Wreck of the steamship North Briton.
The New York
Herald, of the 12th inst., contains the following account of the wreck of the steamship
North Briton:
Particulars of the wreck of the North Briton — list of passengers — statement of one of the officers.
We received intelligence yesterday from
Montreal of the loss of the steamship
North Briton,
Captain Grange, belonging to the
Montreal Steamship Company's line.
The American brig
J. G. Desbler,
Capt. Mann, from
Liverpool.
England, for
Cleveland, Ohio, passed Further Point at 11 A. M. on Sunday last, signalled for a pilot, and sent the following message ashore.
Nov. 7.--Picked up the North Briton's boat, No. 2, with seventeen of the crew and one passenger aboard.
The North Briton is ashore on Mingan islands.
The North Briton sailed from
Montreal on the 2d inst., and on the morning of the 5th, at 1 o'clock, she struck on Paraquet Island during a gale, the weather being very thick at the time.
The following is a list of the passengers on board of her at the time of her departure:
From Quebec--
Hon. P. M. Vankoughnet and lady,
Major Fielding, Sixtieth rifles, and lady;
Felix Morgan, lady and child;
Felix Briard,
Ralph Jones,
M. Cone,
John P. Strickland, A
W. Duncan,
Frederick Clark,
W. H. Carvill.
From Montreal Dr. Woods,
Thos Dawson,
Mr. Robinson,
W. G. Idler.
From Kingston.--
Captain Rayley.
From Toronto--
E. J. Smith,
C. Jarvis, Eighty-seventh regiment;
Mr. Price,
Miss E. Price,
Miss Allan,
Captain Lamerte and lady,
P. Pelham,
John Smith.
From Hamilton--Sir.
A. McNab and lady, and man servant and ninety- eight steerage passengers.
The third officer of the steamship
North Briton has arrived at Farther Point, in a schooner.
He reports that the North Briton struck on Parsquet Island at one o'clock on the morning of the 5th.
It was then blowing a gale.
She was totally wrecked, but no lives were lost.
The passengers and crew were landed at Port Mingan. One boat with seven hands, had not been heard from since it left the ship.
The North Briton sailed Saturday, November 2, at ten A. M., with fifty-one cabin and thirty-eight steerage passengers, for
Liverpool.
Saturday and Saturday night were the times of the heavy storm.
The following is the statement of
Mr. Brown, the third officer
When the ship struck it was blowing a gale, and the weather was very thick, The ship confined str ing very hard on the roof Tuesday night and all Wednesday, and it was expected she would go to pieces every moment.
A boat, with crews, broke away from the wreck before it was loaded, and could not be brought back till Tuesday morning after daylight, when all the passengers were taken off without accident and transferred.
to two schooners, which landed them at Port Mingan, and a few at houses about nine miles below.
At Port Mingan the passengers all housed in storehouse, having a few blankets, which were got from the wreck, to sleep upon.
The storerooms were all under water, causing a sc rcity of provisions.
The lower cabin was all broken up and most of the baggage lost.
Only a few of the mall bag were saved, and those were perfectly saturated.
When the schooner with the third officer left for Farther Point the other schooner was cruising off the
West end of Anticosti, to intercept the steamship
Anglo-Saxon, which sailed from
Montreal on Saturday last for
Liverpool.
The North Briton was built at
Dumbarton, Scotland, in 1858, and commenced running to
Portland, Me., in November of the same year.
She was a propeller of 2,200 tons burden, and had two direct acting engines of 500-horse power. Her hull was divided into six water tight compartments, which probably was the means of saving the lives of many on board of her.
