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Leader (1850-1860), 28th January 1854, Edition 1 of 1, Page 80, Untitled Article

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      Untitled Article

      attempt to paint the heartrending scene on board the Bhip would . to impossible—wives clinging to their husbands , children to their parents ,, women running wildly about the deck , uttering the most heartrending cries , many offering all they pos&eesedr to persons to get them on there . Among Borne of thV earliest who attempted to get onshore were some young Irishwomen . Most of them lost their hold of the rope , and Klljoito the sea . The doctor of the ship , a most noble f « ttto ^ Straggled hard to save his wife and child ; h « had 8 ijcceed ( id in . getting about half-way to the shore on a ropehpldihg wb child by its olothes in his teeth—but just then the shvp latched outwards , by which the rope was dragged from tho > hands ot those who held it on the lower rocks , and was helil only by those above , thus running him high in the

      air , so that . the brave fellow could not drop on the rock Word was no ^ r given to lover the rope gently , but those vrho held it above let it go by th « run , and the poor feljow , Rita * his child ; jras . famed in the waves ; but in a short time he again appeared above the water , manfully battling with the waves and the portions of the wreck that now floated about him . He at length swam to m ladder that hang by a rope alongside the ship , and got upon it . After he had bean there a minute or two-a . woman floated close to him . He immediately took hold of tier , and dragged her on the ladder , tender ]/ parted the hair from her face , and appeared to be encouraging her , but in another minute she' was- washed from * Iris , hold , and sant almost immediately . He then got up again into the « hiii and tried to eet his wife on shore , but the * both

      p ^ rjshedL He deserred-A better fate ! The scene was now most truh ^ ivsfuL The most desperate struggles for life were made by the wretched passengers ; greatnumbere of women jumped overbo ard , in the vain hope of reaching land ; and the ropes were crowded b y hundreds , who , in tbeir eagerness , terror , and coafoJion , frustrated each other ' s efforts for self-presery itioni . J J ^ lany of the women would , get half way , an . 4 then become unable to proceed further , and , after clinging to the rope for « short time , would be forced from their Uold by those ^ o came after thenv Three women only , ont of 200 , were aa ^ ed . , 0 ne of these had got part of the way across when lier tegs fell , and she hung some time by her two hands over the foaming wares : her husband then came on the

      bihty of « ny immediate assistance being rendered , bat the Three BdEs lay to in sight of the sinking vessel until the gale moderated , on the 3 rd , when the Bhip Antarctic , from New York to Liverpool , hove in sight , the ships at that time being in lat- 39 41 , long . 62 . Both vessels then rendered prompt assistance , the Three Bells taking off between 180 and 200 passengers , with whom- she then set sail for New York , and the Antarctie received on board the following : —James T . Wat kins , commander , and servant : T . L . Schell , purser ; C . F . Barton , third officer ; John Mason , fourth officer ; and W . Duckett , carpenter ; also Lieutenant C . S . Winder , United States' Artillery , and servant ; Lieutenant J . G . Chandler , Mr . W . J . Rankin , 145 United States' troops , and 19 women and children , all of whom were landed here hist evening in safet } -, and speak in the highest terms of the treatment they have received from Captain Stouff . r and his officers .

      * ' From the foregoing it will bo seen that ont of the 750 sonis known to have been on board , only 450 are reported to have been saved , leaving 300 persons to be accounted forof those 149 are known to have been washed overboard , and 59 died , leaving 92 persons of whose fate we are unable to make any report . " In connextion witli the loss of tie Taylevw we beg to call attention to a suggestion made by Mr . J . Pope Culver well , in a letter to the editor of the Dublin freeman ' s Journal : —

      " Tbat half an hoar prior to the advertised time of sailing every passenger vessel , the crew ( at the signal ef the whistle } go through th « -formality of lowering and manning the boais belonging to it . " * If public opinion approve of this SHftgestion , and if every person , interested in the preservation of life will use his influence to induce the adoption of this course , the safety of travelling by sea will at once be increased . " ^ " $ u « h a simple precaution would inspire confidence in the minds of the captain and his crew . Each man would know beforehand not only which boat was confided to his

      care , but the exact operation . he had to perform , and would then feel confident that any other operation would be « di | ally attended to . Thus , in time of danger the order to uxwer the boats could be instantly and quietly obeyed , and th « knowledge tkait each boat had its detachment ot ' crew to protect it would aid in restraining the premature excitement of the passengers . ¦ Many captains of vessels will , doubtless , oppose such a suggestion ; and as familiarity begets a false security it wi II be thought useless and vexatious to go through this operation daily . If , however , such objections are allowed to have weight-, this suggestion will , of course , fall to the ground , and the safety of the public may again be sacrificed to indolence or prejudice . "

      rope , axd -managed to assist her to the shore . 1 wo men came on shore with cMldren tied to their ; backs ; bat' of the whole "who fell into the water not above five were saved . Isavr one fine girL , wLo , after falling from one rope , managed to getJiold of another ; which was banging from the side of ¦ the ship , and which she held on to for more than a quarter of an . hour the : sea every moment dashing her against the side ' ; the ship , bntM was impossible for us to lend her any aasistaiioe . jjome ono got a spar oat , by which several got on store ; but itsoon Iroke , and now might be seenhnndrtds hanging to the bulwarks of the ship , e '^ ch * straggling to get an snore .. * I saw one young woman hanging on the middle of thejTope for some time by her two liands , but those pushing to get on shore soon sent her to her doom . The ship ' s stern now began to sink ; the ship made a lurch , and all the ropes were snapped asunder . The scene now was most

      harrowing . Every wave washed off scores at a time ; we could see them struggle for a moment , then , tossing their arms , sink to rise no more . At length the whole of the ship sunk underwater . There was a fearful struggle for a moment , ¦ andjiU , except two , who were in tie rigging , weTe gone . The coast guard , who had been apprised of the wreck , now came up , bnt all they could do was to attempt to save the two who were in the rigging . They managed to set a line to one of them by fastening two lines , at the end oi each of which was a piece of wood , to a single line , and guiding it . from "the rock to the spot where the poor fellow was , so that he could reach it . They then dragged him ashore . There was one fine young man left in the t » p , but they could not reach him , and when he saw them going away his cries were heartrending . Abo > at 2 o ' clock the next morning the coast guard managed to reach him , after he had been in the top 1 , 4 hours . If on maj fancy the poor fellow ' s joy at his deliverance . "

      Of the passengers 225 , and of the crew , including the captain , and two officers , 57 were saved . Captain Nobl « complains that his compasses varied ; he states also that when the man at the helm declared that he saw land , the watch at the bow could not see it ; and that at the time the ship neared the coast it was impossible to see a cable ' ength ahead . The Steamer San Francisco lias also been lost at

      sea , together with , a large number of her passengers . Some of the persons saved were brought to Liverpool in the Antarctic , and from then ) this account is drawn . " The San Francisco was a new vessel , and was chartered by tie United States' Government to convey eight companies of tlie United States * Artillery to California , where they were intended to txj stationed . " The eight companies consisted , including officers , of 514 men , with whxtm were about 200 women and children , making , with the crew of the steamer , altogether about 750

      persons . " The San Francisco sailed from New York on the 21 st of December , and aijoyed favourable weather at the commencement of the voyage ; but during a severe gale which she oncountered on the 23 rd the piston of the pump broke , and the engines were disabled . Next day the upper Buloon , promenade deck , a nd about 50 feet of spar deck were carried away , and all the ship's boats were swept off immediately ufter . The vessel had also sprung a leak , and the utmost exertions of all hands on ioard were necessary to keep her afloat . This tate of

      s things continued up to the 28 th , when the baric Kilby , from New Orleans to . Boston , fell in with the disabled steamer , and took off about 100 of the passengers . A _ auantity of provisions having been furnished to the Kilby from the stores of the San Francisco , she was ordorcd to the nearest American port . By the remaining portion of the crew and passencont the vessel was still kept alioat till the 80 tli , when the Brit inh abin Three Bells , of Glasgow , bound to New York , hove in sight . There was a . heavy gule blowing at the time , winch prevented tiic p < mni-

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      HEAT / TH OF LONDON . ( From the Registrar- General ' s Return . ) The Registrar-General reports that the health of London has experienced a favourable change . A milder atmosphere has reduced the deaths from 1492 , registered in the preceding week , to 1195 in the week that ended on Saturday . A rise in mean temperature from 29 deg . in the last week of 1853 , and 30 * 2 deg . in the first week of the new rear , to 37-5 deg . and 42 * 2 deg . in the last two weeks , has been followed by a decrease in the mortality of about 300 .

      In the ten weeks correspondingto last weelc of the years 18-44-53 , the average number of deaths was 1142 , which raised in proportion to the increase of population , becomes 1256 . The return of last week gives a result less by 61 than the calculated amount . Last week the births of 845 boys and 855 girls , in all 1700 children , were registered in London . In the nine corresponding weeks of the years 1845-53 the average nutnler was 1451 . At the Koyal Observatory , Greenwich , the mean height of the barometer in the week was 29-681 in . The reading of tlie barometer decreased from 29-64 in . at the beginning of the weelc to 29 * 56 in . by lOh . 3 Ono . a . m . on the 15 th ; increased to 30 05 i » . by 9 h . a . m . on the 18 th ; continued at this reading throughout the day ; then decreased to 29 * 82 in . by 9 h . p . m .

      on the 19 th ; increased to 3016 in . by 9 h . a . m . on the 21 st ; and decreased to 3006 in . by the end of the week . The mean temperature of the week was 42 2 deg ., which is 5-fci deg . above the average of the same week in 38 years . The mean daily temperature was above the average on every day of the week , except Thursday ; the excess was 6 * 2 deg ., 10 * 3 cleg ., 86 deg ., 77 < leg . and 8-5 deg . respectively on Monday , Tuesday , Wednesday , Friday , and Saturday . The highest temperature was 52-3 deg . on Friday ; the lowest was 31 . 9 deg . on Thursday . The mean dew point temparaturo was 402 deg . The wind blew from the south . The mean temperature of the water of the Thames at Greenwich was 40 deg . On Friday and Saturday the temperature of the Thames rose to 435 detf .

      Untitled Article

      A RENEGADE DEMOCRAT .. The New York Daily Tribune prints a letter from St Petersburg , detailing an incident the reverse of complimentary to one who claims great credit for his democratic politics in tho United States . Wo have reason to believe tho anecdote is authentic , as it acoords very well with what we have heurd of the " American Senator , " —the man in black . And as he makes a great noise sometimes in his efforts to foment a bitter feeling towards England , it will bo

      well that he should be known for what he is worth to the people of this country . The last grand manoeuvres of the Imperial Guards and . the corps of the Grenadiers in the plains of Krasnoe Sela £ Red Village ] were very brilliant , and attracted a great number of German Princes , with some English lords and other distinguished foreigners . During one of the final days of this gathering there appeared among the resplendent cortege of the Emperor , mounted on a horse from the jftnperiai stables , a short , thick-set individual in a black frock coat

      and black hat—in a word , dressed like a simpl e civilian , ot pelcin—accompanied by a high official from the Ministry of Toreign Affairs , in the full embroidered uniform of a Councillor of . State . Both came from the bouse kept there by th _ e Emperor for distinguished visitors , and joined the numerous suite -of the Czar . Everybody was puzzled at this unwonted spectacle . But what -was the general astonishment when , towards the end of the parade , the Emperor , himself a giant , motmted on a gigantic Wse , politely approached the blackcoated little civilian , and bemjing down to the neck of h 5 & steed , began a conversation in Engliali , of which , having gathered several sentences , 1 am able to transmit them to

      you : — " Very happy to see you , Mr . Douglas , " began the Emperor . u You come from the south , from Odessa , and have traversed Russia . What are your impressions ? ' ' . " Tour Majesty , " answered the black man , whom we had now discovered to be an eminent American senator , " I haie seen your empire , and I have also seen the west of Europe . Ther » I saw the past , and here I see the future . " Not so bad for' a republican . " You come from Constantinople , " said the Czar . "They speak badly of me there . Do you bring from there peace or war ?" " Both are in tue hands of your Majesty . " Tlie Emperor , in th « most amiable and enchanting manner , excused himself fur not receiving personally in St . Petersburg the distinguished senator from a country which he admired . But he several times said to his guest that it

      he wished anything specially , he ( the Emperor ) would be very happy to oblige Mm , and that orders had been given that every object which the senator might . desire to visit or see , should be open « d to him . The conversation lasted for twenty minutes ; and seldom has the Czar been more gracious to any visitor , no matter what his rank . As I afterwards ascertained , this interview was specially arranged by Count Nesselrode , who also procured permission , asked of him by Mr . Donglas , to appear in a black suit before ihe Autocrat . This was not Considered objectionable by either the minister or the Sovereign , on the ground , as I learn , that Americans , when visiting their President , wear no uniforms . It was by the order of the . Emperor that rooms were prepared in Krasnoe Selo for the reception of this gentleman . I am told tbat he wai very much-pleased with his visit in our dear RiissiA , and , among other things , found , a great resemblance between our plains and the west of America .

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      MISCELLANEOUS . The Queen gave another theatrical display this week . The entertainment consisted of Tender Trecautions and the Bengal Tiger . Among the guests at th $ Castle have been the Duke of Cambridge , the Archbishop of Canterbury , the Duke and Duchess of Argyll , Lord and Lady Palmerston , Lord and Lady Hardinge , Lord Malmesbury , and the Speaker of the House of Commons . Her Majesty eat on Thursday to Mr . J . E . Jones , commissioned to execute a bust of her , for Mr . William Dargan . Count Walewsfci has had two interviews with lord Clarendon ; and BL Fleury * aide-de-camp of the Emperor , lias had an interview with Lord Palmerstou .

      Untitled Article

      60 THE LEADER . [ Saturday ,

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      Last Saturday a Cabinet Council , at which all the Ministers were present , Bat four hours and a half . Another Cabitoet Council was held on Tuesclaj , and sat four hours , The Marquis of Lansdowne alone was not present . A third Cabinet Council , attended by all the > Iinisters , sat for two hours and a half on Thursday . The Address in the House of Commons will be moved by Viscotint Castleton , and seconded by Mr . Thomson Hankey , jun . — Globe .

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      Sir ^ William Heathcote , it seems , has quieted * vl opposition—even from the Low Church party—and he will probably be elected member for Oxford University , soon after the meeting of Parliament .

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      The following letter has been addressed te the Horning Herald : —> u Claremont , Jan . 21 . " Sir , —A letter , purporting to have been addressed by lier Koyul Higlmeaa the Duchess of Orleans to the I > nke de Neinouru , appeared in your columns of tho 16 th inst . ; and us tho authenticity of that letter has obtained some credit , 1 received his Koyal Highnctsa ' s command * to acqua ' uit you that ftuch a letter lias never existed . —I am , sir . your obedient servant , "J . Gautiijeui . "

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      The strikes continue . Some of the PTestom masters have opened their mills at "Blackburn prices ;" and Mr . HoIHqb has some looms at work . But there is no prospect of a general cessation of hostilities . The musters met on Thursday , and resolved to adjourn to the 23 rd February , without coming to any arrangement . Throughout the county of I > evon a general movement has been commenced to alleviate the sufferings of tho poor , uiid at some of tlie public meetinirs held

  • Citation
    • Leader (1850-1860), Jan. 28, 1854, page 80, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2023/page/8/