Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1841-06-11
HORRID AFFAIR AT SEA.

IIORRID AFFAIR AT SEA.
HAvnE, May 10, 1S41.-The Louis Phil
ippe, New York packet ship, has at this
moment arrived. Information having reach
cd the town that some shipdrcckew scamen |
were on board, the report became general
that they belonged to the President, and the |
excitement was beyond all description. On
the arrival in dock however, a strong body of
gendarmes were in waiting, and Immediate
" took into custody the mate and eight of the
crew of the ship William Brown, bound from
Liverpool to Philadelphia, which was sunk
by an iceberg in the latter part of last month,
as for yet cannot give you precise dates
for anything except that three men were
taken from the Crescent, which vessel had
picked them up in their long boats. But
tale of horror is to be told about them. 1t
appears, when the vessel struck, thirty three
passengers, the mate, and eight of the crew,
took the long boat the captain, three of the
crew, and eleven passengers, took to the Jolly
boat; all the rest sunk with the vessel. The
boats parted in the night.-Somc days after,
the mate and crew determined las they say
in order to tighten the boat) 10 throw seven
teen of the passengers overheard, which they
accomplished, and some ofthe most horrid
and revolving scenes took place.
There we're two brothers and sister of
one family the brothers were thrown over
and the sister Jumped in after them. One
fine boy prayed for "A few minutes to say his
prayers they refused, and hurled him into
the sea at once. Some chung to the side of
the boat, praying for mercy, but their hands
were cut off, and they were pushed into tho
deep. Fifteen ladies and two men remained
in the boat. One hour after this massacre,
the Crescent fell in with the boat, and saved
the survivors of this horrid deed. The pas
scngcrs remained on board the Crescent, the
crew arrived in the Vile dc Lyon-they are
now under examination before the American
CONSUL. The result will not fail to conf
municate to you ; but you may rely OH what
have already stated. The jolly boat has
not vet been heard of. The dates of the
, Vile de Lyon have been anticipated by the
: cadia.-The following additional particular
are given by Galignani's Mcsscnger.-"The
ship was of Philadelphia her company con-
: sisted of seventeen persons, and she had
-. siXty-livo Storage passengers-near!y all
Irish-wth full cargo on board She had
\ rough passage out,and struck against field
: Office at 9, p. NJ, when going under all sail,
at the rate of ten knots an hour, in lat II dec
5 40 min north, and long 10 deg IS min west,
y by account. She stove in her larboard bow
" and within two minutes struck another field
y ice.
n The ship soon began to fill. and the cap
d tain and crew got out the boats, which were
n cleared away at II. At midnight the ship
y went down and the thirty passenger who
r could notbc taken into the boat, were drown.
II cd in her. They lay by each other till 5, A..
NJ, when the Captain in the cutter stccred
II for Newfoundland.-The long boat, bein.
=. very heavily laden with so many persons, 4:
G in all, could not be managed, and was obliged
q to steer to the south. At midnight she fel
e in with more ice, and the wind came on t
!, blow hard, tho boat began 10 leak badly, ant
II shipped good deal of water Finding sh,
8 was likely TO sink, the mate consulted will
= = the crew, and it was deemed necessary t.
,. throw overheard such of the passengers as
t. were nearly dead. Sixteen were then thrown
it into the sea and persisted while the rest wcr'
1t nearly stiff with the extreme cold. Short,
: after ship hove in sight, and the captain
l. who was up aloft looking out for ice, saw TIN
- boat, and stood for her at the imminent risl
n of his own safety. This proved to be tn
q Crescent. and they were received with tin
IS greatest humanity and kindness on board
= At that time ice was in sight on the suriac
IL of the Atlantic as far as the eye could reach
10 Out of the passengers saved, ten were wome
:. The liavre Journal adds to this drcadfi
ss narrative, that the first passenger throw
I'd overheard was woman ); Sisters and re
& lations were afterwards thrown over and
young boy who begged for respite to sa
his prayers, was not allowed It, but was sen
E intothe deep! This journal adds that tn
most serious rumors arc aloat as to the calis
and nature oithis horrible catastrophe, whic
- however, cannot be cleared up until the Gre
or scent, which is daily expected, arrives wit
the surviving passengers. The America
Consul at llavrc has ntcrrogated the sailor
ofthe VIM Brown, brought by the Vile d
to Lyon, and has had them committed to pri.