River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1873-04-11
FEARFUL SHlPWRECK
White Star Steamship Atlantic
Lost near Halifax,
$50 ont OF 1000 Persons on Board
Perish.

The White Star steamer Atlantic,
Captain James Agnew Williams, from
Liverpool, March 20, for New York,
while going into Halifax for coal,
struck on Meagher's Rock, near Pros
pect, twenty-five miles west of Halifax
on Tuesday, April LIST, and became a
total wreck. OF about 1000 persons
on board upward of $50 were drowned
The third officer, Brady, arrived in
Halifax Tuesday evening. He says
that the Atlantic left Liverpool on the
Goth of March, with upwards of 900
steerage passengers and about fifty
cabin passengers. The steamer ex-
perienced boisterous weather during
the passage, but all went we'll until
noon of Monday, the 31st, when the
/ supply of coal becoming nearly ex-
hausted, the captain determined to put
into Halifax. The captain and third
officer were on deck until midnight.
The position of the steamer was, they
/ judged, to be off Sombro Light, bear
| ing n. NV 80 miles. The captain
then went into his chart-room, leaving
orders to be called if there was any
change in the vessels position. Brady
went to bed about the same time as
the captain. The next thing that he
remembers is that he was thrown out
of his bunk, and he heard the ship
strike several times. This was at 2 A.
NJ. He then rushed on deck and found
the captain and officers there, and the
deck full of passengers. He got an ak
and commenced to clear away
boat. The captain and other
officers were busy doing the same
ching. Brady succeeded in getting his
boat into the water This was the
only boat launched, and it had no
sooner touched the water when a crowd
made rush to get in it. Brady used
force to prevent them from crowding
into it. He put two women ami about
a dozen men into it, and also got in
himself, just then the steamer fell over
and sunk. The boat, with the living
freight, was carried down with the
steamer and all in it drowned except
Brady. The hull of the steamer be
came almost wholly submerged, and
only the bow and mast remained above
water.
Brady scrambled into the mizzen
rigging, which was above water, and,
seeing that he could do nothing there,
he then went forward and unmoved the
halyards, and being assisted by quar-
termasters Sherman and Owen. Brady
then took the halyards and all three
swan to the rock, and then a line was
hauled ashore, and a number of pas
sengers landed by it. A number got
on the rock, but as the tide was rising
their position was no better than on
the vessel. Fishermen on the shore
came out in boats to those ON the rock
and took large number from the rig
ging.
The greater part of the passengers
We're In their rooms below at the time
the steamer struck and were Immediate
ly drowned, Indeed so soon after
striking did the steamer sink that
many of the passengers were no doubt
sleeping peacefully in blissful lgnor-
ancs of all that was going on around
them, and passed INTO eternity without
a struggle. OF those ON deck, number
ing several hundred, many were washed
overheard when the ship fell over and
their cries for help, as they struggled
in vain for life, were most heartrend-
ing. Many had taken refuge in the
rigging and on the bow, and were still
living but with the prospect of almost
certain death before them, for they
knew not where they were, and were
in momentary expectation of the ship
sinking further and engulfng all.
Even as they we're clinging in despera-
ton to the rigging, while the sea was
washing them continually, their situa-
ton was most trying, and every few
minutes some of them, benumbed by
cold and exhausted from their strug-
giles, loosed their hold and persisted
Brady remained ut the scene till
noon Tuesday, when all who were
alive on board had been taken from the
wreck, except the chief officer, Mr..
Firth, who was in the rigging shouting
for help. Brady says he tried to get
the crew to the rescue Of Firth, but the
sea was SO heavy that nobody would
volunteer.
The lost steamer Atlantic was built
at Belfast, Ireland, in 1871. was 42O
feet long, 40 feet beam, and % feet
depth Of hold, and registered 3, 723
tons; was constructed of iron and NOR
tar, aud had water tight bulk.heads;
was fitted with eleven boilers, and her
cylinders were on the compound prin-
ciple, under which the average con-
sumption of coal was only $50 tons
daily. The disaster is believed TO be
traceable to the carrying of an INSULT
cient supply OF coal for voyage OF
more than ten or eleven days.