Page:Federal Reporter, 1st Series, Volume 10.djvu/569

THE SANDBINQHAM. 557 �Hughes, D. J. On the evening of Friday, November 5, 1880, the iron steam-ship, Sandringham, of Glasgow, 1,159 tons, McKay, master, at about 7 p. m. was beached Bome three-quartera of a mile south of Cape Henry light-house. She was loaded with 3,000 baies of compressed cotton, and a complement of flour and man- ganese. She had cleared at Galveston, and was bound for Liver- pool. She had first struck on the oater reef or sand-bar which stretches along, and parallel with, and about 300 yards distant from, the shore; but, passing over that, she then struck the main shore at a point some 50 or 75 yarda out from low-water mark, where she stranded in the sand and was unable to get off. There was at the time a heavy fog, but the light at Cape Henry could be seen, and had been seen at intervais previously to the stranding of the ship. Capt. McKay says that "the grounding was occasioned because of a heavy fog, a heavy swell of the ocean from the east- ward, and because there was no pilot on board, and he himself was ignorant of the nature of the coast. " �At 7 deg. 40 min. life-boats from the governmont's life-saving sta- tion at Cape Henry came along-side and the captain went on shore The ship was then striking heavily at intervais against the ground, and continued to do so during the night and nearly all of next day. After coming ashore the captain telegraphed to Norfolk for assistance. The ship was taking water all night, and the pumps were kept going and the hold-sluice left open. Some time after midnight on Saturdaj morning, the 6th, the ship was still striking heavily upon the ground, making water, and lying on her starboard bilge. A heavy swell wat running in and breaking over her forepart. At 4 a. m. she lay quiet, but her pumps were kept constantly going. At 7 a. m. she began to strike and strain heavily aft. At noon the captain returned from the shore in a life-boat. At 2 p. m. he received a telegram from the. life-saving station announcing that a storm was threatened, and advisiug him to land bis crew and their personal effects. After 4 p. M. the crew were, in the course of time, all landed; the chronometer also was sent ashore; but the master, first mate, and engineer re- mained aboard a while longer. At 6 p. m., or about that time, the wrecking officer and wrecking gang of the libellant came on board and took charge of the ship. After the sbip's crew had gone ashore the captain asked the wrecking ofBeer on board (Capt. Nelson) whether the wrecking surf-boats were sufficient to save himself and officers as well as the wrecking gang, and was answered in the negative; the ��� �