Now came the trial for Captain John Flamanek and the remaining portion of his crew.  The broken mast and yards, still held by the broken rigging, was lashing against the ship, threatening to break in her side and send all to the bottom.  It was necessary to cut away this wreckage as soon as possible so as to free the ship, but before this could be accomplished daylight had set in.  Then the captain asked the officer commanding the soldiers to let some of his men give assistance.  This he refused to do, and made complaint that his men’s food was not being prepared for them as it should be.  The men cried shame of their commander, and volunteered to do whatever they could to assist the captain.[*] The weather moderated, and some sails were set on the vessel, which finally unassisted reached Falmouth.  Two steam men-of-war had been sent in search of her, but missed her.

[*] For his dastardly conduct the military commanding officer was later dismissed from the army, and was never allowed to enter Her Majesty’s service again.

Is There a Fatality Attaching to Men or Inanimate Things?

In another part of this book I have mentioned the ship “Northfleet.”  In regard to that vessel the above question might almost be answered in the affirmative.  The vessel was launched at the place from which she took her name in 1852.  She made her first voyage to New Zealand, thence to China, and from there to San Francisco, and back to China and London.  Then she went trooping for the Crimean War; then for some years ran between London and China carrying tea, for which she was originally built.

This ship never made a voyage without some one being drowned from her, and finally she was run into and sunk by a steamer, which was afterwards proved to be the Spanish vessel “Murillo.”  By this collision upwards of three hundred people were drowned.  The “Northfleet” was carrying railway workmen to New Zealand, and when coming down the English Channel the weather was stormy and the pilot recommended the captain to anchor under a point called Dungeness.  This was done, and the night came on very dark.  At some time after midnight a steamer came in under the Point, apparently for the purpose of anchoring, as was afterwards reported by the crew of the tugboat which was at anchor.  They saw the steamer moving about for some time.  Then a crash was heard, followed by most heartrending cries.  The steamer went out to sea, and did not heed the signal rockets which were sent up by the “Northfleet.”  The little tugboat had only four men and a small boat, which was at once launched, and the mate and the engineer, with one sailor, went to the rescue.  When they arrived all that could be found was the captain’s wife and an ordinary seaman.  All the others had perished, through the dastardly act of the Spaniard in running away.

Captain Knowles of the “Northfleet” was newly married to a very beautiful lady, who was later on by command presented to Queen Victoria, who, after hearing her story, condoled with her, and later gave her a pension of fifty pounds a year as long as she remained a widow.