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The Belfast Weekly Telegraph, 12 April 1873
THE LOSS OF THE ATLANTIC.
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LATEST PARTICULARS.
The following are some additional particulars concerning the loss of the noble but ill-fated vessel, to those published in the Telegraph last week:- Up to the present the reason of the steamer being so far North and out of her ordinary course is not ascertained as no reports were to hand of accidents to her machinery, and she had plenty of coal. The latest New York exchanges describe the weather as having been something fearful near the American coast. Within the last fortnight several of the ocean-going steamers with the utmost difficulty made port in safety. The screw steamer Atlantic, Captain James A. Williams, was the second ship being by Messrs. Harland & Wolff, of Belfast, for the White Star Line, the pioneer ship being the Oceanic, so the line has only been in working a little over two years. The steamers have rapidly acquired a special reputation. With the exception of an accident to the Oceanic's engines on her first trip, the White Star Liners in New York and Pacific passenger trade have been singularly free from accident, for some of them - notably the Republic and Adriatic - have encountered successfully the most terrific weather known to have been encountered in the Atlantic Ocean. They had achieved a marked reputation for speed, even in wintry weather, some of the voyages being among the quickest on record. Americans of late have shown a special partiality for the line, as the saloon lists show, and Irish emigrants outward bound also appear to give it a preference. The Atlantic, like all her sister ships, was a fourmastered iron steamer of 3,707 tons, 600 horsepower, and was 420 feet long, 41 feet broad, and 31 feet in depth of hold. She was built in the year 1871, and her engines were supplied by Forrester & Co. of Liverpool. She has made several remarkably quick voyages, this list disastrous one being her nineteenth. She sailed from the Mersey on March 20th; having on board thirty-two saloon passengers, mostly Americans, on their return home; 762 steerage passengers, including Germans and Alsatians, and a large proportion of Irish; and a crew consisting of 144 all told. The value of the Atlantic is over 100,000 mostly covered with marine insurance companies in London and Liverpool, and at Lloyd's. The total number of the steerage passengers was 448 males and 167 females. Of these 198 were adult English males, 74 females, 21 male children, 16 female children, and 12 infants. There were 7 Scotch male and 4 female adults, 43 Irish male adults, 18 females, and 3 male children; 150 male adult foreigners, 32 females, 14 male and 16 female children, and 7 infants.
A telegram from Halifax, dated Wednesday evening states that three or four of the cabin passengers on board the Atlantic were saved. One lady was frozen to death in the rigging. The purser is among the lost. Harrowing details of the disaster are given by the passengers who have arrived there. There were on board 850 steerage and 30 saloon passengers, the crew numbered 142 men, and there were fourteen stowaways. Two births occurred during the voyage, 300 persons in all have been saved, out of 1,038.
A telegram from Cork, forwards on Wednesday says:- Great consternation has been caused in Cork on account of the intelligence of an appallling disaster to the steamer Atlantic. The Atlantic called at Queenstown on Friday week on her voyage from Liverpool to New York, and embarked passengers to the number of two hundred. The line has been recently very much favoured by the Irish passengers. It is supposed that a great many of those embarked at Liverpool were also Irish.
THE LOSS OF THE ATLANTIC.
----
LATEST PARTICULARS.
The following are some additional particulars concerning the loss of the noble but ill-fated vessel, to those published in the Telegraph last week:- Up to the present the reason of the steamer being so far North and out of her ordinary course is not ascertained as no reports were to hand of accidents to her machinery, and she had plenty of coal. The latest New York exchanges describe the weather as having been something fearful near the American coast. Within the last fortnight several of the ocean-going steamers with the utmost difficulty made port in safety. The screw steamer Atlantic, Captain James A. Williams, was the second ship being by Messrs. Harland & Wolff, of Belfast, for the White Star Line, the pioneer ship being the Oceanic, so the line has only been in working a little over two years. The steamers have rapidly acquired a special reputation. With the exception of an accident to the Oceanic's engines on her first trip, the White Star Liners in New York and Pacific passenger trade have been singularly free from accident, for some of them - notably the Republic and Adriatic - have encountered successfully the most terrific weather known to have been encountered in the Atlantic Ocean. They had achieved a marked reputation for speed, even in wintry weather, some of the voyages being among the quickest on record. Americans of late have shown a special partiality for the line, as the saloon lists show, and Irish emigrants outward bound also appear to give it a preference. The Atlantic, like all her sister ships, was a fourmastered iron steamer of 3,707 tons, 600 horsepower, and was 420 feet long, 41 feet broad, and 31 feet in depth of hold. She was built in the year 1871, and her engines were supplied by Forrester & Co. of Liverpool. She has made several remarkably quick voyages, this list disastrous one being her nineteenth. She sailed from the Mersey on March 20th; having on board thirty-two saloon passengers, mostly Americans, on their return home; 762 steerage passengers, including Germans and Alsatians, and a large proportion of Irish; and a crew consisting of 144 all told. The value of the Atlantic is over 100,000 mostly covered with marine insurance companies in London and Liverpool, and at Lloyd's. The total number of the steerage passengers was 448 males and 167 females. Of these 198 were adult English males, 74 females, 21 male children, 16 female children, and 12 infants. There were 7 Scotch male and 4 female adults, 43 Irish male adults, 18 females, and 3 male children; 150 male adult foreigners, 32 females, 14 male and 16 female children, and 7 infants.
A telegram from Halifax, dated Wednesday evening states that three or four of the cabin passengers on board the Atlantic were saved. One lady was frozen to death in the rigging. The purser is among the lost. Harrowing details of the disaster are given by the passengers who have arrived there. There were on board 850 steerage and 30 saloon passengers, the crew numbered 142 men, and there were fourteen stowaways. Two births occurred during the voyage, 300 persons in all have been saved, out of 1,038.
A telegram from Cork, forwards on Wednesday says:- Great consternation has been caused in Cork on account of the intelligence of an appallling disaster to the steamer Atlantic. The Atlantic called at Queenstown on Friday week on her voyage from Liverpool to New York, and embarked passengers to the number of two hundred. The line has been recently very much favoured by the Irish passengers. It is supposed that a great many of those embarked at Liverpool were also Irish.