News by the Suez Mail.

Manawatu Standard, Volume VIII, Issue 136, 19 November 1884, Page 3

News by the Suez Mail.

From files of London papers to the 26th September, received by the Suez mail last night, we take the following news : —

"WREUK OF THE WASP.

A lamentable disaster occurred off the north-west const of Ireland. Abont three o'clock oil' Monday morning, September 22. Her. Mujes r ty*H gunboat the Wasp was wrecked on the north' aide of Tory Island*' off the coast of Donegal. Owing to there being no telegraph communicutioiv be-i tween the island and the mainland, little is known us to the circumstance ~OK>»the- cause of thewreck, but no doubt exists as to the magnitude of the calamity.. The Wasp, which was a composite screw gunboat of 465 tons, \inder the command of Lieutenant Nichpljs, had usually, a^ crew, ofs fifty-eight men on board, and of these only six men are stated to have befeni saved. Both the commauder anil all the other officers seem to have peris)ied. The island lias a dangerous coast, and near it are cuncnts which mig&t put a captain who was not aware of them out of his reckouing ; but aj lighthouse is erected on the iglaudji and, m fact, the scene of the shigwreck is' ■wtthig; forty y&rcls of the' lighthouse. Tory 3>laii<l W' aboiit ' twpr-;and a half miles long by one brftaij,, jand the, Jigl) tl\o,use is. r x>.n the ( , northwest' end.' I "^uTnbrth side pre-" sentsia range of clifts from : 100 feet to v 300 feet high. Towards the south the land slopes down, arid Jlhe shoref is fl«t. There are on the island about seventy; .fnnii lies, num her some; -.600, | souls, dependihg'cMeQy Yipoii ' foiling. At periods during the auXutuu' and winter, when the- fresh wind ..prevail, I the island is inaccessible from the ' mainland' for* ; several days, : and fre quenLly weeks—the heavy rolling sea throug h the Soimd rendering it iirir possible for even steamers to make the passage. . ; • V A \ telegram from Letterkenny (abjurit forty miles frjm. the scene of: the' wreck) states that the. Wasp • was : passing on Monday mqrning. to the north of Toiy Island, and not through Tory^Sound between the island ani the inaiuland. A fresh breeze- was blowing*, but nothing is said as to the state of the atmosphere which, however, is Relieved to have teen somewhat'hazy. About three o'clock the officer m. command thought it advisable to put on sail, m order, apparently, to steady the vessel m the lumpy sea which pevailed. Orders to this effect "were therefore given m the usual way, and were being carried put when the vessel — which, it is surmised, must have been considerably out of her. couive— suddenly, and without the slightest warning, struck upon a rbek on the north side of^Tory Island. Unfortunately, the shock of the collision had the effect of causing the vessel to rebound into deep water, with the resiilt.that, with a gaping hole'in her bow, it was found impossible to keep her afloat. In fact, everything tends_to show that > there was "no time to launch the boats before she sank into deep water, carrying , ■-with "her every soul on board. As rlVeady stared, six of the crew, whose names have nob jet transpired, managed to save themselves, probably by means of floating wreckage. They were, it is understood, picked up by fishing boats or by boats sent out from the island. The following "" are particulars respecting the officers who have been lost .— Nayigatiug Lieuiena r nt> Gr. JL .' King was appointed to the Wasp only about a month ago, succeeding Navi*gating Lieutenant Frederick A. -Warden. Lieutenant King had previously served on board the gunboat < Merlin m China, and arrived m Plymouth about three months ago. His friends reside at Gazeley, New port, Suffol k. Sub-Lieutenant Thomas S. Guppy was a son of Dr Guppy, of Falmouth, and was 22 years of age. He wasamidsiiipmanon board the Britannia, training ship for cadets at Dartmouth, from which he' went to the Volage while she was stationed on the South Coast of Africa. After serving on board one or two other ships, he joined the Cleopatra as senior midshipman, and accompanied Prince Edward of Wales and Prince George on tlveir cruise around the 'world m that vessel. He then returned home and went to the Greenwich Naval College, and was appointed sub-lieutenant of the Wasp m November, 1883. Mr R Brond a tlie .ship's, steward (second class) of j the Wasp, resides at King street, Devonport. He rejoined the ship only just previous to her last voyage, he; having; teen for three weeks m the hospital.