The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-04-08
TRE ASSAYE WRECKED.
Big Beaver Line Steamer Ashore at
Seal Island.
THE CREW SAFELY LANDED, AT
YARMOUTH N. s.

Ship Left Liverpool March 23, With
Valuable Cargo of 1000 Tons-No
Reason Given For Being Off Her
Course-Win Prove Total Loss,
Yarmouth, N. S., April 1.-THE Beaver
line steamer Assaye, $3.50 tons, from
Liverpool for st. Jonn, Went ashore on
Monday afternoon in a thick fog on
Blonde Rock, Seal Island. loaded with q
general cargo. The crew consisting Of
sixty-four were brought of here by the
steamer Wanda. The ship is in bad
place and will probably be total loss.
The story as told by one of the crew Of
the steamship Assaye is about as follows.
We left Liverpool on March 23rd with
valuable cargo of about 1000 tons. The
snip was commanded by Captain Car
ruthers, commander of twenty years.
experience, having made one or more
trips to st. John. The crew mum bered
forty-six, with seventeen Montreal cattles
men and one passenger. The ship is a
large four masted one, built in 1891 By
the Elder Dempster company, tonnage
8, 129 gross, and chartered for this
voyage by the Beaver line people. The
voyage was succession of rough weather
and gales, and on the Goth the steamer
shipped a heavy sea which disabled two
boats and did other damage. On the
10th the steamer was in heavy field Of
Ice Tor fourteen hours. Strong winds pre-
vailed up to twelve clock noon on Mon.
day, at which timeit was raining and
foggy. AT 12.30 the ship struck with a
grating sound on the Blonde Rock three
and half miles off Seal Island. The
engines were reversed but she failcd to
come off.
"The water very soon after put the
nres out and the ship was pounding hard.
The only available boats, three small
ones, were got out and manned but one
parted painter and went adrift with
four men who could got manage her in
the strong sea. With much difficulty she
was got back to the ship by another boat
In the meantime the usual signalling
was going on, but it was deemed unsafe
to attempt to reach the island which was
barely discerna Bile. The boats were held
alongside, the captain and thirteen of the
Grew remaining on board until 4.30 D. ni,
when the life boat arrived from the
island and all started for land. which
they gained at p. m. in cold, wet
and exhausted condition, but fortunately
none were injured or lost. They were
we'll cared for by those on the island, and
Tuesday the captain with five others suc-
ceedeti after four hours search in again
boarding the wreck and rescuing the
wearing apparel and valuablss. They
found the stoemer full of water, pne1.d-
ing hard anu apparently about bresAing
up, and the foremast had broken down.
Wednesday afternoon the little steamer
Wanda owned by II. D. Cam and Son,
Yarmouth, arrived at the island and
brought TO Yarmouth all excepting the
captain, five Of the crew and the pas
senger, Mr.. Lightbound of Liverpool.
"The captain remains on the island to
try to save the cargo with the assistance
of fishermen. Ihs crew remain at Var
mouth for orders. Two officers will go
to st. John tomorrow. The conduct OF
Captain Oarruthers is highly commanded
by the crew. He was the last to leave the
ship and the best of order prevailed
during the trying experience. Why the
ship was off her course does not
transpire. A rumor is current that the
buoy which marks the Blonde Rock was
out of position.'