In Storm Fiend's Grip.

It was on April 27, when the barque was in the Southern Ocean, that she was overtaken by a west to south-west gale, which blew great guns, and all that could be done was to keep the vessel before it. At night the sea got worse, and just before midnight the labouring vessel was pooped by a tremendous sea which carried away the wheel, the binnacle, the companion hatch, stove in the skylight, damaged the half-deck house, and injured the chief officer. Captain Danvers, the master of the Countess, who seems to have been a thorough sailor, and must have handled his ship with consummate skill to bring her safely through such an ordeal, brought his vessel to the wind and rigged temporary steering gear. The hurricane continued to rage with unabated vigour, and next morning at half-past five o'clock the barque was swept by a sea which carried away the deckhouse and the mainrail, and swept overboard nine of the crew and a passenger.

One of the men was asleep in his bunk in the deckhouse when it was wrenched from its solid iron fastenings and went crashing over the side. The men carried overboard were the second officer (Mr. Squire), Mr. McLean (apprentice), H. Farrow (cook), Edward Freeman, James Firby, R. Sheriff, Thomas Burgess, and William Brand (able seaman), and a passenger named Edward Earl. The fate of the passenger was particularly hard, as it was only owing to his good nature that he was in a position of danger. Knowing that the crew had been having a terrible time battling with the storm, he volunteered to go and make some hot coffee. Some of his fellow passengers tried to dissuade him, but he persisted in going on deck, and shortly afterwards he was swept overboard.