Daily tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1895, 1891-11-12
DRIVEN ASHORE
BY Unusually Severe Gales in
the British Channel.
Several Vessels Wrecked and
Many Lives Lost.

! was reCelNeu IrOm LONDON WedneSuay;
Another furious southeasterly gale is
sweeping over the British coasts and is
causing an immense amount of damage
From number of points already the
news has been telegraphed that ships
are ashore and that their crews are in
danger of drowning, or are already
drowned. Following so closely upon
the many recent storms which have
spread death and destruction on the
coasts of England, Ireland and Scotland,
and which have done an immense
amount Of damage to the crops, besides
flooding whole districts and destroying
railroad entertainments, this storm is
really more than even the most sanguine
of British farmers can pass through
without dependency.
| TIC give an entire list of the wrecks
reported would be difficult and lengthy
| task.
Would Not Leave His Vessel.
A dispatch from Hythe, Kent, just re-
ceived, says that the French schooner
Edirmi has foundered off that place and
that the vessels captain, his wife and
son were drowned i'll spite Of the efforts
of the life savers, who were enabled to
take off the rest Of the crew. The cap
tain of the Edirmi, however, refused to
leave the vessel, and his wife and son re-
fused to be separated from him, pre-
ferring drowning with the gallant sailor
to being saved without him.
OF Sandgate.
A telegram received at about the same
time from Sandgate, not far from Hythe,
says that the British ship Bienvenue, of
Glasgow, has been driven ashore there
after terrible struggle with the storm.
The crew of the Sandgate lifeboat sta
ton made every effort possible to launch
their boat but without success The life
boat was rolled over and over by the
pounding surf and finally the life savers
gave up the attempt to get her afoat
The rocket line was then callen into
service, and four times did the little
cannon belch forth its shot and chain to
where the cable line was attached, but
each time the shot fell short of the en-
dangered vessel All this time crowds
of people were standing upon the shore
watching the agony of the crew Of the
Bienvenue who had been lashed to the
ships rigging for hours, numbed with
cold and drenched to the skin by the
each successive wave which struck her
shook the stranded craft from stem to
stern, she was driven higher and higher
upon the rocks, which We're grinding
and crunching her bottom planking at
each movement she made.
After the life savers had exhausted
themselves i'll an effort to reach the YES
sci volunteer crews made the attempt,
but with no more success Had it not
been for the immense life belts they
wore they would have undoubtedly been
drowned. AS it was, it required the eff
forts of scores of volunteers. forming
life lines, hand and hand into the surf,
to rescue the imperilled boatmen.
AS this dispatch is sent, about noon,
the Bienvenue's hull is entirely sub
merged and her mastS are expected to go
by the board at any moment The only
hope of saving the men who are still
Clinging to the rigging, rests in the life
boat which the surf has so frequently
driven back.
The Hythe lifeboat has succeeded in
getting through the surf, and is making
a desperate struggle to rescue the mon
remaining in the rigging of the Bien-
venue. The lifebOat, however, is max
ing but slow progress, and the prospect
of rescuing the wrecked men are very
slim.
OFF Hastings.
While these attempts at rescue were
going on, telegraphic message from
Hastings, on the same coast. and not
very far from Sandgate and Hythe, an
nounces that the Hastings lifeboat is
making a desperate struggle TO reach
barque, supposed to be a British vessel
which has been driven ashore at some
distance from that watering place The
barque is in a most perilous position,
and the prospects are that all her crew
will be drowned The rocket lines and
lifeboat have, up to noon utterly failed
to reach the stranded craft and it is
feared that she will break up before as
sistance can reach her. The sea is ter
rife and at times the lifeboat is lost
sight of.
Only Three of Many.
These accounts of wrecks give only a
small idea of what is going ON along the
coasts here this morning. In addition
to the three vessels mentioned there are
many others in distress, and much fur
ther damage has been done to piers, /
seawalls, seaside railroads, bathing es
adjustments, etc.
~ II. ihs-fAJ Lllt liOllI llllS titSSuSt f
is sent, the survivors of the crew of the +
Bienvenue. ashore off Sandgate, have
not been rescued. and seven of the crew
are already rep,~yed among the drowned
Rivalry Even Unto Death.
In spite of repeated warning from ex-
perts that such course would be both /
useless and dangerous, the Dover life /
boat crew, stimulated by the efforts of
the life savers of Hythe and Sandgate
has succeeded in getting to sea, and is
making most gallant attempt to reach
the Bienvenue 1t is not thought that
the men of Dover will succeed where
those of Hythe and Sandgate have
failed, but the rivalry between the crews
is very great.
Their Zeal Stimulated.
The zeal of the live savers all along
the coast has been stimulated by the re-
cent incident at Semen, in Wales, /
whereupon the refusal of a number of
the regular lifeboat crew to put out to
the assistance of a distressed vessel
volunteer crew, composed of lawyers
clerks and bankers, manned the ifebOat
and spent the whole night in a furious
gale at sea, trying, unsllilfully, 1t is true,
to rescue the endangered mariners, This
caused feeling of great indignation
against the lifeboat men and resulted IN
an official inuuiTV.