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LOSS OF A HOLYHEAD STEAMER.

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LOSS OF A HOLYHEAD STEAMER. FIVE LIVES LOST. The intense anxiety which had prevailed sincta .3a.turday morning as to the fate of the London and North-western Railway Company s cargo steamer Admiral Moorsom, which left North Wall, Dublin, at one o'clock on Thursday, was relieved on Sunday morning by the intelligence that she had collided with the Santa Clara, an American sailing ship, and that only 14 of the 35 souls on board had been satved. It seems that the Admiral Moorsom, which was tin old and somewhat slow steamer, little used by passengers, but mostly for the conveyance of live stock and caxgo, left the North Wall, Dublin, at midday on Thursday, and encountered some- what rough weather, which delayed her passage. There were on board at the time eleven pas- sengers and a crew numbering 24, with a general cargo, including 80 tons of goods, 678 pigs, 34, head of cattle, and one horse. Late on Thursday night, when she reached a point seven miles off west, known as the South Stack Lighthouse, one of the seamen, named Hart, who was on lookout duty, reported seeing the lights of a large British vessel, which was close ahead, sailing down Channel. Captain Weekes, the master of tho Admit-al Moorsom, at once gave orders to port the helm, and his steamer got under the stern of the other vessel; but as soon as she got clsar an American sailing ship, the Santa Clara, of New York, whose lights had not been seen, suddenly bore down upon them, and ran violently against the steamer. The Santa Clara, which was uuder the command of Captain Dunn, left Liverpool on Thursday morning, and was sailing down Channel before the wind, in company with or closely following the British vessel, both going athwart the course of the Admiral Moorsom. The force of the collision swept away the funnels, mainmast, and rigging of the Admiral Moortom, and also smashed the two boats on her starboard side, and did other damage. The smaller of the two boats on the other aide was at once launcaed, and must have been overloaded by the 13 persons who are believed to have crowded into it, and there is reason to fear that it was lost with all on board In some aanguine minds there is still a hupe- although but a faint one—that this boat may have survived, and that its passengers were after- wards picked up. In addition to the thirteen persons who are believed in this way to have perished, the sixteen lives lost include the case of the man not yet identified who was seen dead on board the steamer when she afterwards foundered; also the second mate (Abbott) and a cattle-dealer from Stoke-on-Trent, named Woolridge, both of whom were lost in their attempt to get on board, the American ship. In the case of Abbott he fell into the sea when leaping from the steamer to- wards the Santa Clara, whilst Woolridge was cut in two by a sudden lurch of the small boat into which he was getting, just as it was about to be put off. A larger boat was launched with some difficulty, and by its means twelve persons, in- cluding two of the passengers, were got safely on bf)ard the Santa Clara, in which they were subse- quently conveyed to Holyhead. The chief officer (Mr B. Jones) and the lookout seaman (Hart) were also saved, having contrived to jump on board the ship from the steamer. Amongst those saved, in addition to the chief officer and Hart, are the chief engineer, leading stoker, quartermaster, four fireman, carpenter, several seamen, and the deck boy. The master of the steamer, Captain Weekes, is among those lost. Several witnesses state that when the collision occured he gave three loud shrieks, and some of them add that he then jumped overboard, but as he was on the bridge at the time it is considered quite as likely that he was suddenly swept overboard by some of the flying chains or dislodged gear, which so quickly cleared his deck. Captain Weekes had been in the employment of the London and North-western Company for about six years, four and a half years of that time as chief mate and one and a half as master. He was formerly in the service of the Guion Line, and was still earlier in the service of the Cunard Company as a second officer. There was no reason, therefore, for any misgivings as to the competency and experience of the deceased master, who was well-known and ranch respected in Holyhead. In token of regard for his memory the flags of the vessels in the harbour were hoisted half-mast high. It is a noteworthy cir- cumstance that Captain Weekes and the same crew as manned the A'lmiral Moorsom were on board the Steamer Stanley when she ran down the Eleanor off Holyhead harbour on Wednesday last. Upon that occasion both of those vessels were considerably damaged, but fortunately no lives were lost. On the same day the crew in question were transferred to the Admiral Mour- ■iom, and at six o'clock on Wednesday evening they left for Dublin. After discharging cargo there they started at midday on Thursday for the return voyage, which ended in e>uch fatal disaster. When the steamer was overdue and there was some reason to fear that an accident I had happened, Admiral Dent sent out the Roue, one of the express steamers of the company, in search of the Admiral Moorsom. Two trips were made with this object, but she found no trace of the missing steamer. The only female passenger, and she has been rescued with her child, was Mrs Hardwick. of Preston. It is stated that there were live soldiers on board the ill-fated steamer, all privates in the 1st Royal Dragoons. In addi- tion to Joyce and Witty, two more soldiers were saved in the second boat which reached the Santa Clara, viz.. Thomas Steel and George Hill, both I x L of whom proceeded to Norwich. One of these men stated that on Thursday he heard the second mate call out in alarm, My God, tilers is a ship running into us," and almost immediately the bowsprit of the Santa Clara passed clean over his head, whilst at the same time he heard the crashing of the paddle-box. The other soldier got into the lifeboat by walking over the oar which was used to keep it from the steamer, but when he also tried to do this the oar broke under him and he fell into the water, where lie remained for about a quarter of an hour, cling- ing to a part of the broken oar which a seaman held for him. He afterwards got hold of the gunwale of the small boat and was dragged on board. The same soldier adds that he thinks the other small boat was swamped; that he saw Captain Weekes apprarently jump overboard, and that the first officer and a sailor saved themselves by jumping into the rig- ging of the ship. The chief officer of the Admiral Moorsom (Mr Bradwen Jones), when interviewed, said I was asleep in my berth at the moment when the ,ada Clara got near to our steamer. What awoke me was hearing the captain's voice in the speaking tube near my berth calling out 'Stop her.' I at once started up. and then followed instantly the crash of the collision. When I rushed to the deck, I found it a scene of indiscribable confusion and alarm, with the bowsprit and sails of a large ship moving over us, whilst our steamer heeled over very much, as if about to sink. All around me in the darkness there were broken or breaking funnel, masts, ropes, spars, Ac., with steam, smoke, and flame coming I knew not from where. Hearing the voice of the second mate (Abbott), for I could not then see him, I ad- vised him to save himself at once if he could. I then groped my way along from the bridge to the after part of the steamer, and on the way saw a soldier who was lugging his box along, and '711 said he wanted to save it tool^ I advised him to look after his own life. At this time the ship, being still under the pressure of full sail, seemed to bo chopping into the sides of the Admiral Moorsom. so I watched my chance and contrived to throw myself oil board the Ameri- can vessel. Poor Abbott, who has six children. tried to follow my ex.;r.m>le, and I threw him a rope from the Santa Clam by way of help. but in attempting the leap he fell between the two vessels and was lost. I found that on board the American ship, as in our own case, there was quite a panic. I should certainly not have left my steamer if I had not iirnily believed that she was at once going down. And the others were all of the same opinion. On getting on board the Santa Clara, I asked its master, Captain Dunn, for a rocket, but he gave ms instead a blue light, although I told him that it would be of little or no use, being a pilot signal, and not one for danger. However, I fired the blue light. It was nearly ten o'clock when I got on board the Santa Clara, but neither myself nor any of our crew got any refreshment from the officers of that vessel until breakfast time next morning.—H. M'Grath, able seaman of the Admiral Moorsom, stated I was in my berth at the time of the collision. I rushed up, un- dressed. on deck, and heard the captain scream out. after which he disappeared, and I hurried on some clothing, as a large ship seemed to be grinding at the sponson of our steamer, and to have already caused very serious damage. The bowsprit of the strange ship was right across our deck. A boat had been lowered and filled with people, but I don't know what became of it, as I did not see it again. We had altogether, twelve on board. The fireman (William Williams] and I were the two last to go into the small boat. which four of us rowed in a wild sea. I intended to be the last to go on board, but Williams made a desperate leap after us and landed in the small boat. Before we shoved off from the side of the Admiral Moorsom I was trying to save the passenger Woolridge. when a sudden lurch of the boat caused by the waves crushed him between it and the hull of the steamer, and he fell into the water. When we left our steamer she certainly looked as if she was about to sink. Amongst these saved in our boat were the four firemen, carpenter, leading stoker, quartermaster, the deck boy, two seamen, and two of the soldiers who were passengers. The following is a list of the saved, viz, :—Mr B. Jones, chief officer John Hughes, chief engineer John Jones, lead- ing stoker; Lewis Salmon, quartermaster; Wm. Parry, carpenter: H. M'Grath and William Hart, seamen; William Jones, W. Williams, Owen Roberts, and William Owen, firemen; John Thomas, deck boy Thomas Steel, George Hill, Joyce, and Witty, the four soldiers who were passengers Mr Lawler. of Kilkenny; Mrs Hardwick, of Preston, and her young daughter. The missing, all of whom are believed to have been lost, include Captain Weekes. William Abbott, second mate; J a !n"s Owen, third mate: Isaac Price, seaman; O. Griffiths, seaman; Robt. Davies, second engineer; Thomas Bagnall, Rd. Owen. O. Roberts, and Oven Pritchard, seamen; Lewis Jones, cook also Mr Woolridge, of Stoke and Mr Woodward, said to be a cattle dealer of the same town. As may be judged from the names, most of the crew are Welshmen, and re- side in Holyhead, where much sympathy is felt for the bereaved families. LATER PARTICULARS. The barquentine Stanley arrived in the Mersey oil Monday night, from Demerara, having on board ten of the crew and one passenger of the London and North-western Railway steamer, Admiral Moorsom. As has already been re- ported, a portion of the crew and two of the passengers were rescued by the Santa Clara and landed at Holyhead, whilst several were taken off the sinking steamer by the Cork steamer Falcon and taken on to Queenstown, where they were landed; but it was feared that the remain- der of those who had been on board the ill-fated steamer—sixteen souls in all—had been drowned. The arrival of eleven more of the survivors reduces the number of drowned to five. The names of the eleven rescued men are Robert Davies. second engineer; Joseph Owen, quartermaster; William Parry, Owen Griffiths, Isaac Price, and John Jones, seamen; Thomas Bagnall and Richard Owen, firemen; Lewis Jones, cook Owen Pritchard. coal trimmer and Edward Woodward, of Hanley, Staffordshire, passenger. When the Stanley was off Point Lynas an intimation was sent on shore through a pilot belonging to one of the Liverpool pilot boats as to the rescued men being on board the Stanley; and on the arrival of the latter in Liverpool, in tow of a Liverpool tug, the rescued men, on reaching the landing-stage, were met by representatives of the London and North- western Railway Company and taken to Lime- street Station, where they had refreshments sup- plied to them and every attention paid to their comfort. Upon arrival in Liverpool, the survivors named. when informed of the reported conduct of the master of their vessel in leaping overboard, ap- parently iu a panic, stated that they had seen nothing of the kind, and expressed their belief that Captain Weekes was by no means the sort of man to lose his presence of mind and to act in such a manner. They regarded as mu :h more probable the other report that Captain Weekes was carried overboard by some of the torn gear, either of his own or the American vesse 1. In accordance with instructions received from Ad- miral Dent, marine superintendent at Holyhead, to whom information of their arrival was tele- graphed, the men were sent on from Lime-street Station by the 8-50 p.m. train for Holyhead, to which place they belong. The passenger Wood- ward left during the evening for Hanley.

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