NEWS BY THE MAIL.

Grey River Argus, Volume VII, Issue 488, 2 March 1869, Page 3

NEWS BY THE MAIL.

WRECK OF THE GOSSAMER, AUSTRALIAN SHIP. (From the Home. News.) Midway between the Bill of Portland and the Lizard, 100 miles or more from either, a promontory which mariners have good cause to dread juts far out into the English Channel. This promontory has three principal heads — Star Point, Prawle Point, and Bolt Head. On the first is a lighthouse and coast-guard station ; on the second is the signal station from which, by the aid of Sir William Mitchell's private telegraph line, the Shipping Gazette is daily supplied with news of ships passing up or down the Channel ; and close underthe third is the beach of Salcombe, which one day probably will be known as a beautiful and fashionable watering-place. It is on the centre of these headlands, Prawle Point, and a mile east of the lighthouse, that the disaster we have now to chronicle occurred. From a shingle beach jagged and precipitous rocks frown on breakers which in the finest weather dash madly upon the shore, and after such westerly gales as have lately prevailed, the surf compares with that at the Land's End itself. Hereabouts it was that on March 24, 1866, the Spirit of the Ocean was wrecked with the loss of many lives, when Mr Popplestone, a neighboring farmer, displayed such signal bravery as to merit and receive from her Majesty the Albert medal. Kiugsbridge, eight miles distant, is the nearest town, and the country is so wild and unfrequented that only those who gain information through the private telegraph line before mentioned have a chance to obtain early knowledge of casualties on that fatal shore. The Gossamer, a China tea clipper ship, of 735 tons register, was built in 1864 by Mr Stevens, of Glasgow. She was a composite ship, wood with iron frame, and classed A1 15 years at Lloyd's. She was owned by Messrs Potter and Brown, of Liverpool, and was despatched from London on Dec. 2, as one of Messrs Holder Brothers and Company's line for Adelaide, Australia, with a general cargo. She left the Downs on Wednesday, Dec. 9, in charge of Grant, a London pilot, her master being Mr Thompson, and her surgeon, Mr Date. She had but one passenger on hoard, Mr Dale ; was to call at Plymouth to embark other passengers under the agency of Messrs Wilcocks and Weekes ; and among them were the Rev. Mr Jefferies, family and servants, and Miss King. On Thursday, Dec. 10, during a strong S. W. breeze and a heavy sea, the Gossamer was working her way down Channel in the pilot's charge. The captain, who had been but three weeks married, was with his wife below, unsuspicious of danger. The mate was with the pilot on deck, and about noon called Grant's attention to the fact that they were, in his opinion,' standing too close in shore to the Start, but the pilot declared they were .all right, and continued on the starboard tack. Shortly afterwards the ship got very close under the land, and the pilot gave the order to tack. The flood tide, however, was sweeping round the point, and its strength the pilot had miscalculated. On attempting to tack the ship missed stays — there was not time to make a further tack, and in a minute or two the captain, attracted by shouts, rushed on deck exclaiming, For Heaven's sake where are we?" — his ship I being driven by a S.S.W. wind and tide broadside on to the breakers. Two anchors were instantly let go, but the bottom was rock and loose shingle and they would not hold, and in less time than it has taken to pen the fact the Gossamer was beating on jagged rocks 60 j'ards from shore, green seas breaking over her and sweeping the- decks. These occurrences had been watched by the coast-guard, who saw the imminent danger of the ship long before the pilot had done so, and who, under the orders of their chief officer, Mr Pengelly, had got out the rocket apparatus and conveyed it to the point nearest to the wreck. The crew were so terrified by their position, in momentary danger of being washed over, and unable to perceive the preparations being made on shore for their rescue, that several of them jumped overboard to swim ashore. Most of these unhappily perished in the attempt } had they remained aboard, as the sequel showed, they would probably have been saved, as all who maintained their position were ultimately brought ashore by means of the rocket apparatus. The captain and his young wife were on deck in an agony of distress. Throwing off most of his clothes, he was about to make the attempt to swim with her to shore, when one of the crew, a powerful black man and a noted swimmer, begged to be allowed to take the lady— she was the only lady on board— on his baok. The captain, however, thinking probably that the additional warmth of .his affection would compensate for the want of power in his arm, declined, and the gallant negro, believing that the vessel would probably be shivered to fragmeuts, plunged into the sea and swam ashore with ease. A moment after a tremendous sea tore the wife from her husband's grasp and washed her over. The captain instantly jumped after her, but the back tow of the wave swept him and his wife seawards, and they were both drowned within a few yards of each other. Two hours afterwards their bodies came ashore, and were taken to Chivelstone farm, half a mile inland. Meanwhile the rocket apparatus was got to work by the coast-guard, and so effectually that all those remaining on board were saved before the vessel broke up. Mr Popplestone, the recipient of the Albert medal, was very active in this good work. During the latter part of Friday the scene of the disaster was visited by hundreds of persons from the neighborhood, Lloyd's agent from Dartmouth arriving to take charge of the wreck. • In this he was

i assisted by Superintendent Vaughan and a body of police and the coast-guard, who saved a large quantity of the cargo, chiefly valuable drapery and clothes. The villagers, however, appeared to have a great notion of helping themselves in spite of all precautions, and as the cargo drifted in all along the coa3t much plunder was thus realised. One large package was saved, marked " J. Jeffcries, Esq., not to be uaad on the voyage," and a portmanteau, marked "to be uaad ;" every hour was adding to the amount of salvage. The vessel was totally destroyed, her framework being gradually shattered to fragments against the rocks. The Gossamer had on board in all 30 souls, and it was not until late on Friday evening that the survivors were mustered at Kingshridge, and it was definitely ascertained that 17 only had been saved, and that thus 13 had perished. The names of the saved aro James Bone, C. Tallance, Monton C. Tanscott, F, E. Wilby, H. E. Carling, F. H. Dunlop, W. Qualtroucli, P. M. Merrifield, Lawrie, W. Patterson, Homer Gall, C. Smith, Grant (pilot), J. Jamison, Date (surgeon), Dale (passenger). The chief mate was much bruised by contact with the rocks, but none of the others were injured. The inquiry ended in the pilot being committed for trial. The ship was mostly insured' with underwriters at Liverpool, and the cargo, worth about L 40,000, was insured partly in Liverpool, and partly at Lloyd's. The Board of Trade have decided not to hold any official inquiry into the los 3 of the ship, -on the ground that it is unnecessary — the pilot having been committed to take his trial for manslaughter.