Immigrant Ships
Transcribers Guild

SS Atlantic- HISTORY

    
ATLANTIC   

No particular voyage information unless they have been documented 
due to unusual circumstances such as a shipwreck or collision.
1870 

Dec 1:  Launched.
1871

Jan: A voyage to South America was advertised but later cancelled.

June 8: M/v (maiden voyage) Liverpool-Queenstown-New York      

1873 Last Voyage 
Mar 20:  
Left Liverpool on her 19th voyage, commanded by Capt. J. H. Williams.  
The passenger list comprised 28 Saloon class, 577 3rd, including 78 
children, and 184 Steerage who had joined at Queenstown, Ireland.  The 
passengers totalled 789 plus 142 crew = 931 total.  
Fierce head gales were encountered all the way across.  
Mar 31:  
After 11 days only 127 tons of coal remained.  Sandy Hook was 460 miles 
away but Halifax was only 170.  As a precaution, in case of a renewal
of the gale and fuel shortage, course was set for Halifax.  Because of the 
weather few fixes had been possible and the ship was some miles off 
course.  
Apr 1:  
At 03.00, looking for Sambro Lighthouse (which should have been visible 
from 20 miles) in clear but cloudy weather and high seas, the ship ran, 
at 9 knots, onto Marr's Rock, Meaghers Island, near Halifax, Nova Scotia.  
The ship lay with a list to starboard, swept by the heavy seas which tore 
away her lifeboats and burst open the hull.  Third officer Brady with 
quartermasters Speakman and Owen swam to the rock with a rope and by dawn 
five lines were rigged via the rock to the shore.  One passenger reported 
a mass of heads in the sea, so dense that he thought it was cargo floating, 
from it came a low moan and as each wave surged over the mass there was a 
cry of terror.  The whole lot were carried out to sea until lost to view.  
Passengers began to be dragged through the waves to the shore --many, cold 
and exhausted were washed away.  As the situation became worse the captain 
told passengers to climb the rigging until they could be pulled ashore.  
In the biting cold many more fell or were washed into the sea.  Others 
were dead when touched.  At daylight help from the islanders came but out 
of those aboard 585 (some records give 560) were drowned.  
Only one boy of the 78 children was saved.  One crew ordinary seaman of 
some years standing turned out to be a female.  The survivors were taken to 
Halifax aboard the steamers Delta and Lady Head.  Allegations that the 
ship ran out of coal were denied by the Company even though the Halifax 
Court of Enquiry gave it as a contributing factor (the ship would 
otherwise not have been where it was).  The first similar Enquiry in 
England confirmed this but on appeal it was ruled by the Board of Trade 
Commissioner that fuel had nothing to do with the loss:  Captain Williams 
having survived to confirm this.  His diversion had been "in case of 
further gales" not "shortage".  He was held to have been negligent 
approaching a coast not known to him and banned for two years.  To 
replace the capital lost Asiatic and Tropic had to be sold.   

Generously contributed by Leroy Edwards

Transcribed and formatted by Sheila Tate a member of the
Immigrant Ships Transcribers Guild
13 January 2000

---

If you find an ancestor on a ship on ISTG and would like to link to your email address or home page, please submit a short paragraph about the passenger, where settled, children, etc., with the name of the ship and date of arrival, and send to the transcriber at the bottom of the manifest or to the ISTG Production Coordinator. Be sure to include the name of the SHIP and VOLUME number.

---

Get all your genealogy books and CDs at one convenient location:
Genealogical Publishing Company

---

World Vital Records - An Affordable Option

---

Website search technology courtesy of FreeFind.com

The new ISTG logo was created by Patty McCormack, 2007.
The old Immigrant Ships Transcribers Guild logo, which is still used in part on this site,
was designed and contributed by Pat Walker and Sheila Tate.
The logo and other genealogical graphics are available on tee shirts, mousepads and tote bags from: AncesTees.
ISTG does not profit in any way from the sale of these items.

Copyrights, Trade Marks, & Registered Trade Marks within this web site are protected under international copyright law.
All rights reserved by the respective holders of any ™ © ® included within this site.

ISTG™ NOTICE: These electronic pages MAY NOT be reproduced in whole or part in any format for presentation,
distribution or profit by anyone without the express written consent of the Immigrant Ships Transcribers Guild.
Immigrant Ships Transcribers Guild is independently owned. Copyright 1998-2009

Created & Maintained by the ISTG™ Immigrant Ships Transcribers Guild

---

Back to ISTG Home Page