Unspeakable Horror

by Joseph B. Healy

  Never was destruction more sudden or more complete. Within fifteen minutes after the vessel struck the bow broke short off. Five minutes more elapsed, and the hull of the vessel went in two, crossways, just abaft the engine room. The stern part of the vessel immediately surged, filled and went down. The only hope of the survivors lay in the main topmast and main topsail yard, which still showed above water. There were some fragments of the forecastle deck still floating about; there were a few spars, and the driftwood. About forty-five people clung to the yard, and after remaining there until 2 o’clock the following afternoon, were picked off by the Lioness, a schooner which was providentially at hand.

  Captain Wright asserts, that of the 200 persons, more or less, who were clinging to the drift-wood when he got away, nearly every man might have been saved had one of the ship’s boats done her duty. Into this boat the assistant surgeon had got, with eight men. They immediately pulled away, and landed about fifteen miles from the vessel. The fact appears to have been, that the poor creatures who were clinging to the drift-wood had been carried by the swell in the direction of Point Danger. There they go entangled among the seaweed, which, at this point of the coast, is thick and of immense length. Captain Wright’s opinion is, that had not the assistant surgeon carried off the boat, or even had the boat pulled back to the scene of the disaster, after landing the medical gentleman in safety, the majority of these persons might have been picked off the seaweed. It only remains for us to mention here that Captain Salmond, who appears to have done his duty after the vessel struck, had not survived the calamity. When last seen alive, he was swimming from the sternpost of the ship, which had just gone down, to a portion of the forecastle-deck, which was floating about twenty yards from the main body of the wreck; something struck him on the back of the head, and he never rose again.

  From The Times (London), Thursday, April 8, 1952

  “REPORT OF THE MASTER OF THE SCHOONER LIONESS.

  “ENCLOSURE NO. 2, IN NO. 12 OF 1852, FROM COMMODORE WYVILL.

  “Schooner Lioness, Simon’s Bay. Feb 27.

  “Sir.—I beg to report to you that when the Lioness was off Walker’s Bay I observed a boat in the shore pulling towards me on the morning of the 26th inst., at about 10 o’clock, which I picked up, and found her to contain 37 survivors from the wreck Birkenhead. On hearing that there were two other boats I proceeded in search of them, and three-quarters of an hour afterwards I succeeded in picking up the other cutter with the women and children; but, after cruising about for the third boat, I made for the wreck, which I reached about 2 o’clock in the afternoon of the same day, and sent the cutters away to pick up the men handing to the spars, by which we rescued 35 soldiers and sailors in a nearly naked state. The wreck had disappeared all but a piece of the main topmast and top sailyard, to which the men were clinging. Nothing else could be saved.”

  From Albany Evening Journal (Albany, New York), Wednesday, April 28, 1852

  The Loss of the Birkenhead:

  The following is an extract of a letter from Lieutenant Girardot, 48d Light Infantry:—

  “Simon’s Bay, March 1.

  “My Dear Father:—I wrote on letter to say I was safe, but for fear that it should not reach you, I will send this to say I am quite well. I remained on the wreck until she went down the suction took me down some way, and a man got hold of my leg, but I managed to kick him off and come up, and struck off some pieces of wood that were on the water, and started for land, which was about two miles off. I was in the water about five hours, as the shore was so rocky, and the surf ran so high, that a great many were lost trying to land.

  Nearly all those that took to the water without their clothes on were taken by sharks; hundreds of them were all around me, but as I was dressed, (having on a flannel shirt and trousers) they preferred the others. I was not in the least hurt, and am happy to say kept my head clear; most of the officers lost their lives from losing their presence of mind, and trying to take money with them, and from not throwing off their coats. There was no time to get the paddle-box boats down, and a great many more might have been saved, but the boats that were got down deserted us and went off. From the time she struck to when she went down was 20 minutes.

  When I landed I found an officer of the 12th Lancers, who had swam off with a life-preserver, and 14 men, who had got on with bits of wood like myself. We walked up the country 11 miles, to a farm belonging to Captain Smales, formerly of the 7th Dragoon Guards, who was very kind to use, and all the men that were got on shore came up to him. I hope the Government will make up our loss to us, as I have saved nothing. Melford, of the 6th, the ensign I spoke of as having a wife on board with him, went down; she, poor thing, was here when the ship sailed for Buffalo Mouth; I have just been to see her, and she looks more dead than alive, left all alone at this distance from her home, but we shall do all we can to be of service to her. There is a report that many have been killed in the Amatola Mountains, and our poor doctor was killed some little time back. God grant that we may be all spared to meet again. Ever your affectionate son,

  —FRANK GIRARDOT

  THE SINKING OF LA SEYNE

  In the early morning of November 13, 1909, in the darkness of a new moon, the 2,379-ton steamer La Seyne collided with the steamer Onda and went down quickly—the news of the disaster was sent around the world by wire service or by news files on board other ships coming to port, and some reports identified the steamer as Laaseyne, Lazyne, or Laseyne and it had previously been in service named Etoile du Chili. Passengers were killed from the initial explosion of the collision, drowned in the Rhio Straight about thirty miles from Singapore, and were devoured by the prowling sharks. Eventually, sixty-one survivors made it to the Onda.

  From the Des Moines Register, Monday, November 15, 1909

  100 DROWN IN COLLISION

  TWO BIG MAIL STEAMERS COLLIDE AND SINK.

  Sixty-One Rescued From Jaws of Sharks, Which Cavorted About in Shoals.

  SINGAPORE, Nov 14—The mail steamer La Seyne of the Messageries Maritimes service, running between Java and Singapore, and on her way to this port, was in collision early this morning with the steamer Onda of the British-India line, and sank within two minutes. Seven European passengers, including Baron and Baroness Benicza, the capain of La Seyne, five European officers and eight-eight others, comprising native passengers, and members of the crew, were drowned. The rescue of sixty-one persons, practically from the jaws of shoals of sharks, formed a thrilling incident of the wreck.

  The accident occurred about 4 o’clock in the morning in a thick haze. The vessels were steaming at good speed and La Seyne was cut almost in half. There was no time for panic; not for any attempt on the part of the officers of the foundering steamer to get out of the boats. The majority of those on board were caught in their berths and carried down with the vessel.

  The force of the collision brought the Onda to almost a dead stop and her engines were at once slowed and boats lowered. The rescue work proved thrilling, for not only were the rescuing parties impeded by the darkness, but shoals of sharks were already attacking those clinging to pieces of wreckage in the water. Sixty-one persons from the ill-fated steamer were finally dragged into the boats and brought by the Onda to this port. Many of them had been bitten by sharks and several are severely injured.

  Headline from the Washington Post, Monday, November 15, 1909

  SHIP SUNK; 101 DROWN

  Only 61 Are Saved From La Seyne After Collision.

  … Survivors Bitten by Sharks.

  The rescue work proved thrilling, for not only were the rescuing parties impeded by the dark, but whole shoals of sharks were already attacking those clinging to pieces of wreckage in the water …

  From Zeehan and Dundas Herald, Tasmania, December 9, 1909

  The files received by the steamer Guthrie, which arrived from Singapore yesterday, also give an account of a disastrous collision between the steamers Laseyne and Onda on 14th November. The collision occurred i
n the Straits of Rhio, about 28 miles from Singapore. When the two ships collided the French steamer when to the bottom in less than five minutes, and out of 154 people on board 93 perished. She went down by the head, and the survivors were left in the water with the only clothes they happened to be wearing. Commander Captain Conaflhoe lost his life. There was no time for orders to be given, or for the boats to be lowered. All of those rescued were picked up by three boats which were promptly put out by the Onda. Sharks abound in these waters, and it is believed that some of those people who got clear of the ship were attacked by sharks. Just as a Malay seaman was being dragged into one of the Onda’s boats a shark seized his foot, but a second engineer beat the brute off with a boat hook.

  From the Advertiser (Adalaide, South Australia), Thursday, December 9, 1909

  Reprinted from National Library of Australia.

  THE WRECK OF THE LA SEYNE.

  COLLISION NEAR SINGAPORE.

  93 LIVES LOST.

  The “States Bridget” publishes the following account of the disastrous collision between the La Seyne and the Onda on November 14:

  We regret to have to announce that in the early hours of Sunday morning there occurred in the Straits of Rhio, at a spot approximately 28 miles from Singapore, a disastrous collision involving the loss to the Messageries Maritimes steamer La Seyne, which keeps up a regular fortnightly connection between the outward and homeward French mail steamers calling here and at Batavia. The La Seyne was run into by or ran into the British India Steam Navigation Company’s steamer Onda and sank almost instantaneously, carrying to their death 93 persons out of a total of about 154 souls aboard. The scene of the disaster the Rino Straits, it should be explained, form the main shipping highway for ships sailing between this port and Java. They are well lighted, but navigation is difficult, owing to the strong acts of the current, and great care has always to be exercised in negotiating the channel, especially when other ships are in the neighborhood. The La Seyne was travelling northward to Singapore. The Onda had sailed from this port on Saturday night, and was bound for Tegal, in Java. The two vessels approached each other at a spot where the strait is about two miles wide, near the lighthouse on Pulau San.

  What actually caused the disaster is a matter which will be investigated at a court of enquiry to be held later. It is natural that the officers on both sides should be reticent on this point. They will make their statements at the proper time. When the two ships collided the French steamer went to the bottom in less than five minutes and she now reste [sic] on the Pulau Sau side of the channel, with some 25 ft of her mainmast as the only visible sign of where she lies.

  She went down by the head and the survivors were left in the water with only the clothes they happened to be wearing at the moment. The commander of the La Seyne Captain Conaflhoe, lost his life. So suddenly did the catastrophe happen that there was apparently no time for orders to be given on the French ship or for boats to be lowered. The vessel went down like a stone and it is quite evident that the majority of those lost must have been drowned like rats in a trap. A good many of the few who managed to scramble on deck must have been imprisoned under the ship’s awnings, and it is also clear from what follows that of those who got clear of the ship a good many were the victims of the sharks in which those waters abound. All of those rescued were picked up by three boats, which were promptly put out by the Onda, but it is unhappily clear that if any remained alive who were not picked up at the moment, they must have met their death later from the sharks or from drowning.

  A Sailor’s Account.

  Among the European passengers on the La Seyne bound for this port were six sailors who had been paid out from their vessel, the Daylight, at Batavia. Of these D. Driscoll and G. Craig had not been heard of and there is no doubt that they have been drowned. The other four (P. Bolton, H. Muller, C. Glendinning, and another) are now at the Sailors’ Home. They have lost everything they possessed.

  Mr. Glendinning on Monday told a representative of this paper what he heard and saw, and his account being that of a seafaring-man is likely to be more substantially correct than that of a passenger. Mr. Glendinning says that just after 4 o’clock on Sunday morning the La Seyne was steaming close to the Pulau Sau light. There had been a heavy thunderstorm the previous afternoon with plenty of rain, and the weather was hazy, though it was not actually raining. He and his mates had retired, but Mr. Glendinning hearing the ship’s whistle give one blast proceeded to make his way upon deck, the six men being quartered a little forward of and below the bridge. He had not reached the deck when the La Seyne gave a couple more blasts, and almost simultaneously the two ships went into each other with a crash. The appalling suddenness with which the French ship floundered may be gathered from the fact that Mr. Glendinning says that he at once noticed she was sinking by the head. He immediately rushed to his mates and called them up, and on reaching deck again, shouted to the Onda people to throw out some lines, but added Mr. Glendinning, “there was no time for lines, she just sank in about 6 minutes from the time she struck. When the cold water got to her boilers they exploded and burst out her sides and she went down like a stone. In another moment we were all in the water. It appeared to be still water where we went in, but a couple of hundred yards or so off we went into a rip and began to travel away. There were all kinds of wreckage in the water round me, including rats, one of which jumped on my shoulder. There was a good deal of shouting, but it did not last long. It was no use swimming against the tide; it was too strong. I kept in heading for the other steamer, and after I had been in the water some time I was picked up by the boat in charge of the second engineer of the Onda.”

  Mr. Glendinning confirms the statement that a good many of the people who were thrown into the water must have been pulled down by sharks. There were many of them about. Just as a Malay seaman was being dragged into the boat which rescued Mr. Glendinning, a shark seized the man’s foot, but the second engineer beat the brute off with a boathook, and the Malay was saved, but he was so badly bitten that he was obliged to go into the hospital. Mr. Glendinning believes it was the sharks that got most of those who got free of the ship, but were not picked up. There were many dead bodies floating about afterwards, but after the Onda had done all the work it was possible for her to do, the survivors were brought on to Singapore, where they arrived about mid-day on Sunday.

  Mr. Glendinning also bears out the theory that a good many may have been drowned under the awnings. He says that the La Seyne was fairly on the Pulau Sau side of the channel and that there was plenty of water. He was on the forecastle head, just before the disaster, and noticed when he went below that the weather was hazy, but it cleared up soon after the collision. He is certain that a good many of the natives lost their lives through paying too much attention to saving their belongings, but one Chinaman got his box into the water and clung on to it, and fortunately saved both his life and his box.

  From the Singleton Argus, New South Wales, Australia, January 1, 1910

  The mail steamer Empire arrived at Sydney on Wednesday brings the latest files containing full particulars of the terrible disaster which occurred to the Messageries Maritimes steamer La Seyne in the Rhio Straits, brief particulars of which were received here by cable on November 15th last.

  It appears that the steamer La Seyne, commanded by Captain Conaihoe, and one of the best equipped of the company’s fleet, was two days out from Batavia, bound for Singapore. When near Pulo Sasu, and some 30 miles from Singapore, another steamer, the Onda, of the British India fleet, crashed into her during the darkness. The La Seyne was so badly damaged that she settle down immediately, and the passengers and crew, numbering over 150 souls, suddenly found themselves in the turbulent waters of the Rhio Straights, which are infested with man eating sharks. Had it been a matter only of shipwreck many might have been saved, but, horrible scenes were enacted, the drowning people being seized by the sharks and dragged under, amidst heartrending scenes. Meanwhile, the Onda, a vessel
of 3,409 tons, which was bound in ballast for Tegal, in Java, stood by, and great promptitude was shown in getting away three boats to the rescue; the French steamer having been unable to lower away any at all. The crew of the Onda worked with superhuman energy, and were successful in picking up seven of the passengers among whom were four British paid off seamen who were being sent to Singapore second class, 12 of the officers and European crew, 14 native passengers, and 28 native crew, or a total of 61 in all. The escape of steam from the ship’s boilers, which seemed to open the boat up, scalded to death many of those on board. The survivors describe it as a frightful scene, but so terribly soon was it all over that there must have been many who went to their death without having time even to attempt to save themselves.

  A passenger who was saved states that the sharks were very ferocious, attacking the women and children as well as the men. He saw a Chinaman fighting one of the huge monsters. After beating him off with a boat hook the Chinaman tried to get into the Onda’s boat, but the shark returned to the attack and bit off the man’s foot. The captain, surgeon, and purser, as well as the chief cook of La Seyne, were amongst those drowned or eaten alive.

  From the Sun, July 13, 1913

  “The first of the passengers had scarcely touched the water before a shoal of sharks was circling the scene and dragging down scores of men and women who never came up again. These facts were sworn to by dozens of eyewitnesses to the spectacle.”

  TERROR AT THE NEW JERSEY SHORE

  We don’t mean modern terror or anxiety resulting from weekend road traffic around New Jersey tunnels or shopping malls … Back in 1916, nobody imagined that they would soon encounter the same kind of drama, suspense, and terror that decades later became a hit movie with Steven Spielberg’s Jaws. But this terrifying week happened along the Garden State coast, in every horrific detail reported in these period stories.