Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1873-04-11
Tho Lost Atlantic.

The daily papers, during the past
| week, have been filled with the de-
tails Of the terrible shipwreck of
the steamer Atlantic, near Halifax,
mention of which was made in our
last issue. The following account
of the disaster is from the Halifax
Chronicle. The loss of life is over
stated, the actual number Of drown
ed being afterwards ascertained to
be something over 500:
1t is our painful duty this morn
ing to record the most terrible ma
rine disaster that has ever occurred
on our coast-the loss of y great
ocean steamship with about 100
lives. Yesterday afternoon a re-
port became current that steamer
had been wrecked somewhere on
the coast, and one or two lives lost.
The report was regarded as one of
the canards put afloat on All FOOLS
day and little regard was paid to it.
Soon the report became more def
mite, and we knew the steamer At
lantic, of the White Star line, was
ashore near Prospect, and that sew
eral lives had been lost. Even vet
the public were inclined to regard
the story rs a malicious hoax. A
little later however, it became
known that the report was well
founded, and that but a small part
OF the story had been told, the fact
that the Atlantic had been wrecked
on Meagher's rock, near Prospect,
22 miles west Of Halifax, and out of
about 1000 souls on board 100 were
lost. Need we say that the terrible
announcement created a profound
feeling Of horror throughout the
community. Having ascertained
that one man from the wrecked ship
had arrived in town areporter went
i'll search Of him. He proved to be
MIR. Brady, the third officer of the
Atlantic, bruised and worn out, and
almost speechless after the terrible
events of the morning. Neverthe-
less he cheerfully gave such lntor-
nation rs he could. The Atlantic,
Brady said, left Liverpool on Thurs
day, March 20, for New York, and
touched at Queenstown the next
day to receive the mails and pass
engers, after which she started on
her voyage across the ocean. She
had a full cargo ofgeneral merchan-
disc and a very large number of
passengers. Brady could not give
the number, but thought there were
more than 800 in the Storage and
about fifty in the cabin. These,
with the crew, would probably
make the total not less than 1000
souls. She was commanded by
Capt. James Agnew Williams.
Rough weather occurred, but
nothing worthy of note occurred
until noon of Monday, the 3lst,
when coal being short, Capt. Will
liams resolved to put into Halifax
for supply Of coal. The captain
and Mr.. Brady had the night watch
up to midnight, when they were re-
lievcd by the chief and fourth off
Ger. AT that time they judged that
Sambro light then bore N. N. w.
80 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 to lie down.
What occurred between midnight
and two O'Clock, the time ofthc dis
aster, Brady cannot tell, as he was
sleeping. He was awakened and
thrown out Of his bunk by the shock
when the steamer struck. She struck
heavily three or four times. Brady
ran up to the deck and found it full
of passengers. He found an axe
and with it commenced to clear
away the starboard life boat. He
observed that the captain and other
officers were engaged in clearing
the boats. Brady succeeded IN get
ting the boat out. This was the
only boat launched, and it had no
sooner touched the water than a
crowd made rush to get into it,
Brady had to use force to prevent
them crowding in. He put two
women and about dozen men into
it, and also got himself in. Just
then the steamer fell over and sank.
The boat, with Its Lying freight,
was carried down with the steamer,
and all in it were drowned except
Brady. The hull of the steamer be,
came almost wholly submerged, and
only the bow and masts remained
above water. The greater part of
the passengers were in their rooms
below at the time, and were imme-
diately drowned. Indeed, so soon
after the striking did the steamer
sink, that many of the passengers
were no doubt sleeping peacefully,
in blissful ignorance OF all that was
going on around them, and passed
into eternity without a struggle.
OF those on deck, numbering sew
cral hundred, many were washed
overheard when the ship fell over,
and their cries for help as they
struggled in vain for life were most
hcartrending. Many had taken ref
uge in the rigging, and on the bow,
and were still living, but with the
prospect Of almost certain death be-
fore them; for they knew not where
they were, and were in momentary
expectation of the ship sinking fur
ther and cngulfing them all. Even
as they were clinging in despera-
ton to the rigging, while the sea
was washing them continually, their
situation was most trying, and
every few minutes Some Of them,
benumbed by the cold and exhaust
ed from their struggles, loosed their
hold and persisted. Two steamers
left here at l a. m, to-day for the
scene Of the disaster. There will
be nothing further until they return.
Cape Prospect, or as it is more
commonly known, Mars Head, the
= 81, IL.