254 ST. HELENA 



no ill effects from the rollers, which only affected such as were 

 within half a mile of the shore. The wharf is damaged so much 

 as to justify one in calling it a total destruction, and will take 

 ^io,ooo or £12,000 to repair. Nearly all passenger and luggage 

 boats have been destroyed ; but fortunately for the poor fishermen 

 the storm broke in the night when they were fishing outside in calm 

 water. Only three or four fishing boats were at moorings; these 

 were lost. 



We have now to relate the most painful part of the events of this 

 memorable day to the island. 



Three men, viz. John Maggott, an old fisherman ; James Craig, 

 a shoemaker ; and Robert Bath, a cook, had gone fishing at Sugar- 

 loaf Rocks on Monday evening. The Rocks are reached by one 

 precipitous path from the land side ; from this place the fishermen 

 pass along about 400 yards of a narrow shelf at the water's edge 

 of 10 or 12 feet wide to an opposite side of the cliff, where the shelf 

 becomes much wider. 



On Tuesday morning a fishing-boat went as near shore as it 

 could venture, and could then see only two of the unfortunates. 

 At three o'clock, when the boat again tried to come in to them, they 

 were gone. They must have had a terrible experience all Monday- 

 night and part of Tuesday. 



We have also heard of two others who had gone out fishing on 

 the Sunday, but were caught in the profanation of the Sabbath, 

 and held in fear and momentary expectation of being swept off by 

 the raging waters till Tuesday ; and though spared, we trust it will 

 not be mercy abused by them, and that a few more of their com- 

 panions may profit by the warning. 



Efforts are being made to remedy the losses by the passage-boat 

 owners, and we earnestly hope they will not readily forget this 

 fearful manifestation of the power of Him whose commands they 

 have been in the habit of breaking every Sabbath as regularly as 

 opportunity and profit gave them reason to do so. 



Yet another account of the same was published as under : — 

 Further particulars of the rollers of February, 17th inst. 



To the Editor of the St. Helena Gazette. 



Sir, — I do myself the honour to forward a few observations which 

 I made on the 17th as to the occurrences of the day; and should 

 it be deemed worthy of a place in the St. Helena Gazette, it will 

 recompense me for the little time it has cost. I, however, earnestly 

 hope that the want of language adequate to express the grandeur 

 as well as the awfulness of what every spectator witnessed will be 

 in a measure allowed for by the accuracy of the statement. 



St. Helena has ever boasted of the safety of its roadstead, and that 

 most justly, as no individual upon the island can remember a solitary 

 instance of a vessel having been wrecked upon its shores. Those who 

 witnessed the scene presented on Tuesday, alas, will have a different 

 tale to tell. The roadstead, which only the day before was like a 



