A STRANGE AFFAIR

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 2046, 25 January 1889, Page 2

A STRANGE AFFAIR

Great excitement was cansed at Deal on December, 2, consequent upon the wreck of a barque, and the loss of all hands, on the Goodwin Sands. .About 9 o'clook m the morning the vessel wag seen from the shore at Deed. Shortly afterward she apparently struck on the Sands, and then, to the conateraation of all, rapidly , disappeared. The Kingadown lifeboat at once put off to the scene of the disaster, and did not return to shore until four hoars later. The boat cruised about m the vicinity of the Bands, hut could discover no trace of the unfortunate vessel, beyond an empty ship's boatThere was no name on the boat, and nothing whatever by which tv Identify i the. vessel, The sudden disappearance of i the vessel before assistance could reaoh [ her gives an air of mystery to the affair, r although similar occurrences have been [ known to happen on this enormous quicksand. The wind had been blowing heavily m the Channel during the last few days, and there was a very turbulent sea at the time the vessel struck the sands. Beside the Iceboat, several tugs imme- ■ diately pjrooeeded to the spot, and later m r the morning the Dover Harbour tugs . went to the sands, bujt failed to find any , trace of the, vessel. It is generally beloved, that she was an English vessel, t»nd those who witn ssed the calamity say it Js impossible that any of the orew can have eeoaped. The captain of the Ostend and Calais steamers both reported the r occurrence at Dover, and taeir statements > corroborate the foregoing particulars. According to their statements, the vessel appeared to overturn, soon after she struck, an.d, t$ fceak up at once.