THE LOSS OF THE LONDON.

West Coast Times, Issue 165, 29 March 1866, Page 2

THE LOSS OF THE LONDON.

(From the Westcpn Mornhig News.)

DRTAIL9 OP TUti CATABTEOPHE,

To the harrowing narrative of the loss of the Australian passenger steamer London we have now the good fortune of being able to add a multitude of interesting detallrt of the most melancholy event, taken from tho ltps of several of the surviyprs during. thfeir .passage by traia.froni .Falinftouthto. London oh Wednesday. Very considerable astonishment has been exthat no effort waa made during the two days that the ship was in imtainent danger of going down to prepare rafts, and use similar means to give an additional chance for" the safety of "the 289,soulfc on -board. ■ testimony; • however, of both thfe-paSseftpifs atid the rescued crew goes to snow that Captain J. B. Martin— of whose skill as manifested during the storm they speak in terms of the highest commendation — did not order the construction of rafts because the wind blew with such severity, and the w&ves leapt over the steamer in such duiek succession a,nd tremendous ioM) thai ho man could have worked on the dock, 'and even if khey had succeeded, in.building > a raft, there <tt)uld bo>o.h,o,pe o^kny of tne unfortdnate pie being enabled to cling to it alive for many minutes in such a sea. So soon as it was determined to launch the lifeboat, plenty of assistance was at hand to effect the launching, bu£ the . passengers and crew, who had-, beheld. the starboard Wfeboat washfed awAy oh the preceding day, were horrified at observing their only remaining lifeboat slip through the stern davit, break into two parts, and, of course, become utterly useless. It was then resolved that the iron pinnace, capable of carrying fifty persons, should be launched, and by tha aid of the |dbnfegy engine the pinnace Was rAis^d arid tlUng dyer the leeward m\, Wheh let go, however, she foUndere d, . one fnap. a putchmaq, being drowned, 1 .And tbYree others, who were rescued; being ca&t into the surf to leeward. Two of the men who were overboard were John King, the able seaman, to whose marvellous skill as steersman the eurvivois all entirely and with gratitude attribute their preservation, and Mr Munro a passenger who hung on in the davit until brought ib by Edward Gardner,. the steward* King bad .pbe;. of .hip.. Imijised and ( his tljigh,,(i\Blocated by being beaten , pftainst the steamed, and Gardner rfecelved injuries in> his- back.- N.othing then, regained qn boa,rd the steamer- but an ordinary six-oared captain's. gig and a still smaller boat on the top of the cuddy or. eookhouae. .After cotfeldfefable kemCt^ ?fo\j. t .i w %!*B!ft fl tytejto b«; launched For the second lime, and an opportunity Wad presented for passengers to embark in her, but only three passengers and sixteen of the crew availed themselves of it, and if they had delayed three minutes longer than they did, they would have perished in the ship, The precaution was taken that only three or four of the sixteen of the crew who cohimitted .themselves trt the boat should be allowed to jump into her while ( Bhe was being lowered, and, by this means' > she reached the water without mishap, and the rest wbre eiiable'd ,td follilw: Tile crowd on board were afraid to leave the ship, having naturally been frightened by the sinking of the iron boat, and those who put off in the second boat were shouted at not to make the attempt, as their chance was hopeless. Some heroic sacrifices were made. One of the passen* gers jnth,e boatj Mr John "VyilsOh; anat'Ve of Moht'rose, went down, into the cabin, and endeavoured to persuade a friend, .Mr John Hickman, from Ballarat, and brother to Mr, Hjck.mfln, Solicitor, of Southampton', to , 'attempt jo «aye .his life by fepiiig into, the Tioat; but} after being entreated, he said, u No, I promised my wife and children to stay ;by them, and I will do so." The water was then a considerable depth on, .the lee side of the saloon, indeed over the top of the berths, and he asked .Mr jWilion to help him in removing hU totir children to the windward side, out of the water. This was done, and then he sho»k hands with Mr Wilson, with w Good bye, Jack," and parted with his friend for ever. When last seen Mr Hickman was standing in a row with his wife and children. This occurred ab,put..an l hour. before , the ,,boat put off, but probably they had pterlsh&l By that time, as the water had before then poured into the steamer through her cabin windows, and when the boat left, the sea was flush with the top of the poop deck, and the corpses of drowned women and ihildren were floating over the deck. When the men were all in the boat, one of the seamen cried, 'There may be still room ; fetch a lady." Mr Wilson then sprang over a portion of the deck in search of a My he kriewj btlt not Seeing her", and knowing that every instant was precious, he said to a young girl,- "Will you go?" She did not refuse, therefore he seized her and took her to the bulwarks, but when she looked over the rails and saw the distance which she must spring, she said in despair, " Oh, I cannot do that I" There was no time for persuasion or parley, and Mr Wilson was objiged to drop the girl and jump from the steamer to the boat, which he fell into safely. The ship was being washed over to the boat, towards which it lunged heavily. The captain, who was walking calmly up and down the poop, had refused to leave liis ohip, but just before the boat put olf he had the consideration and presence of mind to give those in the boat their " course." He told them that it lay ENE. to Brest, which was correct. Before the boat could be got off it was in great danger of being Ducked down with the ship which was rapidly settling beneath thewater. Theswirl of water round the stern that preceded the foundering had already begun to be excessive, and the boat was, therefore, hasI tily cut away. At that moment those in the boat were piteously called upon by a lady about twenty-three years of «ge, who, with a face which was, it is stated, livid with horror, shrieked out an offer of " a thousand guineas if you'll take me in." But in that solemn hour millions of money would have been accounted valueless, and to return must have resulted in destruction to all. One of the seamen has stated that when the boat was pushed off, and the captain bad wished those in her '" God-speed," the men resolved that no danger must be allowed to accrue to them from further crowding, and that some of them drew their knives, with a determination of cutting off the hands of those whoraigbtleapfromtheshipandendeavorto cling to the boat's gunwales. It is also •tated that long befa* thji,|irh«n it vm

first made .known that the vessel iriust gd down} a passenger (brought, oij deck a car^ then smiled, as one of the passengers expressed it, "at the preposterous idea of the man's thinking at euch a time of his property." Down into the waves, with 269 othert, has sunk Gustavus V. Brooke, the famed tragedian, who was bound for the country . whidh had been the scene ot a v rev£r6tj oj forttinfi tri.fiim, hjifc previously of jnany . brilliant successes. He will be well remembered &i a tall man of powerful build) and he is stated by the rescued passenger! to have exerted his strength to the utmost in helping to keep the. snip afloat; Tho Dutch portion of the crew* twenty^oqe in riumjber^efustd to w'prk, and according to the English sailors who were saved, these men went to their berths and remained there, so that the passengers had to work at the pumps for many hours with the English seamen. Mr Gr.*V. Brooke exerted. bims?lf iqc.e.9santly. Attired* only In a red Crimean shirt and Ifousef s, with fid hat 611. and" tiarefpdtfed, he went backwards an^ fprwasds" to the plimps until working al them found to pc useless ? and wben_ last.ieehj abojit four hours be*for,e Ahi steamer wint down, he was , leaning with, grave compoiureuponone of the half -doors of thecompanion. His chin was resting upon both hands, and hia arms were on the top of the door,. which he gently, swayed. *q and fro, while he, calmly^ watched Jthe" scape. „Onjeiof thfe. jkgafcflSe^.ttUft.daW mhh mk ♦tfe'MkSawdnteuiif; and, in fact, more bravely than any man on board of that ship." To the steward, who made himself known, Mr Brooke said, " If you succeed in saving yourself, give my farewell to the people of Melbourne." Tbe rescued men remember, with gratitude and fespeet, the efforts put f^tH.jby.. ministers dfi bo*rd\ ThejßeV. t)r Wooliey encouraged the passengers td work at thd'pump'^ .In.wjii^i he w-as $|4 conjtled iby the etewardessj who had a flbri on board, and cheered the passengers by her collected demeanour and constant at- , tentionn. Next must be mentioned a circumstance, the publication of which may prove to be of great importance. Mr Munro states that a passenger named Eastwood) with whom he had been acquainted prior to the voyage said to him. VJWell, Jack* J think Wre g^ittg.tOjWj ■jbfi answer w.asii " I th'iiiWiwe are, Eastwbd'dv-', The.fSply wiis, •• we cannot heip 1 I it. There's only one thing I regret about it. Of a draft for £500 on the Bank of Victoria, Ballarat, I only received £20, which I gave to the, captain in the office of Moneys Wi^ram. and Go. ■ I should have jiktjd tiiy.phof father to pet thet balance Y,Y, perished ; Wit, fdrfunatsl} mi wrtgiMy enough, bis communication was made to one of the three surviving passengers, and as the deceased Mr Kastwood's father ia known to live near Liverpool, the probability is that his son's wish will be fulfilled, ! —-a wish that was so fervent that Mr Eastwood shed tears as he expressed it We have endeavoured to obtain inform* atioh from the survivors a 9 to anyone they 1 cap, recollect among, jthe passengers, .find to, any word ,or act , that may 'satisfy their friends of ,tl\ejr state of. mind..,,. - „ „r u Q MefcUioii-Was made oil Wednesday of jtp Hey. Mr. Draper s exhortations to the unhappy people in the chief saloon. The women sat round him reading Bibles, with the children ; and occasionally some man or woman would step up to Mr Draper and say, " Pray with me, Mr Draper,"--* re-> f}ueitt that was always complied with. lsp to the time the ship went down the 1 reverend gentlemen ministered to those among whom he moved constantly. He was heard to say repeatedly, M-Oh t God, mayit(hose, that are not converted be, con^ verted now«-^hundredp of them?/' Abpiit ail hour be'torl* tU velsel siifik, SlrWllfloli met Captain Martin under 'the main-dcok aft, and asked him if it would be of use to help in carrying out the water to the second, deck, |ie replied, " I will see,,'! and walked to the engine room, into which he looked dowijjf when he ttame batik, ahd oald, " trtti may do it[bu\ I think it is of no use." He then walked on to the poop, and having declared that he would stay and sink with the paisengers, he walked about and silently looked down upon what was going on. When the boat put .off, wjth the. three ,i>ass,epgers£ fourteen, men; and two boy9j one being th'p youngest midshipman on his first voyage; many of the passenger! who, although expecting death, little knew how very,,very soon it was to come upon them, waved their handkerchiefs, and cheered when the boat got about eighty yards from the ship, being apparently anxious that some should live to tell their haplesi tale. By the | time the men had rowed the gig about eighty, yards , the wind came downup<ji{ them from all quarters bo boisterously that they could not hear each other when shouting, and at this time they looked eagerly back, and saw their noble new vessel sink rapidly by the stern. The stem rose so high that the keel was observed for a moment to be completely out of the tater as far as the foremast. ' The boatswain, Stedding, of Blackwall, who has left a wife and five children ; the butcher, from Blackwall, who has left a wife and family ; Ham, the cook, Who is A married man, and a very old servant of the owners; the baker (unknown), dnd the purser's mate, William Riley, had made up their minds to leave the steamer in the remaining small boat over the cuddy and had provisioned and launched her; but no sooner were they ready to put off than the foundered ship quickly slid below the waves, and left in a moment an awful gulf, within whose walls of dark, whirling water they fell with every human being and every article around, and were soon swallowed up. Two passengers were seen with lifebelts, but probably none were alive when they came to the surface. The spectacle was only to be seen, for in the din of the tempest no cry from the sinking multitude could be heard, and soon not a vestige was visible. As the shin sank it was seen that all on deck were driven forward, not by water, but by a tremendous and overpowering rush of air from below, which, as it escaped through the deck, as well as the hatches, impelled all on deck forward with violence, and their dreadful struggle must have been soon ended. It was remarked that the third officer, who was named Angel, stood to the last at his post at the donkey engine, which was eraployed in working the pumps, and that his hands were on the engine even as the vessel disappeared. The agony of suspense had been so long maintained that, on the day the London foundered, the passengers were perfectly quiet and unezcited, and a surprising degree oi resignation *m exhibited through.*

out. Miss Marks, of Old Kent-road, Lpndon, was at first almost frantic ; yet when i the. boat . left ;she stood calmly 'on fleck bareheaded, and waved an adieu to Mr Wilson. Mr Grantj one of the officers, was lively throughout, and encouraged many to toil at , the Dumps — a work rendered by the wind highly dangerous and difficult. Miss Brooker, from Plimlico, was heard to say as she wrung her hands, J» M/aii I have done all that I could, and ftW do no more/.' 1 ishe inehofttariie Cut*ftrdlj calm; On Tuesday nigfit, after the ksaenfars had beetl dlariue!* %tHe ship: . )ing of water, Mrs Price, Mrs Wood (who ind,with herhgr hmband and. f}ve chil r Iren), Mies Brooker and Miss Marks, read he 'Bible 1 ; by turns In the second cabin. It w«3 on that night that after the sea had poured down the hatch the captain said, f ' Boys, you may say your prayers." At twelve o'clock on the following night, Mr Draper held a general praj'er meeting in the saloon. An extraordinary fact deserves to be recorded. A poor old couple who had three children with them had tried in vain three times to go upon their toyage. First in a vessel unknown, which #as wrecked ; next in the Duncan Dunbar, which also wai,, recently- wrecked, and laetly Gardner, the steward, saw the poor wife washed overboard from the Lond6n> to leeward, her husband following her presently beneath the billows. Among the passengers., were two stout old, people who had become favorites on board, and who had beep, sent for by their only, son. The jjgor crea'turesj on learning .that they must drown, took a small quantity Ot brandy, »nd went below to die together in their cabin. Mr Bevan, a wealthy coach proprietor, and hia wife, of Melbourne, who had been enjoying a trip in Europe ; Mr Lemmon, ironmonger, Bourke-street, Melbourne ; Mr M'Lean, owner of extensive baths opposite the Albion Hotel, Melbourne, who had brought his son to be Educated in England ; and Mr Barnett, of RusßjellHStree,t, Melbourne, were t among thb'ie wlio perished. TBe doctor on. board had relatives in Plymouth. It id authoritatively stated that the emigrant steamer had no lews than 1200 tons of iron m her, and that there were fifty tons of coal on deck, which was washed about and stopped up all the scupper-holes. The masts of the ship were of iron, and, therefore, could not be, used as rafts; Several revolvers were seen in the hands of passengers, w-ho div not cotiroal their intention of shooting themselves when the last moment came, preferring* to meet their death, when in • evitable, by a bullet rather than byjdroivning. The steward, indeed, overheard an offer by the owner of a pistol to a friend fiat he would shoot him if he desired, he. well-meant offer was at that time declined: and whether these intentions were Carried into jexepu'tion is not ,known,, b,ut ii 6 report of tifetinn's were heard as the steamer foundered.