The three-masted, four hundred fifty-ton American ship Bristol left Liverpool, England, on October 15, 1836, carrying two hundred fifty tons of iron bars, fifty tons of coal, two thousand bushels of wheat, dry goods, and ninety-five passengers, most of them Irish immigrants, including tradesmen, merchants, and two medical doctors. After a pleasant Atlantic voyage, it reached the waters outside New York Harbor and waited for a pilot to guide it to its South Street berth, while families prepared for disembarkation. But no harbor pilots came, having taken the warm Sunday off, and as night fell and the wind rose, Capt. Alexander McKown turned the ship back out to sea. Around one A.M., the Bristol struck a sandbar about four hundred yards off Rockaway Beach, and a huge wave hit it broadside, tore away the hatch covers, and flooded the hold. Dozens of passengers drowned within minutes. The next morning, rescuers rowed out from shore, and Capt. McKown acted heroically by sending women and children off first and leaving the ship last. Forty-four passengers and crew were saved, while one hundred passengers and crew drowned. Rescuers from shore were also hailed for their actions, but some Long Islanders behaved shamefully, hiding in the sand dunes, waiting for waves to wash bodies ashore, then robbing the dead immigrants of coins, rings, and earrings. Another devastating wreck, that of the Mexico a few weeks later, was required before steps were finally taken to prevent such disasters.