St. Lawrence River, QB Brig MINSTREL Disaster, May 1841

Brig Minstrel Disaster.

Another frightful calamity had occurred, in the shipwreck of the brig Minstrel, on the 18th May, in the St. Lawrence, with 156 persons on board.
We copy the narrative of the disaster from the Quebec Mercury of May 23d --
Four of the crew and four of the passengers of the brig Minstrel, Captain OUTERBRIDGE, arrived here yesterday, bringing the disastrous intelligence of which the following is, we believe, an accurate summary.
The Minstrel left Limerick, Ireland, on the 21st April last, for Quebec, with 141 passengers, emigrants intending to settle in Canada. The vessel had a tolerable passage up to Tuesday last, at four o'clock in the morning, when she struck on Red Island Reef. There was a heavy sea running at the time, but the boats were launched and made fast to the fore chains. Upwards of 100 passengers embarked in the boats, but their doom was quickly sealed; the vessel "heeled off" into deep water, and went down stern foremost, so suddenly that the painters of the boats [a rope at the head of a boat by which it is temporarily fastened to any thing else is called a painter] could not be cast off; and the people who had embarked in the boats perished with their equally unfortunate companions on board the ship, except four of the crew and four passengers, who alone of upwards of 150 souls remained to tell the sad tale. These eight persons had embarked in the gig, which was towing astern; and fortunately for them the rope which attached it to the vessel broke when she went down. They succeeded in pulling to White Island, where they remained until the following day when they were taken off by the ship Wellington of Belfast, Captain McINTYRE, and brought to Grosse Isle.
Captain OUTERBRIDGE, of the unfortunate Minstrel, behaved most gallantly during the awful scene, until he perished with the rest. He declared that he would not leave the vessel until his passengers were saved, and he was the last person seen by those who were in the gig.
The following are the names of the survivors; crew,
PATRICK O'LOGHLIN, steward; JAMES GRADY, and THOMAS ENRIGHT, seamen; and JOHN DONOHUE, apprentice. Passengers: FLAHERTY, shoemaker, and wife; HONORIA RINGROSE and MR. COLLINS. Total saved, 8.
The following is a statement of the number of the crew and passengers who perished:
Crew -- Captain OUTERBRIDGE, mate, and 9 others 11.
Passengers -- Male Adults ...... 47 .......
Female Adults .. 41 ....... 88
Males Under 14 . 10 ......
Females Under 14 .. 8 ... 18
Males Under 7 .... 9 .......
Females Under 7 . 12 ..... 21
Infants ........................... 10
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Total perished ................148
The Minstrel was well known in the Quebec trade as a passenger ship from Ireland. She belonged to Limerick, and registered 296 tons. Last year she arrived at Quebec on the 23d May, from Limerick, with 163 passengers.
The passengers above mentioned as being saved, left the Wellington at Grosse Isle, and came to Quebec in the brig Thetis, Captain Ross, from Limerick, with 131 passengers."

Colonial Gazette London UK 1841-06-16
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Researched and Transcribed by Stu Beitler. Thank you, Stu!