The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-01-03

Every time a new monarch of th'
ocean is built and launched column.
s are written about her indestructibility
q convincing facts are produced showing
that she is unsuitable; diagrams are
j drawn proving that the mighties
! waves tossed up by Boss Neptune
could not tilt her over at an angle OF
more than 80 degrees: other things are
exhibited to show that in a collision
she would be invulnerable, in d fire
imperviouS, in a hurricane, blizzard OF
fog as safe as a quiet seat by the
home freside. Yet every little while
new disasters are added 10 the long
list OF shipwrecks.
The other day the North German
lloyd liner Salier went down off the
4 coast of Spain, within a few miles of
the shore line, with some 300 people
OF board. Twenty years ago. when
the Salier was launched, she was
doubtless described as a non-sinkable,
freDroof, stormproOf, and proof against
every malignant effort of old ocean.
Twenty years hence vessels will be
launched, and they, too, Will be de-
scriped as invincible against the ele-
ments or the accidents of the sea.
The Salier's was the first great ma
rine disaster of the winter. but before
the spring comes round there Will be
many fresh ones on the list. Some
day, PEI haps, the perfect ocean craft
will be realized, and when that hap
pens the people Of the fortunate age
Will look back upon the tales of ship
wreck of this generation and the pre-
ceding half dozen generations with
horror.
The most notable shipwrecks oc-
CURED in the latter part of the last
century and during the first half of
the present one. IL those years float
ing death traps We're generally used
TO transport thousands of emigrants
to this country and the many new
colonies of the European nations
Oceans courses imperfectly known by
navigators were boldly entered; ma
rine charts and instruments were I'M
reliable, and seamanship was not the
scientific art that it is today.
One of the most narrowing disasters
was that which befel the ship GrOs-
venor in the summer Of 1872. She was
bound from the island of Ceylon to
England with crew OF about %, and
passengers to the number of 10, many
of the latter being women and children.
The Grosvenor was bowling along
merrily on the evening of Aug. 4, when
sailor in the fore gallant tOpmast
called out, Breakers aheadr' The
skipper, Captain CoXon, ordered the
helnSman to put the ship about, but
the same instant she struck the rocks.
A stiff wind was blowing off the land.
threatening to hurl the ship back into
deep water, when she would be sure
to go down in a minute or two.
Three of the sailors offered TO swim
ashore with line by which the pas
sengers might be rescued. Two of
them reached the land, and the 100 odd
souls on board, with the help of
hastily built raft. were safely landed.
The spot where the ship struck was
an unknown part of the African coast.
Savages quickly surrounded them,
took their clothing and did everything
but kill them. They started on the
long journey to the Cape of Good
Hope, but only six of the whole num-
Der survived the trip through the I'M
known forests. Wild beasts carried off
some of them, others died from eating
poisonous berries. some were drowned
in crossing the many rivers. the hard
ships and fever killed others, and
many who became i'll had TO be aban-
doned.
The venturesome souls who left Eng
land for the East Indies a century ago
had hard times of it. The ship Halls
we'll with 200 souls on board. left the
London docks ano passed out of sight
of England on Jan. l. 1856. Three
days later she ran ito a hurricane.
which swept her clear of masts and
rigging. The next day, when the
storm eased up. jury masts We're rugged
and her bow turned homeward. An
days later she ran into a hurricane,
she was torn apart on the rocks under
St. Adams Head. A few of the crew
managed TO swim ashore, but when
daylight came and with it assistance, !