Washington sentinel. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1855, 1854-10-15
CRIMINAL MISCONDUCT OF THE
ARCTI c,S CREW.

CRIMINAL MISCONDUCT OF THE
ARCTIJ's CREW.
The great calamity that befell the steamer
Arctic, with all its details of horror and Of wo,
is rendered even more distressing by the heat
less conduct of her selfish crew. The only
thought uppermost in the mindsiof all, save
noble few, seems TO have been how to effect
their own safety. They were deaf to the walls
of children, aud to the touching appeals Of
frantic and of helpless women. 1t appears
that whilst the heroic and selfsaerifcing Cap
tain Luce, the noble Dorian, the young but
gallant and faithful Holland, together with the
passengers, were uniting their efforts to pro.
vide means for the safety of those on board, the
selfish, heartless, and cowardly crew took pos
session of the boats and monopolized them.
The consequence was, that their worthless car
casses were riding the pillows in safety, while
men, women and children, whom it was their
duty to save, even at the peril of their own
lives, were sinking one after another beneath
the Implying waters The example of the
captain, and the few officers who stood faith
fully by him, was lost on these men. They
could neither be frightened nor shamed into
dicipline.
The courage and generosity of American
seamen have hitherto been proverbial. They
have been distinguished for their fidelity and
boldness. They have hitherto done their duty
at the sacrifice even of life. But the sneaking
cowardice the cold-blooded cruelty, and the reck-
less disregard of duty manifested by part Of the
crew Of the Inflated Arctic have cast stigma
upon the hitherto unsullied name of American
seamen. These men ought all to be marked.
None Of them implicated in the disgrace of that
melancholy day, should be taken on any of our
vessels in any capacity. They have done
much to break up and destroy the confidence
that should exist, and all along has existed,
between the officers and crews Of vessels and
passengers. If it comes to be understood that
when steamer or any other passenger vessel
is menaced with danger, its trusted guardians
are at liberty to desert them, to seize upon the
boats, and leave the passengers to be drowned
in the ocean, and eaten by fishes, then there
will be an end to all ocean travel. a
We had all along thought that it was q
point of honor with sailors to stick by their
vessel, and those under their protection, to the
last. These men, however, it seems employed
the first moment of danger to shift for them
selves. One of them is represented to have
said that life was as sweet to them as to the
passengers This is no justification. Life
was no doubt as sweet to Captain Luce as to
any of them the life of his little boy was no
doubt more valuable in his eyes than the rich
est treasures; but he nobly and brayely deter
mined to sacrifice both rather than fail in his
duty. The resolute energy with which he
sought to preserve discipline, may be judged
by the testimony of Patrick Tobin, himself, we
believe, one of the 6remen. Tobn says:
"When first attempted to leave the Cap
tain caught me and tore The shirt off my back
to prevent my going; exclaiming, Let the
passengers 60 in the boat He also seized
Kind Of are and attempted 10 prevent The fire
men from reaching tie boat; but it was every
one for himself, and no more attention was paid
TO the Captain than to any other man on board.
Life was as sweet to us, as life to Others"
Then, as commentary upon this act OF
Captain Luce's, Tobin goes on to say:
Captain Luce seemed ike a man whose
judgment was paralyzed. he paced the deck
as If there was no resort but sink with his ship.
He could easily hare sdped himself had he
sought his o,rn safety. saw him few
minutes before the Arctic disappeared. She
went down by the stern; and with uplifted
hands and q piercing yell which cannot de-
scribe, the crowd Of human beings on her deck,
shared her fate.'
Another survivor who escaped in Dorian
boat, says that the very last act he saw Cap.
tain Luce perform was that be attempted to
throw oars TO that boat, with which il will be
remembered it was not provided, for fear il
might be made away with by the uncontrolla.
BILE crew. These acts we're certainly not those
Of man Whose judgment was paralyzed."
Il H.asHHH"