The Portland daily press., 1890-01-24
EIGHTY PERSONS ON THE MISSING ERIN
When She Sailed from New York
TWO Days Before Christmas.
1t Is Hoped That She May Be Re-
ported from the Azores.
Enormous Damage Reported by the
Great Storm In England,

NEW YORK, January 23--The probabili-
ties of the National Line steamer Erin's be-
ing lost grow stronger every day. Yester-
day morning two steamers reported having
passed through the wreckage of a steamer
and the carcasses of dead cattle. With cat
tie principally the long overdue steamer was
laden. One steamer reporting this was the
Servia, which arrived yesterday, after
stormy and tempestuous voyage. The other
steamer was the Creole. from New Orleans
for Bremen. The Creole's experiences came
In the form Of a despatch to the Maritime Ex
change. On January 9th, the Creole pick ed
up life boat with oars, mast and sails In
her, and bearing ON her stern the name
ERIN" Soon after this she passed through
a quantity of wreckage and the floating bod
les of dead cattle. The cable despatch does
not say in what latitude or longitude the
Creole passed this wreckage.
The Servia was two days out of Queens
town, which port she left on Sunday last,
when she sighted the wreckage of steamer
and among It was steamers bridge.
f. w. j. Hurst, the agent of the National
Line OF steamers, to which line the Erin be-
longed, said yesterday that he still had a
firm belief that the vessel would come in
port all right. He expects TO hear from her
first at the Azores, for he thinks she has been
disabled and will put in there 1t Is now 32
days, since the Erin left this port, bound for
London. She carried miscellaneous cargo.
consisting chiefly of flour and grain in sacks
and OF AIS head of cattle. The entire value
of the cargo is estimated to be about $780,
600. The value of the ship is something
that no one is willing to express an opinion
on. She was not Insured, as the National
Line never insures its ships. but establishes
Instead sinking fund, to which Is paid an
nually the amount which IL would be neces-
sary to expend on insurance. The Erin was
inspected before she sailed by the agent of a
boston insurance company. which insured
the cattle, and the vessel was pronounced to
be seaworthy and well found. she was not
overloaded, and had IL feet freebOard.
Private advices received yesterday said
that the cargo of the Erin was insured in
London yesterday at premium of 70 guin-
was 80 guineas. The Erin is an old ship,
having been built in 1864 at Newcastle-on-
Tyne. She was, in her day, a passenger
steamer, and made quick trips in the days
when IA day steamer was considered fast
She registered 2,910 tons, and was Ais feet
long. She was commanded by Captain Ty-
son. sailor of experience and ability. Her
cattle were carried on the main and spar
decks. Mr.. Hurst thinks that in the terrific
storms which have recently been making
things lively on the North Atlantic the
decks of the Erin have been swept, and that
this accounts for the dead cattle and wreck
age reported by the Creole and the Servia
There were 60 people all told In the crew of
the Erin, bvt a record of their names could
not be got. They were sailors ard
fremen shipped in London. There were al
SO about 20 men who were on board to look
after the cattle. She carried no passengers.
LONDON, January 22.-Captain Daling of
the steamer Creole, at Bremen from New
Orleans, which reported sighting and bring
ing alongside lifebOat suppos I'd to belong
to the National Line steamer Erin, says that
the oars. ETC., which were taken from the
boat were lashed fast to it and had not been
used. There was hole in the bottom of the
boat. Captain Darling thinks ffom the APP
pearance of the boat that IL had been washed
from its fastening. The officials of the Ma
tional Line, to which the Erin belongs, state
that all the small boats belonging to the
Erin are marked erin, Liverpool" while
the boat seen by the Creole was marked
ERIN. London"