Total wreck of the HUNGARIAN, loss of over 130 lives, 1860

Liverpool Mercury, March 5th 1860

TOTAL WRECK OF THE HUNGARIAN

PROBABLE LOSS OF 125 LIVES

By the arrival of the Canada we have the startling intelligence of the loss of another of the Montreal Ocean Steamship Company’s vessels the HUNGARIAN, Capt T. JONES which left Liverpool on the 8th of February. All on board supposed lost. This seems to have occurred on the night of Sunday 19th February or early morning on the 20th. As the CANADA left Halifax on the 24th, she has only brought meagre despatches published in Boston on the 22nd.

The scene of the wreck is Cape Ledge, Sable Island at the south of Nova Scotia, about 6pm on Sunday the 19th, a brig the CYGNET [which reached Halifax on the 21st] whilst lying in thick weather off Liverpool Nova Scotia, to the north of Sable Island, saw a large steamer steaming W.N.W, conjectured in Halifax to be the Nova Scotia, supposed to be the vessel wrecked, ashore at Cape Ledge.

Halifax Feb 21st, news from the scene of the wreck :-

“The steamship is the HUNGARIAN from Queenstown, 9th inst, she is a total wreck, crew and passengers supposed lost. Small portions of the hull now visible at low water. There is nothing like news for the Associated Press, unless in the mail, a small portion of which has been saved in a damaged state. One passenger ticket has been found the name upon it Ellen SHEEBAN.”

Halifax Feb 21st, message sent from Cape Sable to Messers CUNARD and Co :-

“A steamers lights were seen on Monday morning at 3am on Cape Ledge, at daylight spars and smoke pipe were standing. At 10 all were gone by the board and the ship settled fast. A heavy sea was running breaking mast high over the ship, communication with the ship was impossible. All on board were lost unless boats left the ship before daylight, which is not likely. At low water part of the ship is still visible.”

Despatch, underwriters room, Liverpool yesterday :-

“The HUNGARIAN [r.m.s.s.] from Liverpool to Portland, was totally wrecked off Cape Sable, February 20th. Steamer disappeared, all on board lost. Six mail bags washed ashore.”

The HUNGARIAN was the newest steamer except the BOHEMIAN placed upon this line by Messers ALLEN Brothers and Co, she was considered in many respects the finest steamer, and had made some of the quickest passages. She had been running about 18mths. The value of the vessel alone was estimated at between £40,000 and £50,000.

Her crew numbered 70, and she took out on the 9th ult from Queenstown, about 15 cabin passengers and 40 steerage passengers, and a general cargo, total number of souls on board estimated at between 120 and 130.

It was the HUNGARIAN which in December last brought home the survivors of the wreck of the INDIAN, which on the morning of November 21st struck on the Seal Ledges opposite the fishing harbour of Marie Joseph.

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Liverpool Mercury, March 6th 1860

THE LOSS OF THE STEAMER HUNGARIAN

The precise number of souls on the HUNGARIAN appears to have been 134, passengers cabin, 22, steerage, 24, officers and crew 88.

List of passengers

Cabin - Mr J. E. WILSON, Mrs and Mrs BAWLER, The Rev James STUART, Mrs WOODS, Mr and Mrs M. EVANS, Mr W. R. CROCKER, Mr J. W. CROCKER, Mr Allan CAMERON, Mr LESLIE, Mr and Mrs TALBOT, Dr and Mrs SAINALCIEGO, Mr BARRY, A. B. CORTIN, Mrs WYATT, Mr BOULTENHOUSE, Mr BOALTON, Mrs DELANO and child, Dr BARRETT.

Steerage

Mrs Ellen SHOCHAN, Mr and Mrs Frederick CHILD and son, Messers, Hugh MC CAFFREY, Abraham TAGG, William VOGLE, John RICHARDSON, Henry RICHARDSON, T. ALLEN, Neil MORRISON, Richard MADDEN, Robert MARTIN, E. D. BARTLETT, George SHANK, George MC DERMOTT, John DALEY, John DELANEY, William KIRBY, W. WRIGHT, Michael LINCEY, Martin DOWNES, Francis RICHARDSON, Patrick GUERIN.

List of officers and crew

Through the kindness of Capt RACKHAM of the Northern Shipping Office, Lightbody St, we have been favoured with the following list numbering 88 in all :-

Officers and crew

Thomas JONES, Commander, R. FERGUSON, Doctor, W. H. HARDIE, 1st mate, W. ALLEN, 2nd mate, Richard PORTER, 3rd mate, W. CAIN 4th mate, Thomas ROBERTSON, Purser, Thomas GREEN, Asst purser, Charles MC DONALD, Steward, Robert DICK, Carpenter, James MC MILLAN, Carpenter’s mate, Michael FIELDING, Boatswain, James BAYLEY, Boatswain’s mate.

Mr G. J. NASH [from London] officer in charge of the mails.

Cooks etc, - Frank DEROME, Chief cook, George SCARISBRICK, 2nd cook, Aaron FRITH, Cook, Samuel JENNINGS, Cook, Edward MURPHY, Scullery, James GITTINS, Butcher, William PRESTON, Baker.

Waiters, Richard THOMAS, John MADDON, George EDWARDS, James RHODES, Robert DEWAR, Alexander WAPSHAW, Edward LEMON, Joseph BRENNAN, William WOODS, Richard JONES, John JONGWILL, Hugh MC GREGOR, William HORROCKS, John THOMPSON and Thomas HANNAH.

Seamen

Murdoch MC PHERSON, John BAILEY, Thomas PHILLIPS, Alexander LIDDLE, John BRICE, David JONES, David WILLIAMS, Robert LEWTAS, Thomas CARTER, John SHANNON, Patrick MITCHELL, Mathew GOLIGHTLY, Archibald MACMILLAN, John BENNETT, Jonathan GROETHWAITE, William QUINE, Edward N. RAMSDEN, Thomas MC LEAN, Alfred EDWARDS, James GREENWAY, John CLEAL, George PERRYMAN, Joseph SMITH, William NELSON, Michael WALSH and Henry MICHAEL

Engine department

Engineers, William STEWART, 1st, John MC KEAN, 2nd, Alexander SMITH, 3rd, John CLARK, 4th, Hugh MC GOWAN, 5th.

Firemen, Isaac WELCH, John CALDERWOOD, James MOONEY, John BOYLE, Peter HANLON, Hugh RUSSELL, Henry LOWE, William JONES, Henry FRENCH, Thomas JONES, John FOULKES, Richard MC ANALLY, Archibald MC CALL, John JONES, John HAMMILL, William WELCH, Alexander WATSON, John SHAW, William FLANNEGAN, Richard MC DONALD and Edward SANDS.

The HUNGARIAN is the fourteenth steamer which has been lost since the commencement of steam navigation between Europe and America. Among the passengers was a Mr BOULTENHOUSE of Sackville, New Brunswick, who quitted that port in January last for Liverpool in a new ship of his own building called the XIPHIAS. The XIPHIAS became water-logged and had to be abandoned at sea Mr BOULTENHOUSE together with others on board, being rescued and brought to Liverpool by the HARVEST QUEEN. After transacting some business in Liverpool he took his passage for home on the HUNGARIAN, and thus suffered shipwreck on both in leaving and returning to his native country, the two accidents occurring within a month, and the last catastrophe depriving him of his life. The cargo, it is stated was insured for £100,000.

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Liverpool Mercury, March 7th 1860

THE HUNGARIAN FURTHER PARTICULARS

By the arrival of the screw-steamer BOHEMIAN at Queenstown last evening we have the following additional particulars ;-

Halifax, Feb 24th, a despatch from Ragged Island, 24th inst to the Postmaster General, says the supplementary mail bags for Canada and New York have been picked up in a safe but damaged state.

On Wednesday a small child was found, yesterday a man, supposed to be a fireman. Portions of the mail and cargo are yet being picked up. The wreck can only be seen at low water.

It was proposed to visit the wreck in the revenue cutter FANNY yesterday, but the sea was too high. It was thought probable that no fewer than four members of the Canadian Parliament were on board, Messers W. H. MERRITH, DAWSON, MC KILLAR and TALBOT. [In the list of passengers published yesterday in the Mercury, the names of Mr and Mrs TALBOT appear but not those of the others mentioned

The intelligence of the wreck of this fine steamer on her way to Portland, with the loss of all on board, casts a gloom over Glasgow. Three of the passengers went from Glasgow, namely, The Rev James STUART and Mr and Mrs BALMER, Mr STUART was on his way to Canada which was to be the scene of his labours and whither he had been sent by the colonial committee of the General Assembly. Mr BALMER a highly respectable merchant in Canada recently came to Glasgow for the purpose of being married to a lady belonging to the city and they were proceeding to their Canadian home. Capt JONES the master of the HUNGARIAN was well known in the service as an able and experienced seamen. It is somewhat remarkable that during a pretty long lifetime he never met with an accident at sea until this deplorable occurrence took place. He was however, frequently instrumental in saving lives and no later than last November succeeded in rescuing 70 persons from a watery grave off Halifax, namely all on board the Newfoundland fishing schooner JEAN MARTI, who, but for his assistance in a terrific gale would have in all probability gone down.. The HUNGARIAN was the favourite ship of this line, owned by Messers J and A. ALLEN of this city. The insurance will fall heavy on the underwriters of London and Liverpool and to some extent those on Glasgow

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