TOTAL WRECK OF A FIRST-CLASS STEAMER.

New Zealand Colonist and Port Nicholson Advertiser, Volume I, Issue 85, 23 May 1843, Page 4

TOTAL WRECK OF A FIRST-CLASS STEAMER.

Bristol, Saturday, Oct. 15.—A letter was received this morning at the Commercial-rooms here, stating that the new iron steamer Brigand had been lost on -Wednesday on the Scilly Islands. This news created considerable excitement in the mercantile world, and more particularly so from the fact of the Brigand having been built to trade between Bristol and Liverpool, calling at Wexford, in which trade she had been employed for the last two years, having left the station only a forthnight since, for the purpose of proceeding from London to St. Petersburgh, for which purpose she was intended to sail from the St. Katherine’s-dock.

The Brigand was one of the largest and most beautiful iron steamers ever yet built, being 600 tons burden and 200 horse power, and was remarkable for the beauty of her workmanship, the splendid fittings of her saloon, and her extraordinary speed. She cost in building 32,000/. The rumour to which we have alluded above was unfortunately too soon confirmed by the arrival of the Cornish steamer Herald , Sampson Hawes, commander, from Hayle, bringing the crew of the unfortunate steamer, 27 in number, and confirming the statement of her total wreck on the Bishop-rock, a portion of the Scilly Isles.

Upon receiving this confirmation, we immediately took steps to ascertain the particulars of this unfortunate accident, and the following statements, derived from the chief mate and one of the engineers of the Brigand, may be relied on as correct.

It appears that the Brigand, having taken in upwards of 200 tons of coals, and a large quantity of patent fuel, for. her consumption on the voyage to St. Petersburgh, sailed from Liverpool for London at two o’clock on .Monday . afternoon, and proceeded safely on her voyage until five o’clock on Wednesday morning, when they saw the St. Agnes’ light, which, from the refraction of light, the weather being very hazy, they conceived to be at a considerable distance; they were then steaming at twelve knots an hour. Suddenly the man on the look-out at the bow sang out, “ Breakers ahead !” which they distinctly saw, but too late, unfortunately, for ;the rate at which they were going was such that not stop.her : and although they put the helm hard a-port, to endeavour to shave the rock, the vessel immediately afterwards struck most violently, and two 'plates of the bluff of .her bow were driven in. She rebounded from the rock, but in an instant afterwards .she struck again, broadside on, the force of which blow may be in some measure conceived from the fact, that it actually drove a great portion of her paddle-wheel through her side into the engine-room. The vessel was built in four compartments—the plan adopted in iron ships —or she would have gone down instantly, two of her compartments being now burst, and the water rushing "into them at a most fearful rate. By the two shocks four and a half plates were destroyed, and four angle-irons, were gone in

the engine-room. The two compartments aft being, however, still water-tight, she continued to float, and every exertion was used by her commander, Captain Hunt, for upwards of two hours to save her, when (the crew .took to the boats, and. shortly afterwards she went down, about seven miles from the rock, in about 45 fathoms water. The mate attributes the loss to the strong current setting then upon the rock, and to the* haze having deceived them as to the distance of the St. Agnes’ light. The. men connected with the engineering department give the following interesting narrative of the occurrence They say that, having left Liverpool on the Monday afternoon, everything proceeded well until a few minutes before five o’clook on Wednesday morning, the vessel then going at full speed, her engines making upwards of twenty revolutions in the minute, being then, as they have since learned, close off St. Agnes. They were at work below in the engine-room, when suddenly they felt a tremendous shock, accompanied with a report like the roar of cannon, and almost instantaneously a second shock, and the water rushed in in a fearful manner. They immediately ran on deck, and found that the vessel had struck on the rock as before described. One of them was then ordered by the captain to assist the carpenter in endeavouring to stop the leak, for which purpose he went down into the engine-room, where they were still trying to work the engines, but the paddle-wheel being driven in had torn the injection pipes, so that they would not work, but at slow motion; the engines being kept working, the captain, as this man imagines, not thinking the leak so bad, and that they could get the better of it, or that, as the weather was so moderate, they might reach some port. On examining the leak in the engine-room, they found a rent of at least five feet in length, the rivets being started, and the plates broken, through which water rushed in a truly fearful manner. They immediately procured a plank, and having fixed it against the leak by means of stays to the cylinder, they got a quantity of waste tow and grease, which they stuffed in and endeavoured to keep out the water, and partially succeeded in doing so; but the other leak in the forehold being out of reach, rendered all their efforts ineffectual, and the water continuing to pour in soon put the fires out, after which, there being then more than four feet of water in the engine-room, they were compelled to quit. In the mean time another portion of the crew had been ordered by the captain to go into the hold and throw the coals and patent fuel overboard, in order to lighten her, and blue lights were burnt and other signals of distress made. 'The men went to work steadily in the hold, getting out the coals, &c., until, the water having gained very much upon them, they rushed on deck. The captain having, however, addressed and encouraged them, they returned to the hold and continued their exertions for about a quarter of an hour longer* when, the water having risen over the hatches of the lower deck, they were compelled to quit the hold. The captain then called them all aft on the quarter-deck, and, finding that no exertion could be made to save the ship, and that she was then fast sinking forward, the sea at the time breaking over her bow, ordered them to make preparations for saving themselves, and the two boats belonging to the Brigand (both jolly boats) were got out, and the crew, 27 in number, placed in them. The captain and mate remained on the quarter-deck of the unfortunate vessel until the last. The boats, which were completely crowded, then shoved off, without having any provisions on board, except a small quantity of bread, and in a few minutes the Brigand disappeared, sinking head formost, about seven miles from where she struck, and in deep water. The weather, fortunately, was at this moment particularly moderate, or the boats in their crowded state could not have lived in the sea, and not a soul most probably would have been left to tell the tale. Having rowed to the rock, upon which they landed, to survey the coast, they shaped their course for St. Agnes’ Bay, where, to their inexpressible joy, they saw two boats, well manned, coming to their relief, by whom (the men in the Brigand's boats being much exhausted from their exertions on board) they were taken in tow. Some of the hands were placed on board the other boats to lighten their own, and render them less crowded, and at two or three o’clock in the afternoon they were fortunately landed at St. Mary’s Scilly* without the loss of a single life. From St. Agnes they proceeded in a pilot-boat to Penzance, and the shipwrecked crew were kindly conveyed, passage free, to Bristol in the Herald. The rocks upon which the Brigand vyas lost have, ■proved peculiarly fatal; nolonger ago than 1841 the Thames steamer was wrecked within three miles of the same spot, and seventy or eighty lives lok. Various suggestions have been made by nautical men as to the cause .of this wreck, some saying the steamer ought not to have gone within many miles of the Scilly Islands; and that the weather being moderate, .she-was not driven there; while, on the other,hand, it is urged th&t from the haziness, of 4he weather she was not aware that she was so, near -until too late, the refraction of light deceiving .them as to the distance of the St. Agnes’ light,;: and the current, which is very strong, and runs for

nine hours in'one direction,.and-only three hours in the other, having sent .them down oh the rockv Unfortunately, however, as this accident has been, it has decidedly.proved the great advantage of iron vessels built in compartments, for, had the leak affected only one ‘ compartment, she would undoubtedly have been saved, and even although, by the extraordinary fact of her rebounding ,and striking a second time, two compartments were burst, yet it is seen that she floated for more than two hours and a half, enabling the crew to save themselves, while, if she had been built of wood, she must with such injuries have gone .down in less than ten minutes, and all hands would have perished. How to cure a Sulicy Wipe. —Take her, wrap her in a linen cloth well tied at both ends; when she sings out you may be pretty well certain that she requires air; then take a good sized pair of kitchen bellows, and work them till the cloth is well inflated, and the contents pretty well blown; now call. her “ Dear,” accompanying the adjective with a whistle, gradually dying into a whew, whew ; insinuate a bunch of nettles (holly will do as well), with which keep her well stirred up for ten minutes. Should she give tongue under the operation, immediately open the covering, and add 18 lively humble bees {apex eestuans) for the sake of their honey, which should be quite fresh. She will now speedily simmer down to a proper consistency. Leave her for three hours to come to her senses; go to your dinner; administer three leaves of Mrs. Fry’s Powers of Persuasion; when cool take her out. If dry, offer her a glass of Hodgson’s bitter ale.

Singular Gipsy Funeral at Little Cog-geshall.—-For some time a numerous tribe of gipsies have pitched their tents in Cut Hedgeroad, Little Coggeshall. One of the party died last week. As soon as life was extinct much ceremony was observed. The body was dressed in a Scotch plaid gown, silk stockings, and satin shoes ; wax tapers were burnt, and the remains lay in state. Instructions for the funeral were given to Mr. Clements, the undertaker, and no expense was spared to render it most respectable in all its appointments. The coffin was of fine oak, studded with gilt nails, and bore a brass plate, upon which was engraved “.Cecilia Chilcott—Died Sept. 29, 1842, aged 28 years.” On Sunday the funeral took place and her remains were interred in the parish churchyard, by the Rev. W. Wigson, curate, in the presence of a concourse of between 4,000 and 5,000 persons. The pall was supported by four respectably-dressed females deeply veiled, and about thirty of the tribe followed all dressed in black, the men wearing black cloth cloaks. The greatest decorum was observed by the whole of the party, and a more respectable funeral, we understand, has not been seen in the town for many years. We are credibly informed that in the coffin were placed by the side of the body the deceased’s watch and a purse of money, for the protection of which a person is appointed to watch the grave for some weeks. The father of the deceased, attributing the death of his daughter to the removal by the police, threatens to take legal proceedings against the parties. A First Spree. —“ Never was drunk but once in my life,” said a chap once in my hearing; never mean to be again. The street seemed to be very steep, and I lifted my legs at every step as if I was getting up stairs. Several cart wheels were making convolutions in my brain, and at one time I fancied my head was a large carving and turning establishment, the lathes of which I was keeping in motion with .my own feet. I.could’nt conceive what was the reason that the town had turned into such an enormous hill ; and what made it worse was, that it seemed all the time growing higher, and threatened to pitch over on me. Stop, stop, thought I, and I’ll head this old hill yet, or at least it shan’t head me. So I turned round.to go down and get at the bottom; but hang me if the town did’nt turn round with me, heading me all the time, and presenting the high bluff in front of me. Well, sure enough, the ground flew up and struck me in the forehead; and, as soon as the stars cleared away, I commenced climbing with my hands and knees. The next thing I saw was a big brick house coming full split around the corner f and I believe it ran right over me, for I don’t remember any more. — Picayune.

.Clerical Wit. —The facetious Watt Morrison, as he was commonly called, was entreating the commanding officer pf a regiment at Fort George to pardon a poor fellow sentenced to the halberts. The officer granted his petition, on condition that Mr. Morrison should grant him the first favour he asked; this favour was to perform the ceremony of baptism for a young puppy. A merry party of gentlemen were invited to the christening. Mr. Morrison desired Major —— to hold up the dog, “As I am a minister of the' Kirk of Scotland,” said Mr. Morrison, “I must proceed accordingly.” Major said he asked no more. “Well, then, major, I begin with ithe : usual question Do ! you 1 acknowledge yourself the: father of this puppy ?” The major understood this joke/ and threw away the animal. Thus Mr. M. turned, the laugh against the ensnarer, who intended, to derive a sacred ordinance; —Literary Gazette.