Lewisburg chronicle. [volume] (Lewisburg, Pa.) 1850-1859, 1854-10-20
Total Loss of the Arctic! F.!
3 OR 400 DROWNED.

THE steamship Arctic, with 225 pas
scngers, exclusive of children, lis en-
ployerS, valuable cargo and heavy mail,
is lost. OF the more than fonr hundred
souls who left Liverpool on the 10Th ult.,
full of hope, gaiety and health, many re-
turning from an European tour ofpleasure,
only thirty-two are known to have been
saved, and certainly not more than one
hundred, can, by any possibility, have es.
capped watery grave.-In addition to all
this, another large steamer freighted with
hundreds of human beings, has, in all pos
sibility, met a like fate. The details Of
the horrible disaster are as follows.
On Wednesday, Sept. 27, precisely at
l. o'clock NJ, in a dense fog, We came in
contact with barque-rigged iron propel-
Ter, with black hull, salmon colored bot
tom, lead colorcd poop and boats, and black
pipe We had strong, fair wind. The
speed of the Arctic at the time was about
thirteen knots an hour. The shock to US
appeared slight, but the damage to the
other vessel was frightful. Capt. Luce
instantly ordered the quarter boats cleared
away, and the chief mate, and there
sailors went to her relief; before
other boats left, the order was coun-
r.nand,d. The Arctic then describ-
ed circle twice round the wreck, during
which time 1 caught glimpse Of more
than two hundred people clustered on her
hurricane deck.
At this juncture it was first ascertained
that We had sustained injury, and the
water was pouring in at our bows. When
the first officer came alongside to report,
the captain was unable to take him up,
but headed N. N. W. in the hope of max
ing land. Our position on the previous
day, at II o'clock, was latitude 4S 80,
longitude As 81 We had run about three
hundred and ten miles from the time of
this observation until the moment of COL
lision, and were supposed to be forty miles
from Cape Race. The pumps were vigor-
ously worked, and an anchor chain thrown
overheard but in spite Of all cxertion,
the engines stopped, and the water extin-
guished the fires. Four of the FIVE other
life boats, believed to have been we'll pro- |
visioned, containing the engineers, sailors,
a few passengers, and all the officers ex-
ccpt the captain and third mate, left the
ship at an early stage. The majority of
the passengers were working at the pumps
some firing the signal guns, and others
spars, under the direction Of
of Captain Luce and Mr.. Dorian, the third
mate, to form raft.
In order to facilitate this latter work, the
sixth and last boat was lowered. Dorian,
one or two fremen, three of the other pas
sengers saved, and myself, were busily en-
gagged lashing watercasks and settees to
the main yard, two topgallant yards, and
several smaller spars-the Captain with
number of gentlemen, protecting the work
by keeping back the crowd-when panic
seized all on board, rush was made, pas
'engers and firemen precipitated them
selves headlong over the bulwarks on to the
aft, and in moment our little boat was
full, and in imminent danger of being
sunk. In this emergency, Dorian ordered
be rope which held US to the steamer to
be cut, and with our hands and axes we
padded from the raft's side. The mate,
Who throughout preserved great presence
If mind, and labored with heroic energy,
,ried out 'tFor Gods sake, Captain, clear
he raft, SO that we can work. won't
desert the ship while there's . timber
above water"
But the sea was now flush with the dead
lights. In less than three minutes from
The time be spoke, the stern sunk-the J