The Republican journal., 1875-06-17
Another Ocean Disaster.

Ilo steamer State OF Georgia, which ar
rived in New York on Thursday from
Glasgow. reports on the 9TH of June. IL
lat Is : 81 min, Ion. Il - 50 min. pick
od up boat belonging to the British
steamer NicGsburg, from Quebec for Liv-
orpool, containing five men, who stated
that the steamer was cut through bv ice
and sunk. The names of the rescued are
James Crowley, boatswain Thos. O'Brien
Patrick Grogin, John Williams and Jones
W lIklnson, scanen. James Crowley says
the steamer had sixty men, eight saloon
ana twenty-five Storage passengers.
James Crowley states; We left Que
hec, Thursday morning, May 9th, with
ships crew of sixty men. all told, eight
saloon passengers, five gentlemen and
three ladies, and about twenty in the steer
age, OF whom four We're females. The
weather was fine until nine o'clock on the
evening Of May 50th, when we tell in with
Il field OF ice, and were soon surrounded
by il, The ship was stopped until day
light when we proceeded again with but
little ice in sight. At 9 80 PM, Monday
all hands were called to shorten sail The
ship was stopped amidst heavy ice, and
headed to the South, when we proceeded
ii full speed to get clear OF the ice. AT
- 9 clock, at half speed, we struck the ice
The captain ordered the forward wells to
be sounded, and six inches OF water was
found, the after Storage being full OF Wa
ter. Fine main hold wells were then sound
Ell, and five and a halt feet OF water found.
he captain called me on the bridge and
told me not to mind the boats, and called
everybody alt and told them to have no
fears, rs he could take the ship to St Johns,
\ +. Ii was then discovered chat the fires
IN the engine room were drowned out
ne captain then gave orders to launch
the boats with their respective crews, and
1oIt them 10 mind that the distance from
Il Johns was l2O miles northwest pro
cceded to launch No. | which was my boat
ana it was capsiZed in lowering, losing
the ChrOnOmeter, watch, rudder and part
ul the provisions She was tull of water,
and O'Brien and bailed her partly out,
when Grogin Wilkinson and Williams
jmnpcd in We could moi hang on to the
ship owing to the sea and ice OBricn
saw the captain on the bridge reckoning
the boat back, we having drittcd about
l.jO wards from the ship. We saw the see
oud officers beat lowered all clear. with
nme hands and himself in her. She came
around the bow and pulled to Windward
about 90 yards. The ship sank about ten
o'clock, floating boat No , from the chocks
with the chief officer and about thirty peo-
pile IN her. We shipped our mast and
kept company with the other boats for
about two hours. and then lost sight OF
them h. the westward We decided then
To steer clear OF the ice, hove the boat to
with an oar and bucket as a drag, till day
light on Wednesday morning. We had in
the boat about three gallons of water,
forty pounds OF raw beef, fourteen pounds
OF bread wet with salt water, and Il COM
pass, which did not fall out when the boat
rapsized. Again we put sail on the boat
and steered south, the wind blowing from
the north and nOrthWestWard. All through
out, the sea was high and the weather Bit
ter cold. About four o'clock in the after
noon we hauled the boats head to the
northeast, till Thursday morning, and
then tackled to the westward till about
three 0 clock in the afternoon, and again
hauled to with the drag till nine o'clock
Ia the evening, when he took in the drag
ana made sail and stood northeast till Fri
day morning. At daylight we backed to
southwest till midday; tackled again to
northeast till Saturday morning. About
hat-past ten in the forenoon sighted a
ship and we got out our oars and pulled
away dead to windward till picked up. l
think that forty odd people with the cap
tain, Went down with the ship. We had
blankets in our boat for the three ladies
and stewardess, who were lost when the
b'at eapsized We saw no ladies in the
chiefs OF second officers boats
The five men brought by the steamship
state Of Georgia, We're at once put under
the surgeons chm sc, They are still sutf-
ering, but are recovering as fast as could
be expected. Several interviews were
had here tonight with the survivors of
the crew for the hasty manner in which
they took to boats and abandoned their
vessel While many lives might have been
saved, is severely commented upon The
loss Of life is stated to be nearly fifty.
The steamer Eicksburg, Captain Thearle
allied from Montreal May n. for Liver
pool. The Niclsburg was a propeller of
24si tons, built al Dunbarton, Scotland,
in 1877. She was barque rugged, 323 feet
long, IS teet beam and - feet depth OF
hold She was owned by the Dominion
Inc and was regular trader between
Montreal and Liverpool.