The Central Glamorgan Gazette, and General, Commercial, and Agricultural Advertiser. — 1873-02-21 (Bridgend, Mid Glamorgan, Wales)

REMARKABLE ESCAPE OF AN  EMIGRANT SHIP. The following extract from a letter received from a passenger on board the emigrant ship Edwin Fox supplies some details of a scene which occurred on board that ship a few days before her arrival in Brest Bay. The writer says :—We were delayed in leaving the Thames till the 29th ultimo. All went well till Saturday the Ist instant, when a strong gale got up. The ship laboured heavily all night, and we were about 150 miles south-west of the Scilly Isles, in the Bay of Biscay. About 8.20 a.m. on Sunday it blew a terrific hurricane, and all the passengers were keeping out of the way, and most of them in bed, when a tremendous sea struck the ship on the starboard beam, broke the bulwark in a thousand pieces, carried away all the boats but one, and killed the doctor and a sailor. When ' I got on deck I thought heaven and earth were to meet. No pen can describe the scene; the sea was running mountains high, the ship was labouring fearfully, and all on board held out no prospect but immediate death. The crippled state of the ship was a sad sight, the dead bodies rolling from side to side as she heaved. Several of the crew got injured, and, worse than that, most of the rest got drunk on the stores that were exposed on deck, and went to their beds; anything more disgraceful never was done by a crew. Mostly all the single men crept into the forecastle; the captain was in his place, but what could he do without men? He then put about ship and returned. The hurricane continued all day, and every moment we expected to be down. Seeing that the sailors were either disabled or drunk, I suggested that the single men would do what they could. One company, with me, commenced to throw cargo overboard, while another company, with a plumber who was a passenger, commenced to rig up temporary pumps. In a short time the cargo was going over rapidly, and the pumps in motion. About 2.30 p.m. a large steamer passed quite near us, but could render us no assistance, as the sea was running mountains high. About eight p.m. we sighted a light, supposed to be the Scilly Isles, when we had to alter the course to keep off the rocks. About midnight another steamer passed us, but would not venture any assistance, as the gale was still terrific. During all this time the pumps were kept going as hard as could be done, and we had the satisfaction to have gained upon the water considerably. We continued the pumps all night without a moment's rest. About one a.m. on Monday, a third steamer came in sight, and in answer to our rockets, the captain veered round and asked what we wanted. Of course we asked him to stay by us until morning. He did so. It turned out to be the Brasil mail steamer Copernicus, of Liverpool. About ten o'clock on Monday the captain launched a boat, and gave us , a rope. You may be sure that we were all rejoiced to find ourselves in tow; and we anchored here about four a.m. (Tuesday.) I almost forgot to state , that half the crew jumped on board the steamer when she came alongside on Monday morning, and I left the captain with only boys and injured men.  The Secretary for War has authorised the holding of the Eastern Monday Review as usual. 1 Daniel Hollingsworth was taken into custody at Bradford on Monday night, charged with attempting to murder Louisa Smith, a poor "unfortunate" woman. Frightful wounds were inflicted, and she is not expected to recover.  The contract for the first of the Channel steamers designed for the Bessemer Steamship Company by Mr. E. J. Reed, C.R , late Chief Constructor of the Navy, has been awarded to Earles Shipbuildingand Engineering Company at Hull. The engines will also be constructed by the same firm. The laying. off of the vessel has already been commenced, and it is anticipated that she will be ready for sea within ten months of the present time.  All hope is abandoned for the safety of the screw steamer, Durham Castle, ten hundred and ten tons register, Captain William Storm, belonging to Sunderland, and owned by Messrs. Hall Bros, of Newcastle-on-Tyne, which left London on the 21st of January, for Bombay, and should have called at Malta 11 days after but has not been heard of; feared the crew, consisting of 27 hands were all drowned. A