1841.
While H.M.S. 'Conway' was lying off Whampoa, a party, consisting of
Lieut. Beadon, Mr. Smith, assistant-surgeon, Mr. Turnour, midshipman,
and 14 men, left her in a large boat, and proceeded to Macao, where
they stayed a few days, and left that place to return to the 'Conway'
about noon on Easter Monday. A fine breeze carried them safely over
half their distance, when, it being too dark to see the numerous
fishing-stakes laid down at the mouth of the river, or to discover
any of the landmarks, they cast anchor about midnight. At 1 o'clock
A.M., on the 30th April, Lieut. Beadon, feeling the boat ride
uneasily, gave orders for the cable to be cut; but before even this
could be done, a heavy squall took her, and she filled head foremost,
becoming instantly a wreck. The miserable crew hung on till
daylight, in spite of a terrific tempest, accompanied by violent
thunder and lightning. Several junks passed and avoided them (which,
perhaps, is not surprising); but to their shame be it spoken, an
European boat, belonging to Macao, passed the hapless group with
equal apathy. At length, after being washed about for some hours on
rafts, which Lieut. Beadon, almost single-handed, had constructed
(for, with the exception of a man and a boy, the crew were too
panic-stricken to render much assistance in lashing them together),
they descried a Chinese fishing-junk, containing one old man. Lieut.
Beadon forbade any whining supplication, but ordered the men to give
three good hearty English cheers. The good old fisherman waved his
hand, and instantly bore down to their assistance, picked up their
scattered and exhausted party, and gave them food and covering.
Lieut. Beadon offered him 40 dollars to take them to H.M.S.
'Wellesley,' that being the nearest. He did so, carefully concealing
them from his own countrymen. They sustained the loss of one man, a
carpenter, named Shronshire: he was washed off the deck when too much
exhausted to retain his hold, and sank to rise no more. Lieut.
Beadon endeavoured, during 14 hours of awful and appalling danger, to
stimulate the crew to exertion, telling them that it was a mockery to
God to give themselves up to prayer, without at the same time using
the bodily powers and mental faculties He had given them for the
preservation of their lives; but immediately they were on board the
junk he addressed the men upon the awful warning they had just
received of the uncertainty of life, exhorting them to make that the
era of a new life by the help of God; and, lamenting his own
unfitness to offer up a prayer of thanksgiving, earnestly implored
each to offer up one in his own heart. Upon their arrival on board
H.M.S. 'Wellesley,' they were warmly welcomed by Captain Maitland and
his officers. The former immediately ordered 80 dollars of the
public money to be paid to the old Chinaman, in addition to the 40
Lieut. Beadon had promised from his own private purse. Lieut. Beadon
was promoted soon after to the rank of commander.
WRECK OF A BOAT OF H.M.S. 'GANGES'--DEATH OF
LIEUT. BREEN, MEDITERRANEAN,
1850.
As one of the boats of H.M.S. 'Ganges,' forming part of the British
fleet in the Piræus, with Lieut. Breen, Mr. Chatfield, midshipman,
and 16 men, was returning from the shore, laden with water, she was
swamped and turned over just half way between the 'Queen' and the
east point of the Island of Lypso.
Mr. Breen, Mr. Chatfield, and most of the men, immediately struck out
for the island, and reached it. The gale increased, and the cold
became so intense that their clothes were frozen stiff upon them. In
the morning they could see the fleet, but were unable to catch
attention by signals. One of the men suffered so much from the cold,
that Lieut. Breen generously stripped off his coat and put it on him.
As the day closed, most of the men retired into a cave; but Mr. Breen
separated himself from the others and was no more seen. On board the
'Ganges' it was thought that they had not put off from shore; but
next night it was known that they had set out and a boat was sent to
search. As it was passing by Lypso at dawn on the third day, the
wrecked boat was accidentally descried on the beach. Mr. Chatfield
and half-a-dozen men were found in the cave in a torpid state; Mr.
Breen was found dead, crouched under a bush; and ten seamen were
missing. There is little doubt that poor Mr. Breen lost his life
from his generous act in favour of the suffering seaman. The
survivors found in the cave all recovered.