Historic Waterfront

Historic Waterfront. Tragic Ocean Shipwrecks off East Rockaway. , Two merchant ships, the Bristol and Mexico, set sail from England for America in October 1836. Loaded with cargo, they also carried poor Irish and English emigrants, who endured the harsh Atlantic Ocean crossing in dreadful quarters. The ships arrived within six weeks of each other at the treacherous entrance to New York Harbor, but no harbor pilots were on duty to guide either ship safely into port. Forced to wait overnight in the open ocean, each ship encountered a powerful storm. , Disaster struck the Bristol when it ran aground off Rockaway Beach on November 21. The Mexico wrecked on Long Beach 32 days later. Heroically, men from East Rockaway and the nearby area launched surfboats into the deadly seas to rescue helpless victims, as women tended to survivors on shore. Aboard the Bristol, 100 people drowned and 44 lives were saved. Many of the 115 people who perished on the Mexico froze while clinging desperately to the ship’s rigging and each other; only 8 survived the wreck. , Deeply moved by the disasters and as a tribute to the lost souls, citizens established the Mariners Burying Ground in present-day Lynbrook. The deceased did not die in vain. Paintings, poetry, and newspaper reports of the tragic wrecks raised public awareness about the dangers of ocean travel. Public outcry forced improved requirements to onboard passenger conditions, lifesaving capabilities and harbor navigation. The wrecks of the Bristol and Mexico remain among the most horrific disasters in the maritime history of the United States. , Caption: , Thomas Chambers’ painting “Rockaway Beach, New York, with the Wreck of the Ship Bristol” ca. 1837–1840. Oil on canvas, 21 3/4 x 30 3/8 inches , This sign was prepared for the New York State Department of State with funds under the Environmental Protection Fund Local Waterfront Revitalization Program.