Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1879-03-18
APPALLING DISASTER.
Fifteen Vessels, One Hundred and
EOrty-Six Mem and Valuable Prop
eFCy Destroyed During Gale
Forty One Wives Made
widows, and One Hun
dred Children
Orphans.


Boston, March ia disaster, appalling
IN its terrible fatality, and heavy in the fnan-
cal loss it has caused, has fallen upon the
city of Gloucester, which previously contained
far more tnan the usual proportion Of widows
and orphans, and enterprises sorely smltten
by the business depression of the past few
years. On the night of the twentieth of
February q gale of almost unprecedented
violence, accompanied with binding Sow
and sieet, came roaring down upon the
Georges fleet. About fifty vessels occupied
the most dangerous positions, and of this
number it is feared that fourteen were lost.
Ii all that is feared did happen, one hundred
aad torty-slx men, the husbands of forty-one
wives and the fathers of nearly one hundred
children, and property which cannot be re-
placed for less than seventy-hve thousand
dollars, were swallowed up by the raging
waters. For the past week or ten days the
excitement IN the city has been intense. At
first not much alarm was felt; but, as vessel
after vessel that had weathered the storm
came il, and brought no tldiugs of the
missing Cues, the gravest anxiety began to
prevail. None OF those that are missing have
been reported since the gale. OF the safety
of some of them there is yet a ray of hope,
but it IS certain that the most of them will
never be heard from again. The anxious
waiting for their return has now given place
IN the minds Of the owners to the forced con-
yiction that they and their crews have per-
ished. Il Is probable that no financial dis
tress will be occasioned, but a distressing in
huenee will be felt directly or indirectly in
every portion of the business interests of the
city. The widows and orphans of the lost
sailors will have to be cared for, and the in
suranCe on the vessels and outfits, which was
all placed IN the Gloucester mutual fishing
insurance company, will have to be assessed
upon the firms, and will thus come out of the
general business. The total insurance Is
thirty-six thousand two hundred and eighty
dollars. The merchants of Gloucester. how
ever, as well as her fishermen, are hardy, de-
termined people, and quickly forget the
troubles OF the past In their present endeav-
Ors and future planning. Without asking
any outside help, they will settle their own
losoos, add new list of names to the roll of
worthy poor whom they assist, and steadily
pursue the while their historic work of catch
ing, buying and selling fish. Georges
bank, upon which the vessels and the men
went down, ls situated about one hundred
and forty miles east-southeast from Glouces
ter, and Is the famous feeding grounds for
Goldfish and haddock. The water shoals
gradually from the deep sea to the center of
the bank, where 1t ranges IN depth from six
to twelve fathoms. On the night of the storm
fifty sails are supposed to have been inclosed
within a circle of two or three miles north
east of the shoals. About fifteen miles
northeast from these was group of seven or
eight sail, and away on Browns bank, about
sixty miles further to the northeast, were
several others. A breeze sprung up about
noon of Thursday, and the signs foretoId the
coming storm. As the hours passed the wind
increased in violence, and at midnight was
blowing terrible gale from the southeast.
The air was filed with snow and frozen spray
SO thickly that nothing could be seen. Every
vessel, exposed as they all were to the wild
force of the gale and the waves, dragged its
anchors or parted its cables, and all drifted
more or less rapidly. No canvas could resist
for o moment the fierce rush of the wind.
and there was nothing for the sailors to do
but to wait and hope for the storm to abate
its violence, or for the wind to shift to a
different quarter. Unless one of these two
things happened, certain destruction was
behind them on the foamiDg shoals. The |
men whom fortune favored have returned, |
and some of them say that, during long lives |
spent upon the ocean, they never before ex-
perienced such gale with such a sea. There |
was not one vessel III the whole feet that did |
not sustain more or less damage. During
Friday morning the wind backed around |
gradually toward the north and northwest,
and at noon had moderated so that there
was no further danger. One or two of the
vessels that were on Browns were blown
across the open sea sixteen miles to Georges,