The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1873-04-11
TEE LOST ATLANTIC"
History of the Inflated Vessel


TIE LOST ATLANTIC"
History of the Inflated Vessel
The Atlantic was built by Harland q Wolff
at belfast, Ireland, in 1870, and was launched.
we believe, III the month of Decembe Of that
year. She was 420 feet in length, 40 feet 9
inches breadth of beam, and % feet inches
depth OF hold proper and 81 feet to top of
spar deck, and measured 1896 tons, custom
mouse measurement. Her machinery was built
BY George Forester & Co., of Liverpool, and
consisted OF four compound engines, with Al
and ~ inch cylinders, with 90 inch stroke of
piston, and nominal horsepower Of GOO. She
had ten main boilers sufficient to give her
steady pressure of 60 pounds to the square
lnch' burning, on an average 80 tons of coal a
! day and working her screw up to 58 reyolu-
tlons per minute. On her trial trip she made
IL IL Knots per hour. She was fitted with
| seven water-tight bulk-heads running from
kelson to main deck. She had three iron
decks running fore and aft, to aid in strength
enlng this long, narrow hull. Her masts, four
IN number, were Of iron and all of one piece,
and the yards were also of iron.
In point of equipment, the Atlantic was as
fine as any of the vessels of the line. and at
traeted much attention when she first made
her appearance in the Mersey. She sailed
from Liverpool, on her first VOYAGE early in
June, 1871, and arrived at New York on the
morning OF Friday, June 23d. 1871, having
made the run in little short of eleven days.
being the second ship of the line, and com
manded by Capt. Digby Maury now relieved
rom the line. She remained In port until the
| hrst day Of July, 1871, when, at 6:lO P. NJ.
she discharged her pilot off Sandy Hook
homeward bound for the first time, and in
eight days and nineteen hours she was off
CrooknaYen- The voyage was somewhat re-
markabie for the number of DISTINGUISHED
guests on board, who celebrated the Fourth
OF July IN manner never known on board of
an ocean steamer at sea- The Atlantic has
been steadily employed in the trade since she
sntered It, and until the disaster which sealed
her fate, has never met any serious accident.
This type of vessel has never been Consider
ed by American engineers as one likely TO
stand the slightest hard usage after grounding,
and that she should have gone to pieces quick
/ ~ atter striking is no wonder. The enormous
length and disproportionate beam renders
them an easy prey to the action of waves after
they once touch bottom. In this case the sew
en- Water-tight bulkheads seem to have proved
OF no use, as the loss of life shows that there
was not enough of the ship left to shelter but
few persons.
THE CAPTAINS sToRY-A FEARFUL TALE.
The investigation into the Atlantic disaster
ordered by the Canadian Government, COM
meneed in Halifax, on the 9th. Captain Viii
iams was sworn, and submitted the following
testimony, part of which was copy of letter
written by him to the owners OF the Allan
tic:
On the 2Sth Of March the engineers report
showed that the Goals were getting short, We
having experienced a few days of very severe
weather. The Goals on board were 3l9 tons,
we being l l,l39 miles from Sandy Hook The
speed came down from eight knots an hour,
and with moderate strong breezs, to i've
knots per hour. Hoping that the wind would
change favorably, kept on until the 3lst,
when our Goals were reduced to l27 tons, and
the ship distant from Sandy Hook AGO miles,
IN latitude Al deg. sc min, longitude 63 deg,
min. and 43 sec. As the ship by this time
was making but seven knots per hour, the
wind being at the southwest, the glass falling
and westerly swell on, thought the risk
too great to keep on, as in the event of a west
erly gale coming up We might find ourselves
shut out from all source of supply. The chief
steward also reported that the stores were
short. There were fresh provisions enough
Tor the saloon for two days, and but salt
enough for the steerage for two days, when
all but the rice and bread would be out.
at 7. H., after receiving the engineers
report, decided to come here. Sambro Is
land being north deg; east, distant 10
miles. During the afternoon the wind was
w, with rain. At P. NJ. the wind veer-
ed to the west, and the sky was clear and star
light several times corrected the course by
the polar star. The course steered by the
compass was N a deg, E with deg. eastsrly
deviation, which l considered ample allow
anee for the westerly set, and to lead five
miles to the east of Sambro Island. left nv
orders on the bridge as to the lookouts, which
word was passed to the officers relieving at
midnight-the second and third officers. II
corrected the course the last time at 1920 A.
NJ, when repeated my caution and order,
Then went into the chart room and sat down
about fifteen minutes. A Mr.. Fisher came in
to ask some particulars about the ship, as he
was writing to newspaper. He stayed about
twenty minutes. Ny intention was to run
until A. NJ. then to heave to and await day.
At midnight, the ships run was about 100
miles, which would place her As miles south
OF Sambro, the speed being by the log, at L. 90.
knots per hour. The night at this time was
cloudy and the sea rough. AtI24O nv SER
want came up with my cocoa, when he was
told not to wake me until A NJ, when the
second officer would call me.
The first intimstion l had of ANYTHING
wrong was the ship striking on Meaeher's
rock, or Meagher'5 island, and remaining heal
ing slightly TO port. The officers were quickly
at their stations, accompanied by the quarter
masters. The tirst sea swept away all the
port boats, and the ship heelng over rapidly,
soon rendered the starboard boats useless,
Every effort was made to send the people for.
ward, outside the ship, but their terror defeat
ed all our efforts. The second officer was in
the starboard 6feboat l carried two ladies
and placed them with them, and returned for
more. Before got as far as the saloon en-
trance, finding the ship going over still fur.
ther, managed TO get hold of the weather
rail and get back to the life boat. took the
ladies' out and placed them in the main rig
ging, we'll back, and called to the second Off
Ger to come, as the boat would roll over, which
she did In a few minutes, carrying with her
Mr.. Metcalf and from thirty to forty men.
Finding that was OF no uss there, returned
to the main rigging an found that the ladies
had gone. The chief officer, Mr.. Firth, got
into the miZzen rigging, where his retreat was
soon cut of, and he had to remain there until
Z. NJ, when the weather and sea moderated
with the falling tide and be was got of.
Brady, the third officer, finding the boats
useless, went forward, and with the assistance
OF Quartermasters Speakman and Owens, es-
tabhshed communication with ropes to a small
outlying rock, distant from our starboard bow
about forty yards Er. Owens swan first. |
but failed to get footing. Speakman then
tried and succeeded. A stouter rope was
hauled on the rocks, along which Mr.. Brady |
passed, followed by the oldest of the men. By |
this time it was about 4 A. NJ was at this |
time in the main rigging trying to get the pas
sengers there collected to make an effort to |
get forward. Many went, but the larger
number-several saloon passengers among |
them-lay there and died. The purser was
the first to snccumb to the intense cold that
prevailed. Finding myself of no use there, |
got along the inside OF the ship to the fore |
rigging, got the fore sheets and tacks unroye |
and sent ashore. We now had five ropes 10 |
the rock, along which men to the number of |
two hundred passed safely though nearly ex-
hansted on yeaching the rock. mr. Brady. |
accompanied by Messrs. Owens Speakma1
and Thomas, now got line across the inner
channel which was about one hundred wards
wide, and shallow, though with very heavy |
surf running through. They then went up |
and gave the alarm AMI sent a messenger to |
Halifax. About fifty got to the larger island |
by the line, though many were drowned in |
the attempt, among the number being the
chief steward, who was drowned by passen- !
gers crowding him down. l. with the fourth