EXTRAORDINARY STORY FROM

Thames Advertiser, Volume VII, Issue 1856, 12 September 1874, Page 3

EXTRAORDINARY STORY FROM

THE SEA. We abridge the story as it is told by the New York Herald

Plymouth, T?ng., April 20,1874. On the evening of the 18th instant two strange steam colliers hove in sight, making for the Sound, and having in tow a large derelict steamship, known from her build and her fore and aft red funnels, to be one of the vessels of the Oompagnie Transatlantiquo. At first the rumour got abroad that it was the ' Europe,' as it had been positively stated that the' Amerique' had foundered, By aid of a powerful glass 'Amerique' was seen, pointed in white letters, on the bow, and all conjecture as to her name was thenceforth ended. The only difficulty was in trying to understand how a steamer with her rigging so taut and trim, and with her hull complete and whole, and by no means sitting deep in the water, could be this same vessel whose mishaps had already been chronicled so graphically in tho daily press. A jHerald correspondent took an early opportunity of boarding the derelict to obtain the salvors' account of the rescue, and to see the condition of an American liner's saloon after the passengers have bad precipitately to flee for their lives. -From those in charge the following story of the salvage was obtained: —The ' Amerique' was abandoned in a terrific gale on luesday, the 14th instant. Her crew and passengers were taken by three ships— the' Michigan,' and English vessel, bound from Naples to Callao; the ' Aladdin,' a Norwegian, and commanded by Captain Erickson, and another vessel hailing from Italy. The transfer of the crew and passengers was effected without loss of life, except in the case of the second officer, M. Garay, who was drowned by the upsetting of a boat. The rescued, except those in the English ship, which has not yet come- into port, were landed at Havre. On the day following her abandonment a barque named the ' Auburn,' of and irom Sunderland, with coals for Alexandria, and a steamship, the ' cipray,' Captain Clark, of West Hartlepool, from Newport, with coals for Gibraltar, both sighted the ' Amerique 1 ' ploughing solemnly along under canvas, with the signal of distress flying at half-mast. A boat's crew from the' Auburn' boarded the drifting ship, and there found every evidence of the precipitate departure of tho panic-stricken passengers and crew. Dinner was on the table; some of the passengers had been served, while others had not. In the galley savory soup was still in the coppers and some prepared ready- for service. In the state-rooms everything was iu the wildest confusion. Costly dresses lay on the floor, books and private papers were lying around, boxes, trunks, valises and pocketbooks were left lying open by their owners, who had in some cases apparently been " assisted " in the process of emptying them. Prom the private journal of her commander, found among the debris on board, it appears that the ship had had a peculiarly favourable voyage as far as the 12th. There the journal stops. A party of seamen, with the carpenters, the engineers, and the mate of the ' Spray,' went on board the ' Amerique' to report. They found that she was built in five compartments, and coujectured that during tho gale she must nave shipped some very heavy seas over her engine room skylight or admitted immense volumes of water through three dead lights that were found knocked in by the action of the waves in striking against her sides. That conclusion was strengthened by the fact that they found the engine room, stoke hole, aud coal bunker compartment flooded with eight aud a half feet of water, which water has not since increased. Every aperture in the deck was found closed, but this battening down'was believed to have been adopted, so far as the engine room was concerned, after a considerable quantity of water had found its way into that apartment. It was clear that by the flooding of her engines she had lost the means of working her main pumps, aud the other pumps appeared to have been by some as yet undiscovered cause wholly choked up. While this had been going on amidships, a leak had apparently sprung in her aftermost compartment, from six to eight feet of wator being discovered there at tho period when first boarded by her salvers. This leak, however, did not make any dangerous progress from the Tuesday up to the Saturday evening, and tho other compartments aro believed to be sound. Her spars, rigging, sails, and stoering nparatus wore intact. Captain Clark arranged.

with the captain of the barque that what help he required would be readily granted him; and William Brown, the boatswain, and lldward Cole, an able seaman.of tho. barque ' Auburn,' were left on board tho ' Amerique,' while the barque proceeded on her voyage. The whole of the ' Amerique's' boats had been swung off her upper deck from their chocks and carried away with the erew, with the exception of a small gig that happened to be loft hanging to the davits. Part of tho crew of the ' Spray' was sent on board the ' Amerique' to utilise some of her warps, and one of these being bent to one of her cables, the other end was taken on board the 1 Spray,' and at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, the loth, she commenced to tow. the derelict, heading her course' for Brest. At 8 p.m. the weather lookedthreatening, Captain Clark had his consort's foretopsail, foresail, jib, and forestaysail set, helm lashed, and recalled the men to the' Spray 1 until daylight. At 4 a.m., Thursday, Mr Cooper, the first mate, returned on board the ' Amerique' with a prize crew, and the ' Spray' continued to tow and make all possible haste for Brest. At this stage, very fortunately another steamer hove in sight. She proved to be the P. T. Barry, of London, from Pomaron with iron ore for' Garston. Captain Clark made arrangements for using this new and welcome aid, and both the steamers kept towing towards Brest till four that afternoon. Pahis, April 20. ; As soon as the report of the total loss of the' Amerigue' reached Paris, I called upon Mr George Le Boy, Secretary to. the Transatlantic Company. The " Ame-' rique," gasped the secretary, with a deprecatory bow and a smile cut short in the middle by the contents of a telegram, "cleared from New York on the 4th April. She had good weather and a quick passage till the 13th. On the morning of that day the.passengers were awakened by a stiff breeze from the west. There -was a very heavy sea. At two' o'clock p.m. the .wind changed to north-north-west and rose into a gale. The ship was struck by an immense wave 115 miles from Brest, and the water swept over her, doing some damage. ■ Captain Boussan, in whom the company has great confidence, showed courage and judgment in this danger. He wisely, forebore to alarm the passengers, who, were kept in complete ignorance of their' peril 1 as long as there remained a hope of saving the ship. During the afternoon the gale : continued to increase in violence. ''I he ship rolled fearfully, and does not seem to have behaved well. The struggle with the elements lasted all day, and .at seven in the evening the water got ..into the engines and cabins. A terrible hurricane: now raged. Still the officers and crew behaved admirably. Three, .times tho ; fires were extinguished by.ithe sea.aud three times relighted, the engineers, groping up ; to their waists in water for coal. On-the morning of tho 14th tho weather became calmer for a short time, and all hands were ordered to the pumps. : Their efforts, though vigorous and well directed, were vain. The water continued rising. The engines of the ' Amerique' I stopped at ten o'clock on the morning of the 14th inst., and it was found impossible' to light the fires again. The captain now suspected that there was a leak ; but, after, careful examination, no leak could be discovered. The chief engineer showed a high sense of duty, and repeatedly risked his life without' results; The engines were swamped and drowned, in salt water. Nevertheless all hands re.-: mained steadily at the pumps. But the gale returned with redoubled fury, and towards the nine in the evening the ship could be scarcely kept afloat by the most heroic exertions. At one o'clock a.m. on the 15th the 1 Eliza Quierolo,' Captain Gaggiono, from Genoa, sighted the 'Amerique' and exchanged signals with her. Then Captain lioussan assembled the passengers and told them the vessel was sinking; The passengers were as much surprised as terrified by this unexpected announcement; but the captain raised their spirits, distributed swimming belts among them, and told them they would be all saved. Tho women, childrcii and sick were first sent away; and though the boats in which they embarked were small, and there was a mountainous sea, so strict was the, order and discipline which prevailed that not one of the passengers lives was lost. A few only wero bruised, and all past over without accident till seven o'clock. " Unforfcuiiately, as every one was rejoicing over this deliverance from a watery death, .M. Garay, our second captain, who had courageously remained till the last oh board the ship, was swept off and drowned. While the passengers were being transhipped to' the 'Eliza Queirolo' the Norwegian vessel 'Aladdin' hove in sight and received some of them; a British vessel also took; a few. I'he precise time at which tho 'Amerique' sunk is unknown, so deep was the darkness and so fierce the tempest round ber. The whole of the cargo and and most of the passengers' baggage are lost." 1