The Collision in the Channel.

It was on her return trip to Wellington, leaving on September 10, 1877, that the Avalanche collided with a large American ship, the Forest Queen, in the English Channel. Both ships were heading down channel, but upon opposite tacks, the Avalanche being on the port tack and the Forest Queen on the starboard tack. One of the survivors supplied the following details of the collision:—"The night was unusually dark, with drizzling rain, a very heavy wind, with mountainous high seas running. When about twelve miles off Portland, and without scarcely any warning, a little after 9 p.m., the Forest Queen collided with the Avalanche, striking her between the main and mizzen masts. The force of the collision was so great that in less than five minutes the Avalanche gave three plunges and then sank, carrying with her the whole of her crew, except three—the mate and two able seamen. The night was so dark that it was almost impossible to discern the mass of human beings struggling in the water below, and the cries of men, women, and children for aid were heart-rending. Some of the passengers had managed to scramble on deck as soon as the Avalanche was struck, but others were in their cabins when the ship sunk, and went down with her. The sea was literally alive with human beings, whose cries for help were heard without the crew of the Forest Queen being able to render aid. We had as much as we could do to look after our own safety, our vessel having suffered so severely from the effects of the collision as to be in a very leaky condition. The water was gaining on us so fast that at last, in order to save our lives, we had to abandon her. For this purpose three boats were launched, and in these frail craft the whole of the crew of the Forest Queen and the three belonging to the Avalanche took their places. The weather to which we were exposed throughout the night was fearful, the wind and sea being so rough that we thought the boats would be swamped every minute. Unfortunately, in the case of two of the boats these fears were realised, as only one of the boats, containing the three survivors of the Avalanche and men, with the captain of the Forest Queen, was rescued. Five bodies and a boat were found washed up upon the beach by a party of fishermen—the dead being identified as a portion of the crew of the Forest Queen. Only twelve men remained out of the passengers and crew of the two ships, numbering over 120 persons."

The Forest Queen capsized about an hour after being abandoned, and next day she was seen floating bottom upwards a few miles off Portland.