Daily Kennebec journal., 1900-12-29
MANY WRECKS
And Great Loss of Life in
English Channel.
Vessel After Vessel Goes on Rocks OF
Founders at Sea.
Some Lose Almos! Entire Crews. Worst Gale
in Years.

London, Dec. 2S.-There has been a
succession of storms and violent gales
in the channel and considerable dam
age has been wrought ashore. The
telegraph lines are down in many
places.
The British bark Pegasus, Capt Bal
ley. from San Francisco, which left
Queenstown, Dec. 20, for Sharpness.
has foundered off Penarth roads. One
man of the crow was landed at Car
diff. The fate of the rest is unknown
The British bark Queen of Cambridge,
Capt Roberts. while being towed in
to Falmouth. parted her tow line and
the force of the gale blew her across
the bows of the British bark Crown
of India, Capt. Williamson, damaging
her head. The Queen of Cambria, was
cut down to the waters edge. She has
been beached and is leaking.
Later dispatches indicate that the
Pegasus grounded off Lavernock Point
but she was subsequently floated and
towed to a place of shelter. When she
grounded her boats were made ready
for lowering and the falls of one of
them We're carried away, precipitating
five men into the water They were all
drowned with the exception of the sail
or landed at Cardiff. This man was
picked up by tug.
Reports arriving from along the
coast announce damage done by the
storm. y number of minor wrecks have
been announced.
\ dispatch from Holy Head says the
British bark Primrose Hill, Capt Will
son, from Liverpool Dec. %, for Van
couver. is drifting up the channel un-
der bare poles. The coast guardsmen
are endeaVorins to assist her with tho
life saving apparatus.
The Spanish steamer Enecuri was
driven ashore at the Portland break
water. 1t is believed the crew can be
saved. The British steamer Penpol
Qrom Sulina. Nov. 23, for Dublin. is
ashore betWeeen AberaVon and Briton
Ferry. No fatalities have occurred.
The gale is SO furious in the chan
mel that the continental services were
suspended, this afternoon. The gale is
increasing at Queenstown. where the
observers say il is the fierceSt storm
in years. The Maria, laden with coal,
sunk at her anchorage. The mails are
delayed
The Primrose Hill went on the Pen
rhos rocks, three miles off South Stack
tnot far from Holy Head.) She broke
in two and went to pieces in a few
minutes. one man out of the crew of 35
men was saved by a life boat Some
time before she struck the Primrose
Hill dropped her anchors. Big noun
famous seas We're running. No sooner
had the i'll fatcd ship touched the
rocks than the three after masts went
overheard and she broke in two leav-
ing only the foremast standing. Three
minutes later this went also. The YES
sci was soon smashed up. The crew
of the Holy Head life boat was hud-
died on the poop near the wreck when
a huge sea dashed over the vessel,
washing all away save one sailor, who
was finally hurled against the rocks.
sustaining terrible injuries.
a terrible accident took place near
Taunton. The breakwater at Watchet
Harbor yielded to the force of the gale
and became wreck, permitting tre-
mendous sea to have full play against
the shipping in the harbor. Several
vessels broke adrift, two foundered
and five others We're driven into Il
hopeless tanglc between a pier and a
wharf, where they lay grinding each
other. Their masts and bulwarks
speedily went, and their hulls were
greatly battered The damage will
reach many thousands of pounds.
The Austrian bark Caprcon was
driven ashore near Bude, Cornwall.
Nine of the crew were drowned, one
was saved and four are still on board
with little likelihood of being rescued.
No other vessels are ashore on the
Cornwall coast. Several were stove in
at Tlfracombe harbor. The bark Rag
ma was wrecked off Trcvine. near Car
diff, three of her crew being drowned
and nine being rescued by rocket lines.
n. NJ. s. Elack Prince ut Queens
town. and II. NJ. $. Tcascr at Ports
mouth. were badly damaged.
Incessant reports of innumcra BILE
shipping casualties show that the gale
was ono of the worst known in many
years. In addition to some vessels not
vet identified. which have been wreck
ed or placed in great danger, the fate
OF some Of the crosS-channel mail
steamers is in doubt. For instance,
the Great Western Railway Cos.
steamer plying between Milford and
Waterford, is II hours overdue and
no tidings of her have yet been re-
CciVcd.
1t would be impossible to eaumeratc
all the minor casualties. Wales appears
to have suffered the worst effects Of
the gale, both on the land and sea, but
everywhere the telegraph wires are
much disorganized and reports are in
complete.
Considerable damage to property in
land is certain to be reported. Some 80
bargc3 and sailing craft broke from
their moorings in the Thames alone.
At Oswestry a theatre was destroyed.
The mail steamer Victoria While
shipping mails and baggage, yesterday,
at Folkestone, broke from her moor
ings and was obliged to put to sea.
1t is not known vet whether she has
taken shelter or proceeded to Calais.
Paris, Dec. 29.-Storms of extreme
violence have swept the west and
northwest coasts of France. There
has been some loss of life, together
with consdera BILE damage to shipping