The Portland daily press., 1873-07-09
The Loss of the City of Washing
ton.
MARROW ESCAPE OF THE
PASSENGERS.
Particulars of the Wreck.

HALIFAX, July s.-The tug boat Daisy of
Liverpool, N. S., arrived here this morning
with Mr.. Henry Main, the purser of the Inman
steamer City of Washington; from whom the
following particulars of the shipwreck are
| CLEANED;
The City of Washington sailed from Liver
pool on the 24th of Jnue, and after leaving that
port until the vessel struck on the west side of
Port LIE Bar, on the west coast, neither sun nor
stars had been seen, so that it was impossible
to obtain observations during the entire
passage, in order to ascertain the position of
the ship.
When the steamer struck at two p M, on
Saturday, the fog was so thick that no object
could be seen three yards ahead. Everybody
on board supposed the vessel was proceeding on
her way to New York, and the only intimation
to the contrary was the heavy grating sound as
the vessel was driven over the rough bottom of
the shoals where she now lies. The steamer
was going at the rate of about nine knots when
she struck.
There was no excitement on board at the
time. Everybody was perfectly calm and Capt.
Phillips, officers and crew set about lowering
boats and getting the passengers on shore, of
whom there were % cabin and 4S steerage.
Meantime the guns were fired from the strand
ed, and in answer to them the men came along
side in small boat, from whom the first infor-
nation was obtained as to the locality of the
place where the vessel had been driven to.
Fortunately the sea was calm, and the dis
lance from the main land was only about a
quarter of mile, All the boats were speedily
launched and manned, and in three hours from
the time of the disaster every living soul on
board was safely landed at Port LIE Bar, where
the inhabitants busted themselves in assisting
to provide temporary accommodations for the
passengers and crew.
All the passengers luggage, effects, ship
stores, &C., were also safely landed.
The ship is lying on an even keel, as if riding
at anchor. There is about fifteen feet of water
at high tide on the shoal. The engine room is
posed that hole s>stove in the bottom, be-
meath the engine room. The second deck is
perfectly clear of water, but below that is full.
The fog did not lift until yesterday morning,
when for the first time it was discovered the
narrow escape from total destruction, with the
probable lose of all on board that the vessel
had, as about two hundred yards on her port
bow was Little Gull Rock
How the vessel escaped in the dense fog is
marvellous, and a gratuitous circumstance for
which all on board, passengers and crew, are
deeply thankful. In fact in the direction the
ship was steering along the dangerous western
coast of this province, her escape from de-
structon onsthe immediate reef and sunken
rocks so plentifully sprinkled on the coast, was
providential.
There is no theory given to account for the
ships deviation, except the fact that no obser-
ing Liverpool until the occurrence of the dis
aster.
Where the steamer is stranded is inside Lit
tie Gull Rock, on what is properly known as
Gull Rock bar. This is distant from Lockport,
the nearest port, twenty miles, and from Hall
fax about eighty miles, latitude 1889 north,
longitude 64.46 west,