The Havre herald. [volume] (Havre, Mont.) 1904-1908, 1908-09-09
STORY OF HERO|SM
Shelving HoW Brave Men Can
Calmly Meet Death.
WRECK OF THE BIRKENHEAD

The Way This British Vessel Wen
Down Off the Cape of Good Hope
Most Of the Crew Were Lost and Al
the Women and Children Saved.
Visitors to the hospital Of the old
pensioners at Chelsea will perhaps have
noticed in the colonnade a simple me.
mortal tablet, placed there by order OF
the late Queen Victoria 10 record the
heroic constancy and discipline Of the
officers and soldiers whs lost their
ives in the wreck Of the transport Bir-
kenhead off the Cape of Good Hope on
Feb. &c. 1852. On Jan. Z In that year, aft
er embarking re-enforcements amount
ing to fifteen officers and 476 men for
= kbe troops engaged In the Kaf1ir war,
the Birkenhead left Ireland for the
and children, the wives and families
of soldiers. Ali went well till the
Tea >rt reached Simon's Town, where
ten officer. and eighteen men were
aanQed. line sl1R - pu+ $bo
on the evening Of Feb. Up. 49, ''
captain II his anxiety FOR d quick pas
sage unfortunately kept so close to the
shore that during the night the ship
coast About three miles off Danger
point at o'clock in the morning Of the
26th. while all except those on watch
were sleeping peacefully in their ham,
mocks, the ship struck with violent
shock The bulk of the men on board
were young soldiers.
The rush OF water on the Birkenhead
striking was so great that most Of the
soldiers on the lower troop deck were
drowned in their hammocks. The re-
mainder, with all the officers, appeared
on deck, many only partly dressed and
fell in as orderly and as quietly as on
the barrack square. Calling the officers
round him, Lieutenant Colonel Seton
OF the seventy-fourth highlanders the
senior officer on board, impressed on
them the necessity for preserving or
der and silence among the men. The
services Of the next senior, Captain
Wright. Ninety-first highlanders, were
placed at the disposal of the command
er Of the ship to carry out whatever
orders he might consider essential
sixty men were put on the chain
pumps on the lower after deck and
stold off In three relicfs. Sixty more
xwere put on to the tackles Of the pad
die box boats. and the remainde+ We're
fought on to the poop to ease the
fore part Of the ship: as she was roll
ing heavily. The commander next or
dered the officers chargers to be pitch
ed out Of the gangway. The plunging
and terrified horses were got up and
Sast over, five of them managing to
swim ashore. The cutter was then got
who had been collected under the poop
awning, and they were passed in one
by one. There being room In the boat
for one or two more, the order was
given for any trumpeter or bugler
boys to be taken. A young drummer
standing near was told by an officer
10 get into the boat, but, drawing him
SEli up SASidiIACu AAAt AC AtC " h1aA .
pay and would stick by his comrades.
The cutter then showed off in charge
Of one Of the ships officers, and the
women and children were safe,
No sooner was she clear than the
entire bow of the vessel broke off at
the foremost the bowsprit going up in
the air toward the foretopmast. The
tunnel also went over the side, carry
ing away the starboard paddle box and
boat and crushing the men on the
tackles. The paddle box boat capsized
on being lowered. and the large boat
in the center of the ship could not be
got up.
5 The men were then ordered on to
the poop, where they stood calmly
awaiting their fate. Within rev
minutes the vessel broke in two, cross
wise, lust abaft the engine room, and
atha stern began rapidly to ill. In this
extremity the commander called out,
.~rhose who can swim jump oVerooaro
and make for the boats9' but the OF
ficers begged the soldiers not to, 20 rh'
boat with the women and thildre'
:would be swamped, They were ycun;
men in the prime Of life, with all be
fore them, yet no one moved, nor d,
any sign of terror or fear escape TT Ie4
lower and lower sank the vesseb I'M
The deadly sea. The old f.eanspo
shivered, gave final plurAse and d
appeared. carrying with heE the pa,
of heroes on deck ard those workil
below at the DumpG.