Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-12-03


French Brig ROcaley = COlIiding at
Sea with the Ship Thomas Dana
Only Twenty-One Persons Saved.
Neao York Sun. Dee l.
The ship Thomas Dana, of Boston, Capt
Slsson, which left Liverpool on Oct. % in
ballast for New York, lies at anchor on
the Jersey flats. The end of a white spar
is sticking into the starbOard bow near the
back ropes, and piece of wood is wedged
in the grippe. Three or four sheets of cop
per have been torn loose, and she is rugged
with jury jibboom.
"We were sailing along" said Capt.
Sisson yesterday, ''about5K knots an hour
at 8 80 a. m, on October 80, and lust COM
ing out of the English Channel. It. was
beautiful morning. The second mate had
the deck, and everything was snug and
shipshape. At 5:35, as | sat in the cabin, |
heard the lookout pass the word that
there was a green light dead ahead. The
officer on deck took the glasses to have a
look at her. 1t might have been eight or
ten minutes later that l heard all hands
called. This was followed by a tremen-
dOus shout under the Starboard bow. a
light shock of a collision, and then hur-
rying of feet and a confusion of sounds
forward.
''The green light which the lookout had
seen belonged to a little brig that was
sailing along with the wind on the star
board quarter. AS she passed across our
bows some one gave a cry on her, and
then the man at her wheel did the only
thing that could have caused trouble. He
showed the helm hard to port. Iuffing her
up until she struck us a gIancing blow on
the bluff of the starbOard bow. AS she
sheered around there was a rush of half
naked men through two or three matches
on the brig, a struggle among those who
Np6pph n
and then she rolled over and sank out OF
sight. There was not a scream or cry
after the first shout. In two minutes not
even bucket or stray fender could be
seen ON the water.
I'VE had crew of twenty-five all told.
When called to save ship they gathered
forward and threw ropes ends and lines
to the men on the brig, and succeeded in
saving all that reached her deck. Twen-
ty-one in all were saved, one of whom was
her second officer, few were of her crew,
and the rest were passengers. She was the
French brig Rocaley, 160 tons register.
bound from st. Pierre to st. Milo. having
in all 1l0 souls on board and no cargo.
She had been chartered by a gang of men
who had been at st. Pierre curing fish dur
ing the past season to take them home
Not one of them could speak a word of
English; not one of us could speak word
of French. We tried in vain to learn
something more about them. After the
collision we cruised around the place until
1890, but nothing was found.
"Our own damage amounted to the loss
of a jihb0Om, and the breaking in of a
couple of plank by the end of her jIbbom
that is still there. One of her lower yards
was landed on our starboard tOpgallant
forecastle, where it lay fore and aft with
the slings inboard after the brig sank. On
November s we landed the survivors at
Fayal.
''The disaster was followed by another
fatal accident just before we got into port.
A. III. Mcdonald, seaman, whilst at
work on the foretopgallant yard, ON No
vember %, fell unaccountably, and was
instantly killed.''
The Thomas Dana is a ship of 1.440
tons. Her lights are not less than twenty
feet out of water. Capt. Sisson believes
that the crew of the brig on deck were
gathered about the galley drinking coffee
instead of keeping lookout, and that
when they saw the towering black hulk Of
the ship above them they were too much
frightened to see that they were really
out of danger.