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Wreck of an Emigrant Ship - Two Hundred
Lives Lost.
On Saturday, shortly before closing of Lloyd's, a painful
sensation prevailed by the receipt of a telegraphic message from
Falmouth, announcing a dreadful shipwreck on the westward of that
port, by an emigrant ship going ashore on the rocks off St. Keoche,
with 350 emigrants on board, and that nearly all the passengers
were drowned. Subsequent telegraph messages received on Saturday
evening from Falmouth, gave the following details respecting the
loss.
The John, it appears, sailed
from Plymouth on Thursday afternoon, with 210 emigrants for Quebec,
and encountered
a heavy gale of wind from the northeast to the westward of the
Eddystone, and got closer in towards the land than the captain
was aware of, for in making for the Blackhead-headland, he ran
the ship upon a dangerous reef of rocks called the Manacles, situated
a short distance from the coast, and between Deanna and Chunkall's
Point (the extreme eastern part of Cornwall). It occurred between
ten and eleven o'clock on Friday night, the wind blowing heavily
at the time, and a tremendous sea lashing the coast. In a few minutes
she was got off, but the captain found she was fast filling, evidently
having stove in her bottom, and as the only chance of saving life,
he ran her ashore, where she went down within 200 feet from the
coast. The water was shallow, and the deck was above water, but
the tide, which was about two-thirds flood, was fast running in,
and would soon cover her up to nearly her main-top. A great number
with the crew took to the rigging, but the bulk of the unfortunate
passengers were swept off the wreck by the fearful seas that rolled
over her, and in this way, it is understood that nearly 200 met
with a watery grave.
Early on Saturday morning, the coast guard
men discovered the wreck from their look-out, and about 60 or 70
people clinging to the rigging. Procuring assistance, they proceeded
to the spot off where the wreck was lying, and, by dint of great
efforts, succeeded in taking out of the rigging the whole of the
people. Among them were several females, and Captain Rawle and
his crew. The ship is supposed to be an entire loss. She was a very
old vessel, and we find by Lloyd's Register book that she was 465
tons register, and was built at Chester in 1810, and has
long ceased to be classed. She appears to have undergone repairs
in 1847 and 1853, and was the property of Messrs. Rawle & Co, merchants,
at Plymouth.
A statement, dated Falmouth, Monday, says: "The wreck of the John at
the Manacles turns out to be much more fatal than was imagined
or even represented by the survivors. It now appears that there
were embarked no less than 300 emigrants, men, women and children
(a very large proportion of the latter) besides five cabin passengers,
and as it cannot be ascertained, that above 56 or 58 of these have
been saved, it follows that the loss of life reaches the frightful
amount of 250. Up to the last evening, 30 corpses had been brought
to St. Keverne, and the coroner of the district, Mr. J. Carlyon,
of Trure, had reached there and commenced the inquest yesterday.
In the meantime, Lieutenant Carew, R.N., emigration agent at Plymouth
(who had mustered the bark on sailing), accompanied by one of the
owners and another person from that port, have arrived and gone
down to the wreck to provide for the necessary wants of the survivors,
and to take other measures required. The vessel holds together
in her position, one mast and the bow-sprit standing; but the first
gale must break her up. When she struck, one passenger only was
on deck, named Solomon, all the others being below, and chiefly
in bed. Solomon got, with two or three others, into a boat, and
left the vessel before she grounded in the cove, and succeeded
in reach Port Hallow."
Plymouth, May 8.
The steamer Avon, Lieutenant Rundle, returned
here from St. Keverne this evening with 51 of the John's
passengers, in charge of Lieutenant Carew. Total passengers saved,
93; drowned
194. The coroner's inquest has returned a verdict of manslaughter
against Captain Rawle, who is in custody at Bodmain. After
pronouncing Captain Rowle guilty of manslaughter, the jury at the
inquest
expressed their entire disapprobation of the conduct of the
crew, with the
exception of Andrew Eider, in not exerting themselves to save
the passengers. They also strongly disapprove of the vessel
having been sent to sea without being supplied with a signal gun,
muskets,
rockets, or blue lights as night signals. And they would recommend
that a light-house should be built on the Manacle rocks, on
account of so many wrecks taking place there, and the sacrifice
of so
many
lives.
We learn from the passengers that the ship's
carpenter, Elliot, made a raft, on which seven people were saved,
and that the
cuddy steward, John Hewett, saved two young women, Mary Ann
Penman
and Elizabeth Pearse, by conveying them to the fore-top,
where they
remained until rescued by the coast guard boat. Among the
steerage passengers was James Eastcott of North Talland, Cornwall,
labourer,
with his wife and 11 children; of these two boys, 14 and
16, are the only survivors. Another passenger, William Walters,
of Beeralston,
miner, through great exertion, saved himself, wife and six
children; he made two daring, but unsuccessful efforts to
recover his infant
child, which had fallen into the sea. The fore-mast of the John remained
standing when the Avon left at noon on Tuesday.
A commissioner from the Board of Trade is gone to Falmouth
to hold an official
inquiry into the circumstances concerning the loss of the ship. |
