
,asts and six water-tight bulkheads. She was
tied with eleven boilers and four cylinders on
he compound principle, under which the aver
60 consumption Of coal was only As tons. The
isastcr 10 believed to be traceable to the carry
~ Of an insufficient supply Of coal for voy- .
&c of more than ten or eleven days.