WRECK OF THE CADIZ

Globe, Volume IV, Issue 336, 10 July 1875, Page 3

WRECK OF THE CADIZ

(From the European Mail ) One of the survivors of the Cadiz was landed at Southampton on May 11th from the steamer Guernsey, having been sent on from Brest by the British Consul via St Malo. He is the only one of the crew saved, and the only other survivors were three Portuguese seamen. Wilson, the man in question, makes the following statement, from which it appears that sixty-two persons were drowned: —I am a seaman belonging to London, and was one of the crew of the steamship Cadiz. She was an iron vessel of 945 tons burden, belonging to London and Vigo. Ido not know the name of the captain. but he was an Englishman. The Cadiz belonged to Mr John Hall, of London, and was one of the line of steamers running between London and Cadiz. We left London on April 9th, and arrived at Lisbon on the 14th. There were on board a crew of thirty-one all told, all Englishmen, and thirty-five passengers, twenty of the latter being Portuguese sailors, who were coming to man a ship in London. We took three days to reach Lisbon, and thirty-six hours more to Vigo, and from thence we sailed direct for London. The weather after leaving Vigo was very thick and foggy. The wind was SBW, and a moderate breeze. It became very thick, and this lasted till the time we struck on the Wizard Rock, off Brest, at three o’clock on May Bth The captain was at that time in his cabin. The second mate, Mr Atkins, had the watch on deck, and I was at the wheel. I could see nothing for the fog, and I think the captain did not know that we were so far across the Bay of Biscay as we were. We saw nothing whatever of land until the ship struck. The Wizard Rock is a long way off Brest, and is one of a great many rocks which form islands theie. Directly the ship got ashore the captain came up, mounted the bridge, and told the second mate that he thought, the ship had struck heavily forward. The third mate—l don’t know his name—ran forward, and he had not been there more than thirty seconds before he sung out to the captain that the ship was going down by the head, and the captain then ordered the boats to be cleared away, but as the ship was sinking so quickly there was no time to comply with his directions. The Cadiz had six large boats, enough to have carried everybody on board. One boat was lowered, and about fourteen hands got into her, under the command of the second mate, but after the boat had pushed off from the side the ship heeled over on the top of her, and forced her and all who were in her under. The boat came up afterwards keel upwards, with three of the Portuguese sailors, who hung on to her keel, and she drifted ashore with them. I was at the time aft, and seeing that the ship was making a surge to go down by the head, I took off my clothes and jumped overboard. I got clear of the suction of the vessel. When she went down the water was very rough. After I was overboard I could see some rocks about 300 yards from me, and to these I managed to swim. Other persons swam along with me, but they did not reach the rocks, as the sea was so heavy. It was then about half past three in the morning, as near as I can suppose, and I remained there till half-past four the same afternoon without any clothes whatever npon roe. The weather then clearing up a little, I could see three Portuguese sailors on the next island. I swam across to them, and they gave me some wine and refreshments which had floated ashore from the ship. There were two French fishermen on the island, and they gave me some clothes, and about five o’clock a boat came off to the two fishermen and took us to Conqueta, a small village near Brest. No one seemed to have heard of the wreck. At the time the vessel struck there was great confusion on board, but the captain appeared to retain his selfpossession, and the officers, so far as I could ses, obeyed the orders given them. Before I left the island I saw one body washed ashore. It was that of an English gentleman, a passenger, whose name I did not know. When we got to Conqueta we were very kindly treated; the people there gave ns food and lodging for the night, and sent ns on to Brest. The next morning I went to the English Consul, and the three Portuguese went to their Consul. He sent me to St Malo, and I reached there in time to catch the South-Western steamer Guernsey, sailing for Southampton. Of the sixty-six persons in the vessel, thirty-one crew and thirty-five passengers, I and the three Portuguese are all who are saved.