The Ship Staffordshire.

We understand that there was received in this city, Wednesday, a Halifax paper of late date, which contained the particulars of the loss of this ship, written by one of the crew. As we expected to see the paper in the newsroom, we were not very particular in our inquiries; but not finding it there, we can only give an outline of the facts as they were told us by a gentleman who had read the paper. A few days before the disaster, Capt. Richardson, who had climbed inside of the mizzen rigging, we suppose to catch a rope's end which was adrift, lost his hold of the rigging, and fell backwards of deck. His spine is said to have been broken. In this condition, he was carried, senseless, to his cabin, but when restored to consciousness, was unable to move. The command of the ship, of course, devolved upon the chief mate. On the night of the disaster, the wind was from the southward, the ship closehauled, or by the wind, and she struck about 10 o'clock, on the south side of the Blonde Rock, but was afterwards backed into deep water, and stood off shore. But finding she made water too fast for the pumps to be of any avail, she was hove to, and the boats were hoisted out.

The sea was quite rough, but the boats being to leeward, were well sheltered by the ship. All the passengers rushed on deck, but were averse [?] to going in the boats. In the meantime the Captain was taken out of his birth and laid on the cabin table, ready to be carried into one of the boats, and the passengers formed a circle around him -- for he was almost adored by them -- saying they would never leave him. Unfortunately as some of the crew were proceeding aft, agreeably to the chief mate's orders, to carry the captain on deck, the ship settled so fast, that they had to retreat for their lives, and gain the boat themselves. A female passenger, who was standing by the gangway, was forced into one of the boats against her will. Hardly had the boats cleared the ship, when she went down, and sunk in twenty-five fathoms water, five miles from the land. Of the subsequent action of the boats, nothing more is known than what has been already published. These particulars may not be strictly correct, for they were communicated to us in the course of conversation, and, as already stated, expecting to see Halifax papers, we did not take any notes.


Boston Semi-Weekly Atlas, Saturday, January 14, 1854.

Transcribed by Lars Bruzelius.


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