Great Loss Of Life.

The splendid American ship Ocean Monarch, of 1,300 tons burthen, belonging to Train's line of Boston packets, which left the Mersey early on Thursday morning, in splendid trim, with about 360 persons on board, including the crew and emigrants, has been destroyed. It is melancholy to add, that, as near as can be calculated, about 100 of the passengers, who, but a few hours before, were buoyed up by bright anticipations of the future, have been lost.

The Ocean Monarch sailed from Liverpool at an early hour, the tide flowing about seven o'clock. As she passed through the Channel her progress was reported by the telegraph, but at length the sad news arrived that she was in flames. When the announcement was made in the Exchange News Room great consternation prevailed, it being well known that she had a great number of passengers on board. Great was the anxiety to learn any tidings whatever of the vessel, but it was not till the arrival, about half-past five, of the Queen of the Ocean yacht, belonging to T. Littledale, Esq., that the extent of the calamity was known.

Mr. Littledale, who is the Commodore of the Royal Mersey Yacht Club, had been at Beaumaris regatta, which took place on Monday last, and he was returning in his yacht to Liverpool with a party of friends. About 12 o'clock, when near the Great Ormshead, they observed the Ocean Monarch about five or six miles to the eastward of the Ormshead, in Abergele Bay, between the Ormshead and Abergele. Mr. Littledale and his friends were admiring the beauty of the splendid ship as she was pursuing her course to the Atlantic. On a sudden the Ocean Monarch was observed to put up her helm as if returning to Liverpool. A flag of distress was immediately hoisted, and in a few seconds flames were observed to burst out abaft. The ship was lying right in the course of the yacht, and Mr. Littledale immediately bore away for her. On nearing her, although there was a stiff breeze blowing, with a heavy swell, the boat of the yacht was lowered, and proceeded to the ship for the purpose of rendering what assistance she could. Of course, with the swell on, it would have been next to certain destruction to the yacht had she been run alongside the ship, but the exertions of Mr. Littledale were of the noblest description, and he has the satisfaction of knowing that he has been the means of rescuing thirty-two persons from death.

The scene which presented itself to Mr. Littledale on nearing the vessel was most appalling. The flames were bursting with immense fury from the stern and centre of the vessel. So great was the heat in these parts that the passengers, male and female - men, women, and children - crowded to the fore part of the vessel. Their shrieks for aid were carried by the breeze across the waters. In their maddened despair, women jumped overboard with their children in their arms, and sunk, Men followed their wives in frenzy, and were lost. Groups of men, women, and children, also precipitated themselves into the water, in the vain hope of self-preservation, but the waters closed over many of them for ever. No pen can describe this scene. The flames continued to rage with increased fury. In a few minutes the mizenmast went overboard - a few minutes more, and the mainmast shared the same fate. There yet remained the foremast. As the fire was making its way to the forepart of the vessel, the passengers and crew, of course, crowded still further forward. To the jib-boom they clung in clusters, as thick as they could pack, even one lying over another.

At length the foremast went overboard, snapping the fastening at the jib-boom, which, with its load of human beings, dropped into the water, amidst heart-rending screams, both of those on board and those who were falling into the water. Some of the poor creatures were enabled again to reach the vessel, others floated away on spars, but many met with a watery grave.

It appears that the fire broke out about twelve o'clock. From the great consternation in which the passengers were, of course all control over them was gone. They ran about as long as they could in all directions, and some of the scenes which followed have already been described. The captain threw overboard to the poor fellows in the water all the moveable spars, &c., he could find, and afterwards flung a spar into the water and followed it. Several persons followed him, and seized hold of the same spar. He entreated some of them to let go, or all would perish, and showed them the example by swimming to a plank, by which he was enabled to sustain himself for about twenty minutes in the water, when he was picked up by the yacht.

In about an hour and a half after the yacht reached the vessel, the Brazilian steam frigate Affonso, which was out on a trial trip, came up. She anchored immediately to windward, and close to the burning vessel. She got a rope made fast to the Ocean Monarch, and by the use of the said rope her boats were enabled to go backward and forwards to the burning vessel with great facility, and by this means a large number of persons were saved. The Prince of Wales steamer, which was on her passage hence to Bangor, came up shortly afterwards, and with the New World packet-ship, bound for New York, sent boats to the rescue of the passengers, and were the means of saving a large number.

The Queen of the Ocean remained alongside till three o'clock. At that time the vessel was burnt near to the water's edge, and there were only a few of the passengers on board, several boats being alongside endeavouring to take them off.

The Brazilian frigate was commanded by the Marquis de Lisboa. There was also on board the Prince de Joinville, his lady, and suite, the: Duke and Duchess d'Aumale, the Brazilian Minister, the Chevalier of Lisboa, Admiral Grenfell and daughters, and other distinguished individuals. When the Affonso discovered the Ocean Monarch, no time was lost in bearing down to her, and it was intended to anchor right under her bow, but the wind changed a little, and prevented this from being accomplished. Four boats were, however, at once lowered, and were soon followed by the large paddle-box boat. M. Marquis de Lisboa jumped into one, and Admiral Grenfell into the other, and were untiring in their exertions to save the poor people. The Prince de Joinville stripped off his coat, and was particularly assiduous in assisting the passengers on board the frigate,

The Affonso rescued in all about 160 persons, including thirteen seamen. Of these about 140 landed, and the remainder preferred staying on board the frigate all night, M. Marquis de Lisboa having given directions that all who were desirous of remaining should be accommodated in the best way possible. About 208 passengers have been accounted for, 32 by the yacht, 160 by the Affonso, and 16 by the fishing boat. One man was also brought by the Taliesin Rhyl steamer, making in all 209. If the number stated on board, 360, be correct, 151 remain to be accounted for. The Prince of Wales steamer must have rescued some and taken them on with her to Bangor.

The stewardess lost her life in courageously attempting to get the powder out of the cabin. There were about twenty-five pounds weight on board, and when she went below to get it, it is supposed she was suffocated. The powder exploded with a report like that of a cannon, but not being confined, and there being no person at that part of the vessel, no damage it is supposed was done by the explosion. Sixteen persons arrived on Thursday night at Seacombe, having been picked up by a fishing boat.

The burning ship went down at about one o'clock (Friday) morning.

(From the United Service Gazette, August 26, [1848].)

Destruction Of The Ocean Monarch. Additional Particulars

This fearful catastrophe has produced the deepest gloom in Liverpool, and, as usual, blame was very freely imputed to individuals - the captain, the mate, and the crew. Much indignation, too, was excited by a report that the captain of the Cambria declined to render assistance within his power. The simple facts relieve all these from censure. The captain of the Ocean Monarch did not leave until the crew had gone. The captain of the Cambria was on his way from Bangor to Liverpool, and first saw the Ocean Monarch when three miles distant. He passed her, and when two miles on this side of her had his attention called to her signal of distress. There was then nearer to her the yacht, the New World, another ship, and going towards her the Affonso and the Prince of Wales. Having 200 passengers on board, being short of coals, and deeming abundant assistance available, he continued his voyage. The captain of the Orion, steamer, it would appear came to the same conclusion, for he too proceeded on to Liverpool.

We visited the places where the unfortunate survivors have taken up their temporary residence. Never did we witness such squalid masses of human beings. Most of them are women, some with burns on their necks and shoulders, produced by the blazing masts and spars, and others with black eye, and contused wounds upon various parts of their persons, caused by frequent surges on the tops of the waves against broken spars and the hull of the burning wreck. We conversed with a young unmarried woman, from the county Leitrim. She stated that long after the fire had broken out somebody on deck tumbled her overboard, probably thinking that death by drowning would be a far preferable death for her than death by burning ; but more probably still, the action was prompted by those maddening, and almost inexplicable feelings by which persons in sight of dreadful and impending ruin are agitated. The young woman, however, after plunging into the water, was borne upon the tops of the waves. She seems to have floated. Sometimes she was ascending, and at others descending. At length she caught hold of a hand : it was the hand of a dying woman. They seized each other with a sort of death-grasp, and for some time it was a kind of struggle with them as to who should be the conqueror or last survivor of the two. The dying woman, however, who had been shattered about the head, from having been no doubt frequently driven against the hull of the burning vessel, breathed her last. Her head sank, but her body floated on the water. Our female informant held on by that dead body, and was absolutely saved by it. It bore her tip for a considerable length of time, until at length she was taken on board the Affonso, where she was put into a warm bed, and had brandy and other restoratives administered to her.

We have been favoured with the following communication from a gentleman who was on board the Prince of Wales :

"We left the Mersey this morning at eleven a.m., and had not proceeded far before we descried ahead of us what we conceived to be a steam-boat, from the smoke we saw, but as we came nearer a sheet of red fire was clearly perceived, and the Brazilian steam frigate Affonso lying at anchor not far from her ; by-and-bye corpses were seen floating past us in considerable numbers. The boats were then immediately lowered and manned. As soon as the men were in the first boat, a poor fellow. quite naked, was seen floating, supported by n life-buoy. They made for him and got him on board ; as they were coming alongside the vessel a child, two or three years old, was picked up, but life was nearly extinct, and it expired a few minutes after it was taken on board. We were, I dare say, about 100 yards from her bow, where all the poor unfortunate creatures were, some holding by ropes, others stowed away beneath the bowsprit ; many were young children, fourteen of whom were saved - and, in fact, they were the whole that were on the wreck - by a noble and brave fellow named Frederick Jerome, an Englishman of the New World, who fearlessly ventured his life by plunging himself into the sea with a rope made fast round the upper part of his body, and eventually succeeded in rescuing the poor creatures, who had not the power or resolution to throw themselves off, so that they might be picked up by the boat. He calmly slung one after another, safely down - a perilous task indeed - and by different modes they were rescued from their awful situation. Words are inadequate to convey to you the thrilling sensation the vessel's appearance occasioned in all of us - each one anxious to do something if he could to render assistance ; but, alas, the pitching of our vessel in a fierce and heavy sea, with part of her bowsprit sails hanging over the bow, caused much imminent danger to those in the boats that instead of saving the lives of those on board the burning vessel, they ran a very great risk of losing their own.

Much had been done, thank God ; but more I think could have been, if that noble spirit and judgement had been sooner exerted which generally actuate a British seaman, by adopting a mode which was at last resorted to, and which proved so successful that not nice life was lost, viz., what I have but faintly described as the conduct of the seaman Jerome. A beautiful characteristic feature of disinterested human kindness was shown by an old man from Glossop, about sixty years of age. He sat on the edge of one of the sides of the head beneath the bowsprit, holding in his arms a beautiful child, from two to three years old. The old man says it clung to him after its mother had sunk, and he took it in his arms till he and it were saved. One young female from Rochdale is saved who had five friends on board. Each of her five relations took hold of a rope to slide down, to be within reach, as they thought, of the boats around, but they all, one after another, were launched into eternity before her eyes. Though seeing what happened to her friends, she nevertheless was in the act of following their example, when a female snatched the rope from her and met the same fate as those who had used it before. She in consequence was deprived, as she thought, of having a chance of saving her life, and remained, she said, perfectly resigned to her fate ; but Providence had interfered and given her a way to escape that he did not expect. When the Prince of Wales came up with the Ocean Monarch she both anchors down, with a strong wind and a heavy sea running, which accounts for so many being on the fore part ; indeed it was the only part they could retain, for when we first saw leer no other part was tenable. A female, in the early part of the disaster, had let herself down with a rope, and had got, I believe, on or very near a piece of wreck alongside, but no sonner had she descended than the heading of the troubled sea, and pieces of the wreck that were around her, twisted her twofold, as it were. Her lifeless body was fast fixed to some rigging ropes that had wrapped round it, and at every rise and fall of the billows there was this woful spectacle presented to our eyes. The living we had to secure, and could not risk our lives to save her poor remains. We also observed a female form, with a child clasped firmly in her arms, floating away, but life perfectly extinct."

SG & SGTL ; Vol 5 ; pages 311-2.

^ back to top ^