MELANCHOLY DISASTER AT SEA.

Westport Times, Volume V, Issue 847, 8 August 1871, Page 3

MELANCHOLY DISASTER AT SEA.

On Saturday night, May 27, a collision, attended with serious loss of life, took place in the Channel, near Dungeness, between the Paraguay, a Now York and jLondon steamer, and a screw steamer, the T. S. Webb. The latter vessel left the Tees, bound for Taganrog, and when off Dungeness on Saturday night, at 9.30 during fine weather, with all her lights in good trim, a ship's light was seen a-head. Captain Green took proper precautions to give the stranger a wide berth, but when within half-a-mile of her, the other vessel ported her helm, and came straight ahead on to the T. S. "Webb. Fearing a collision, the captain stopped his engines arid reversed them to " full speed astern," but in a few minutes the other vessel, which proved to be the screw steamer Paraguay, ran into her just at the fore rigging on the starboard bow, so completely cleaving her down to the water's edge that she filled and sank in deep water in less than two minutes. The captain, with four of the crew, managed to scramble from the fore rigging into the fore chains of the Paraguay, and reached her deck in safety; and two "others fell overboard in attempting to follow, but were, after the lapse of several minutes, rescued by the other steamer's boats, much exhausted. The chief and second mates, who were on the bridge with the captain at the moment of the collision, were drowned, as also were the cook, carpenter, chief, second, and third engineers, three firemen, two seamen, and two others.—" Lloyd's Weekly."