TERRIBLE DISASTER AT SEA.

Globe, Volume XXIV, Issue 2418, 5 January 1882, Page 4

TERRIBLE DISASTER AT SEA.

The Dublin correspondent of the “Daily News ’’supplies that journal with the painful particulars connected woth the burning of the steamer Solway, which resulted, it is beliered, in the loss of thirteen lives. Telegraphing on Thursday, November 17th, he says : —At ten o'clock last night the screw steamship Solway, the property of Messrs Sloane and 00,, of Glasgow, put into Kingstown harbor on fire. It appears that the ship, which is a steamer of 400 tons, left Belfast at half-past four o’clock on Tuesday afternoon, having put in there on her voyage from Glasgow. All went on well until six o’clock yesterday morning, when the ship was about twenty miles from Beokabill, off Skerries. A barrel of naptha oil then burst on the fore main dock. The oil ran along the deck to the steerage, where it came in contact with a fire, and in another moment the vessel was in flames, the mast and fore maindeck burning fiercely. A violent storm was raging at the time, thus adding to the horrors of the situation and to the difficulty of coping with it. Six of the passengers who were on the steerage deck at the time of the explosion were literally enveloped in the flames, and before the unfortunate people could escape from the fire which surrounded them their shrieks of terror and screams of agony were silenced in a terrible death. The rest of the passengers and crew, some fearfully burned, fled to the stern of the vessel. Five persons loft the steamer in a small boat, namely, Wm. H. Fry, Booond mat©, son oi th© captain ; Henry Hall, Roderick Maclean and Charles Cole, sailors ; and a passenger named Parkhouso, a shopkeeper carrying on business at Glasgow; but whether they succeeded in reaching land or were drowned in the slorm is not yet known. The flames continued to spread, and the scene on board, as described br th© Borviyora, was one of the most avrtul probably ever witnessed. The fire, fed by the oil and the timber, raged fiercely, rising high in the air, and rendering that portion of the ship in which it burned a blazing, crackling mass of ruins. The captain at once ordered the crew to get the buckets and throw water upon the flames, and by this means, and with the aid of a donkey engine and hose, and efforts, the men succeeded in keeping the flames somewhat in check, at least so far as preventing them from extending further. By-and-by a steamer came in sight, and the crew of tho burning vessel exploded and burned blue lights as a token of their extremity, but the steamer passed on, either not seeing or not heeding the signals for assistance, and leaving tho unfortunate people on board the Solway to their fate. From that time till evening tho ship lay in the midst of a heavy sea, exposed to the fury of the storm, and with the crew manfully fighting the flames, which threatened to burn the vessel down to the water’s edge. Between five and six o’clock a pilot _ boat, attracted by the signals distress, put off from shore to the assistance of the Solway. A pilot wont on board, and the vessel was then steered into Kingstown Harbour. At the same time the ship fell in ■with a steamer, believed to be the Caledonia, ■which remained near her until the harbour was made, lest the fire might reach the untouched portion of the cargo, and the Solway become a total wreck. As soon as the burning steamer entered the harbour she again showed blue lights, which being quickly observed on land tho coast guards, under the command of Captain Orofton, and * party of police, under the command of Superintendent Armstrong, Inspector Daly, and Acting-Inspector Begrey, put off in boats. As soon as they got on board a horrible scene presented itself to their view. The portion or the vessel which had been destroyed by fire lay a blackened moss of burned debris, the fire still burning where tho crew had been unable to extinguish it. Here and there along the steerage were strewn the bodies of tho dead. They were horribly charred. The bodies were gathered up and laid on the second deck. The fire continued to burn after the vessel was grounded, and notwithstanding the exertions of the local fire brigade, assisted by a number of men from her Majesty’s ship Penelope, it has continued to burn all to-day, and ut tho time at which this is despatched fears are entertained that tho ship will blow up. Throughout lost night and to-day a number of men have been engaged in pumping water into the forward hold in order to inundate tho cargo and prevent tho fire spreading to the forward portion, where the spirits, rum, paraffin oil, and other combustibles were stored; and at three o’clock to-day the middle hold was nearly filled with water, and the men directed their attention to the forward bold. In the steerage oabin were fifteen passengers—one woman, a boy, four soldiers, and nine men. Of these only one man has escaped for a certainty, Richard Jones, a seaman, who had been enlisted into the crew. Another passenger loft in the boat which got away from the ship. His name was Frederick Thomas, of Swansea. Amongst the passengers on board were Corporal Keeffe and Private Quigley, of tho 24th Regiment. The latter was a deserter, and was returning in charge of Keeffe and another man to Bristol. The other passengers burned wore Charles Devine, Swansea; Rease, Swansea ; Andrew Christie, Swansea ; Ferguson, boot and shoemaker, Bristol and Glasgow. A boy who was burned was on his way to Swansea, having been engaged previously attending boilermakers in some factory at Glasgow. The woman on board was about twenty years of ago, and was going to Swindon to see her sister. Charles Byrne, Swansea, had been returning from Belfast. The crew were Captain William Fry, saved ; William MoDougall, chief mate, saved ; Henry Fry, second mate, missing ; George Ballantine, chief engineer, injury to eyes ; Andrew Fleming, second engineer, saved ; John Menders, James Wall, Charles Ooan (fireman), saved ; George Oharde, fireman, slight injury to arms j John Murphy (steward), and Walter Wyley (cook), safe ; Richard Westoott (quartermaster cargo, Bristol), Richard Westoott, jun., John Doyle (Norwegian), and William Fuller (Bristol), all saved. Those who are missing in the boat arc Henry Fry (second mate), Roderick M'Olean (Glasgow), Henry Hall (quartermaster cargo), Charles Oolle (Glasgow), Frederick Thomas (passenger). Samuel Anderson, able seaman on board the Solway, has given the following narrative :—“ At six o’clock yesterday morning we were near tho Roctabill Lighthouse, off Skerries, with a heavy sea running, when one of the barrels of naphtha broke loose and rolled about. It soon burst, and the stream of oil ran into tho galley fire. A terrific fire then broke out and scalded those in tho fore part of the vessel to death. I saw the man Charles Byrne spring to his feet in the mass of flame, but he immediately afterwards fell down again, and looked like a mass of Same, his clothes catching fire and burning him quite black. Some of our men then ran towards him, and helped him os well as they could. The fore part of the vessel then took fire, and wo turned her broadside to and so kept the wind from driving the flames to the stern. The engine fire went out, but we worked away with buckets and were towed into harbor. When the fire got ahead of us the captain ordered our beet boat to be lowered but, owing to the violent storm, it was immediately dashed in pieces. Oar second boat was then lowered, and Mr Fry, our captain’s son, and three of the crew and a passenger got into it and went away. The skipper uaw the boat for some time till it went out of sight, I am not injured much, and will be all right soon. We pressed our captain to go away in the boat, but be would not, and said he would stick to his ship till the last.” Mr Ballantyne, chief engineer, was so much recovered that about one o’clock this afternoon he left the hospital, and intends to return immediately to Glasgow.