Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1873-04-03
The Atlantic Disaster.

tic. on the coast of Nova Scotia, Is the absorb
ing topic throughout the country. The state
ment of Captain Williams is that on the oath,
18th and 2Gh ult he experienced heavy gales
fom the southwest and west, which brought
the ship down to one hundred and eighteen
miles day. On the 3lSt the engineer sreport
showed only l27 tons Of coal on board. tie
was then five hundred and sixty miles east OF
Sandy Hook, with high westerly swell aud
falling barometer The ship was steamng on
L. eight knots per hour and he considered the
risk too great to push on, as gale might shut
her out from any port of supply, and he deter
mined 70 bear up for Halifax At l O'clock in
the afternoon Sambro Island was ITO miles
distant. At midnight he judged the ship to
have made l22 miles. which would place her
70 tv-cisht miles south Of 5 ,mbro. He then
left the deck and went into the chart room. and
left orders to keen lookout and call HIM at >
o clcck in the morning. His first ntlmatlon OF
the disaster was the ship striking on Meagher's
Island. In ten minutes the ship koocd heavl-
lv 10 port, and rendered useless the boats on
that side, the others having tecn swept away
He rot the passengers in the rigging, and al
vi,cT them to go forward, where the ship was
higher and less exposed to water By that
lime Brady, the third officer, had established
communication with the rock by a line, aud
| four other lines we're soon got to the rock, by
| which about two hundred people passed y
| rope was then passed from the rock to the
land about one hundred yards distant, by
| which about fifty got to the lad, but many
were drowned in the attempt The whole
number of survivors was four hundred apn
twenty pine
Early on Wednesday the Dominion Govern
mcnt steamer Lady Head. the Cuuard steamer
| Delta, and the steam tug Goliah, left Halifax
for the scene of the wreck of the steamer, at
pr,spcct. to render such assistance as they
could.
As morning broke the steamers approached
prospcct, and those on board quickly learned
The whereabouts of the Inflated Atlantic from
the presence around her Of large fleet OF
tishiug schovners and small boats The locality
is one that a mariner would be disposed 10 give
wide berth 10 if possible, the shores being II
succession of large beds of rock, with danger
Gus shoals running out for some distance, Willie
the bay is studded with iunumerable islands,
large aud small all solid rock with scarcely Il
sign of vegetation or soil Tor any thing to
grow
Yet, frovnng and dangerous as the place
was, there was a grandeur aud b'auty III the
scene on this bright morning, when the angry
waves were beating against the rocks aud en-.
veloping the shore almost continually IN clouds
of gistening spray, but the terrible story pi The
,bipwreck absorbed too much Of the attention
Of those Oh board the relieving steamers to al
low them to spend many minutes III admlrlng
the beauties OF nature.
The business of the vessels was to get on
board passengers and others who had been res.
cucd from the wreck aud put on shore where,
with such large number at su.h a small
place, not even the largc-heartcd generosity
and Kindness of the fishermen could be cx-
D. ctcd to make them comfortable.
The Delta aud Lady Head, being unable to
venture near the shore, came to anchor, and
the Goliah, with the lichoatS, went in to eul-
bark the shipwrccked people.
No tine was lost The Goliah and the boats
soon returned filed with men. who proceeded
to get on board the Delta, and such a motley
party. Fallstaff's ragged regiment We're we'll
attired and respectable looking compared to
these English, Irish, Scotch Welsh German,
Dutch, NorwcgianS, Swedes and Swiss. In
deed the representatives OF every country IN
Europe, and of the United States Of America,
were hudded together, talking, laughing, cry
Ing, praying and THANKSGIVING, producing a
confusion Of tongues OF IL most confused char
acter. Scarcely one half had complete and re-
spectacle looking suits Of clothes. The wealthy
merchant of London and New York, tie high
toned professional gentleman, ard the lowest
Of foreign emigrants appeared IN clothing much
of which had been given to them by the good
people Of Prospect.
Some were without coats many without hats,
others without boots, and all had to mourn
the absence Of some comfort in the clothing
line. Expensive broad cloth blended with a
rough guernsey jacket on the one person. Here
was an arisocratc- looking man striving to make
: himself at home under dilapidated Looking
overcoat that had probably done duty in days
of yore on the back OF more than one hardy
fisherman of the place, while at the same time
he made desperate effort to get on his be-
numbcd hands pair Of ,vendcr KID gloves,
All were warmly welcomed on board the
Delta by Captain Shaw and his officers, who
spared no pains to make them as comfortable
as possible The Goliah returned to the shore
and was soon back again with just such crowd
! as the previous one. There were several at
feeling scenes on the Delta as the passengers
were Collecting in her from the different points
where they had been stopping. Friends who
had separated from each other after the Allan
tic struck and never expected to meet again
: in this world were brought face to lace 10 the
Deltas cabin. where they graSped hands and
wept for joy, mud returned thanks to Him
whose mercy had spared them, while So many
Of their fellows had been sent into eternity.
By twelve clock all those who lad reached
the shore safely wore, excepting an officer and
four men, who remained and those who had
walked inland taken on board the steamers Dolta
and Lady Head. the former having about
three hundred and thirty and the latter seven
ty-scVen.
A calculation was now made by Captain
Williams showing that the loss of life, though
immense, was not SO large as had been report
ed. The Atlantic had IN board SO cabin pa>sen-
gers, 500 storage passengers and crew (oi-
hccrs included, Of l43 men total go souls,
leaving the number lost $40. Th IS may not be
precisely correct but is nearly so.
The wreck remained in the same position as
before reported, the boats aud mast only above
water, and the sea breaking SO rough that the