NARROW ESCAPE OF AN INDIAN LINER.

Kumara Times, Issue 1059, 21 February 1880, Page 4

NARROW ESCAPE OF AN INDIAN LINER.

The British India Steam Navigation Company's ship Eldorado pat back to Plymouth a few days ago, after encountering some terrible weather in the Bay of Biscay. The Eldorado left London on December Ist, commanded by Captain Kerr, and manned by sixty lascars, with four English quartermasters and English officers and attendants. Her passengers numbered ninety-five, including a large number of women and children. On the night of December 3rd a storm of terrible violence arose, and one of the ventillating shafts having been carried away, the water Soured into the engine-room and stokeole, put. out alljthe fires, and of course stopped the engines, and the steamer lay helplessly in the trough of the sea. Captain Kerr called up the gentlemen E mongers, and told them that with the elp of all hands the ship might be saved. Though most were Buffering from seasickness, the response to the call was unanitflous, nor was there any panic among the ladies. The passengers formed lines from the upper deck to the engine room and stokehole, bailing with buckets. With no food except an occasional biscuit moistened with brandy, they kept at their task throughout the night, with the exception of one or two, who succumbed to exhaustion. The wind throughout the night did not abate, but there was no ram. Late on the next night it was found possible to relight Borne of the fires, and the donkey-engine was worked during the night. There were occasional lulls, and by the morning the engines were set in motion, when many of the workers were utterly exhausted, and all were blackened with coal-dust and dirt. The plight of the ladies was even worse. Penned in in the dark the 1 whole day; with flooded cabins and next to nothing to eat, and with infants in charge, their position was very wretched, but great courage/ was shown by those who were least ill, and two American ladies volunteered to do duty as stewardessess while" the' attendants were employed in other duties elsewhere. On the second morning, after the gentlemen had lit the engine fires, the galley fires were got to burn, and coffee was dealt out among the Idles. They got their first warm meal at,midday, The.captain considered it necessary to return to Plymouth, water having got between two skins of the ship, and, washing up below, started the plates under the stokehole. The first thing done when, the passengers met in the saloon on December sth was to hold a thanksgiving service. ,