Daily Davenport gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1854-1855, 1854-10-21
s.a,smsns Of Capt Luce, OF the Arctic

Our readers VIII pc IHtctcSseu 49, 'uc t"i
/ lowing statement Of Capt, Luce, who wa
proyidentially saved when his vessel wen
down, carrying with it so many human be
iiaxs-to .wstery grave. The vessel that
ran into the Arctic was the French steam
or. vesta. which has since arrived at St
Johns, bringing 8 persons whom she res
casd from the Arctic
QuEsEc, Oct. Is. 1891
Elk. Coll,Ss-D Dear Sir:--It becomes
INV painful duty to inform you OF the tota
| loss OF the Arctic. under my command. viii
many lives; and | fear among them mus
| be included your own wife. daughter ane
son. of .raon Itoos alist looatse moment IL
shir ,oas ooinp do,cn, without ever expect.
! inc 10 see the light OF another day, to
! give YOU an account OF the heart rending
scene. -, :,
The Arctic sailed from Liverpool on We'd
nesday. Sept. 30, at y A. NJ. with 233 pas
sencers. and crew of about $50. Nothing
Of sDecial note occurred during the passage
until Wednesday, Sept. 81, when at noon,
Ne were on the Banks, in lat. SO deg. As
north, and long. 50 deg. west, steering west
BY compass.
The weather had been fogsy during the
day; generally a distance of half to three
quarters of mile could be seen, but at IN.
tervals Of few minutes very dense fog,
followed BY being sufficiently clear to see
one or two miles. At noon left the deck
for the purpose of working out the position
of the ship. In abou. fifteen minutes |
heard the cry of .Hard starboard" from the
officer Of the deck / rushed on deck and
had Just got out when fe "a crash forward
and AT the same moment saw steamer un-
der starboard bow; at the next moment She
struck against our guards, and passed astern
OF ours. The bows of the strange vessel
seemed to be literally cut or crushed off for
full ten feet, and seeing that she must prob
ably sink in a few minutes. and taking q
hasty glance at our own ship, and believing
that we were comparatively uninjured. my
first pulse was to endeavor to save the
lives of those on boarl the sinking vessel
The boats were cleared, and the first officer
and six men left with one boat when it was
found that Our own ship was leaking fear
fully.
The engineers were set to work, being
instructed to put on the steam pumps, and
the fouf deck pumps were worked by the
passengers and crew, and the ship head
ed for land, which judged to be about so
miles distant. ! was compelled to leave my
bout with the FIRST officer and crew to take
care OF themselves.
Several Intellectual attempts were made
to stop the leak by getting sails over the
bows; but finding the leak gaining on US We
nv fast, notwithstanding all our very painful
efforts to keep her free, resolved, to get
the boats ready, and as many ladies and
children placed in them as possible; but no
sooner had the attempt been made than the
fremen and others rushed into them in spite
of opp si,ion
Seeing this state Of things, | ordered the
boats astern 10 kept in readiness until or
der could be restored when. TO my dismay, |
I saw them cut the ropes in the bow aud |
soon disappear ustern in the fog. Another |
boat was broken down by persons rushing |
at the davits, and many were precipitated |
while had been engaged in getting the |
starboard guard boat ready, and placed the /
second officer in charge, when the same fear
full scene as with the first boat was being
enacted-men !eaping from the top Of the
rail twenty feet, crushing and manning
those who were in the boat. then gave
orders TO the second officer to let 90, and
row after the ship, keeping under or near
the stern, to be ready to take on board wo-
men and children, as soon as the fires were
out and the engine stopped Ny attention
was then drawn - the other quarter boat,
which found broken down. but hanging by
one tackle. A rush was ma lie for her also,
and some fifteen got in, and cut the tackle,
and were soon out Of sight. | found that
not seaman was lett on board, nor car
penter, and we were without any tools to
assist us in building raft, as our only hope
The only officer left, was DIR. Dorian, the
third mate, who assisted me, with the assist
ance of many OF the passengers, who de-
serve great praise for their GOODNESS and en-
ergy in doing all in their power up TO the
the very latest moment before the ship
sunk
The chief engineer, with part OF his as
sistants, had taken cur smallest boat and be.
fore the ship went down pulled away with
about Is persons.
We had succeeded in getting the fore and
main-yard and two top-gallant-yards over
board, and such small spars and materials
as we could collect, when | was fully con
WINGED that the ship must 60 down in very
short time, and not moment was to be los
in getting the spars dashed together to form
a raft, TO do which it became necessary to
get the life boat our only remaining boat
into the water.
This being accomplished saw Mr.. Do
rian, the third officer in charge Of the boat
taking care to keep the oars on board to pre-
vent them from leaving the ship. hoping still
(, to get most of the women and children il
this boat. Atlast they had made conside
rable PROCESS in collecting the spars, whel
an alarm was given that the ship was sink
ing, and the boat was showed off withou
oars or anything to help themselves with
! nj bav tho chin pnpt fho ha.t t,nI