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"It appears, that shortly after she left the Humber her boilers
began to leak, but not to such an extent as to excite any
apprehensions; and she continued on her voyage. The weather,
however, became very tempestuous; and on the morning of the fatal
day, she passed the Fames on her way northwards, in a very high
sea, which rendered it necessary for the crew to keep the pumps
constantly at work. At this time they became aware that the boilers
were becoming more and more leaky as they proceeded. At length, when
she had advanced as far as St. Abb's Head, the wind having
increased to a hurricane from N.N.E., the engineer reported the
appalling fact that the machinery would work no longer. Dismay
seized all on board; nothing now remained but to set the sails fore
and aft, and let her drift before the wind. Under these
circumstances, she was carried southwards, till about a quarter to
four o'clock on Friday morning, when the foam became distinctly
visible breaking upon the fearful rock ahead. Captain Humble vainly
attempted to avert the appalling catastrophe, by running her between
the islands and the mainland; she would not answer her helm, and was
impelled to and fro by a furious sea. In a few minutes more, she
struck with her bows foremost on the rock. The scene on board became
heart-rending. A moment after the first shock, another tremendous
wave struck her on the quarter, by which she was buoyed for a moment
high off the rock.
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