Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1873-04-02
Steamer Atlantic Wrecked of Halifax
Over Seven Hundred Passengers
Reported Lost.
The Third Officers StOry-The Vessel
Dashed to Pieces on a ROck-One
Thousand Lives In Peril.
Only One Life-BOat Launched, and that
Carried Down with the III
fated Vessel.
Not a Woman or Child Saved Two Hun
dred and Fifty Persons Saved by
Fishermen.

HALIFAX, N. s., April 1.-The white
Star steamer Atlantic, Captain Williams,
from Liverpool for New York, while
coming into this port for coal, struck on
Meaghers Rock, near Cape Prospect,
twenty-five miles west of Halifax, and
became a total wreck. OF about one
thousand souls on board, upward of
seven hundred were drowned. The
third officer, Mr.. Brady, arrived
in this city this evening. He saws
that the Atlantic left Liverpool
on the twentieth of March, with up
ward of nine hundred steerage passen-
gers and about fifty cabin passengers.
The steamer experienced bOisterous
weather during the passage, but all went
well until Monday, the thirty first, when
the supply of coal was nearly exhausted,
the captain determined to put into
Halifax. The captain and third officer
were on deck until midnight. The DO
sitiOn was then judged to be, by the
sombre light, bearing nOrth-north-
west, thirty-nine miles. The captain
then went into his chart-room, leaving
orders to be called if there was any
change in the vessels position. They
went to bed about the same time as the
captain. The next thing that he re-
members is, that he was thrown out of
his bunk, and he heard the ship strike
several times. He then rushed on deck
and found the captain and officers there,
and the deck full of passengers. He got
an axe and commenced to clear away
a boat. The captain and other
officers were busy doing the same
thing. Brady got his boat out,
and put two women in it. A number Of
men attempted to get into it, and about
a dozen succeeded. Just at that mo-
ment, the steamer fell over on her beam
ends and sank. Only one boat had been
launched, and that was carried down by
the steamer and all in it were lost.
Brady scrambled into the mizzen
rigging, which was above water,
and seeing that he could
do nothing there, he then went forward
and removed the halyards, being assist
ed by Quartermaster Piermont Owen.
Brady then took the halyards and all
three swan to the rock, and then line
was hauled ashore and number of pas
sengers landed by it. A number had
got on the rock, but as the tide was ris-
ing, their position was no bet
ter than on the vessel. Just
then the fishermen on shore came out in
boats and rescued those on the rocks and
a large number from the rigging. Brady
remained at the scene until noon to-day,
where all who were alive or 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
go to the rescue of Mr.. Firth, but the
sea was so heavy that nobody would
volunteer. Altogether about two hun
dred and fifty persons were saved, in
cluding Captain Williams and the
fourth officer, Mr.. Brown, and several
engineers and sailors. Not single wO-
man or child was saved. Most of them,
as well as hundreds of men, drowned in
their berths. The steamer struck
about two o'clock this morning.
The weather at the time was dark,
but not thick, and the sea rough. Steam
ers are going down tonight to render
what assistance they can. All the peo-
pie saved from the wreck, with the ex-
eeption of Brady, are at Prospect, where
fishermen are giving them all the at
tention they possibly can.