Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1873-04-09
OCEAN CALAMITY.
Five Hundred and FOrty.Six Lives
Lost.

Lost.
HALIFAX, n. s., April /, '73.-ThC
steamship Atlantic, of the White Stal
;. line, from Liverpool March Goth fol
New York, running short of coal
made for Halifax. When about TWEEN.
ty miles from port, off Cape Prospect,
at 2:30 o'clock, this morning, she ran
, ashore on Meagher's Head. She had
on board over one thousand men,
women and children. Only two hum
dred and fifty succeeded In landing.
The remainder, including all the
women and children, were lost. The
captain and third officer were saved /;
the first officer was drowned. On the
first receipt of the news of the disas-
ter, Cunard and Government steam
er started to the assistance of the At
lantie, but the third officer, who ar
rived here at $50 O'Clock this after
loon, says the vessel and cargo are a
total loss.
FULLER ACCOUNT OF THE DISASTER.
The following is the Halifax C7iron-
icle's report of the disaster:
1t is our painful duty this morning
to record the most terrible marine dis
aster that has ever occurred on our
coast, the loss of great ocean steam
er, with about seven hundred and fifty
lives. Yesterday afternoon the report
became enrrent that q steamer had
been wrecked somewhere on the coast
and one or two lives lost. The report
was only regarded as one Of the ca
nards put afioat 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 a ma
licious hoax. A little later, however,
it became known that the report was
well founded, and that but a small
part Of the truth had been told, the
fact being that the Atlantic had been
wrecked on Meagher's rock, near
Prospect, twenty-five miles west of |
Halifax, and out of about one thou |
sand souls on board seven hundred |
and fifty were lost. Need we say that |
the terrible announcement created q /
profound feeling of horror through |
out the community. Having ascer.
tanned that one man from the wrecked |
ship had arrived in town, a reporter
went in search of him. He proved /
to be Mr.. Brady, third officer of the
Atlantic, bruised, worn out and al
most speeehless, after the terrible
events of the morning. Neverthe-
less, he eheerfully gave such informa-
tion as he could.
The Atlantic, Brady said, left Liv-
erpoOl Thursday, March 20, for New
York touched at Queenstown next
day to receive mails and passengers,
after which she started on her voyage
across the ocean. She had full cargo
Of general merchandise and q very
large number of passengers. Brady
could not give the precise lumber,
but thought there were more than
eight hundred in the steerage and
about fifty cabin. These, with her
crew, would probably make the total
not less than thousand souls.
She was commanded by Capt. James
AgneW Williams. Rough weather
was experienced, but nothing of note
occurred until noon of Monday, the =,
31st, when, coal being short, Captain !
Williams resolved to put into Halifax !
for a supply. The captain and Mr..
Brady had the night watch up to mid {
night, when they were relieved by 6
he chief and fourth officers.
At that time they judged that Sam
)ro light, then bore n. n. W. thirty. 9
line miles. The sea was rough and Q
he night dark. The chief and fourth Q
,hicers having taken charge, Mr..
Brady went below and turned into l
lis berth. The captain at the same y
mo xuanf fo HE ronr,a 70 lie darv- 1 u
What occurred between midnight and v
wo o'clock, the time Of the disaster, a
brady cannot tell, as he was sleeping. y
lie was awakened and thrown out Of =
lis bunk by the shock when the boat 1
truck. She struck heavily three or II
1ur times. Brady ran upto the deck e
nd found 1t full of passengers. He .
ound an axe, and with il commenced
D clear away the starboard life-boat. q
lie observed that the captain and 9TH 3
officers were engaged in clearing g
ther boats. Brady succeeded in get IS
ng his hfe-boat out; this was the o.
N.Y. boat LAUGHED, and it had no soon g
,uehed the water than o crowd made So
rush to get into it. Brady had to II
sc force to prevent them erowding in. 81
Le put two women and about doz. "a
4 men into II, he also got In himself. tI
lst then the steamer fell over &C
nd sank. The boat with its living al
eight was carried down with the al
Gamer and all in it were drowned ht
Ieept Brady. The hull of the steam OF
became almost totally submerged, y
Id only the bow and masts remain. W
above water. pt
The greater part of the passengers, Pi
their rooms below at the time, were "
drowned. Indeed, so uc uc
on after the striking did the steam Ii1
sink that many Of the passengers "A,
ere no doubt sleeping peacefully in II
issful ignorance of all that was GO GO
g on around them and passed into NJ NJ
ernity without astruggle. OF those 81
deck, numbering several hundreds "A
any where washed overheard when al
g ship fell over, and their cries for cll
lip as they struggled in vain for life an
are most heartrending. Many, how 90
er, had taken refuge in the rigging 1O
d on the bow, and were still living, ue
It with q prospect of almost certain cm
ath before them, for they knew not ~
here they were, and were in mo-
sntary expectation of the ship sink
9 further and engulfng them ALL
ven as they were clinging in desper- tb,
ion to the rigging, with the sea %,
lshing them continually, their stu ics
lon was most trying, and every few an
lnutes some Of them ,sbenumbed by of
Id and exhausted from their strug- A,
IS, loosed their hold and perished. at
April 2.--Early this 'g
0rning the Dominion government be-
,amer Lady Head, the Cunard me
amer Delta, and the steam tug fri
,liah left for the scene Of the wreck ms
the Atlantic to render such assist W.T.
ce as they could. The Lady Head an,
d on board a number of custom mai
use officers and the Delta's party op,
sluded several newspaper reporters. tWi
start was made about three O'Clock, us
that the steamers might reach the heI
me Immediately after daylight. AS cir
,rnlng broke the steamers approach stiC
Prospect and those on board quick of
learded the whereabouts of the ill pet
ed Atlantic from the presence NAT
,und her of a large fleet of fishing ticl
looners and small boats. The To- obI
ity is one that mariner would be the
posed to give as wide a berth as vii
,sible, the shore being a succession tina
large beds Of rock with dangerous are
,als running out for some distance ron
lie the bay is studded with innu- Gus
rable islands, large and small, all son
i'd rock, with scarcely sign of gre
,etation or soil for anything to VIII