Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1854-10-17
POSTSCRIPT.
MRS. COLLINS AND FAMILY SWEPT FROM THE

fOSTSCkiff.
MRS COLLINS AND FAMILY SWEPT FROM THE
STEAMER, &C.
Nkw York. Get. H-P M.-The following dispatch
has been received here by Mr.. Colius
ouEnrc. Oct. 14-P. Mo T. X. Collins, Esq:-
in the boat but swept OH the ships deck with myself
leove for New York to-day.
Yours. }. c. LUCK.
STATEMENT OF CAPT. LUCE.
Particulars Of his Miraculous Escape.
NEw York. Oct l6.-The following l. the substance of
Collins
Capt Luce, at the time Of the collision wa. below worl
ing out the position Of the steamer lie ran
ON deck and saw the iron steamer under the
bow" and passing astern graIug and the In
her progress The bows Of the strange vessel seemed TO
be literally cut or crushed of for feet aud seeing thu,
she must probably sing In ten minutes taking glance
a. our own ship, aud believing that
unipured the boats cleared; aud the first ovcer and
t en et with boat to board the stranger, and
tain the extent OF her damage.
Inc engineers were Immediately Instructed to nut
.ne steam pumps aud the four deck pumps worked
oy ene passenge" aud ere. The ship head
ed Tor land aud several Intellectual attempts we're made TO
stop the leak by getting sails the bows.
Finding that the leak gaining on them very fa,
not"h't.nding the very powerful efforts keep her free
tho resolved to get the boats ready aud have as
many ladies' aud children placed then possible No
s,ouer however, had attempt been made to do mi,
than the remen and others rushed iuo the boat in
OF all opposition Seeing this state Of things ordered
he boats astern to be kept ia readiness order could
De restored when to my dsmay them cut the rope
IN the bow and soou disappear astern in the fog
Another boat kroksn down by persons rusbiry In
tue dsrs aud many were precipated into the Sc. and
drowned. luis occurred while bad been engaged In
getting the starboard guard boat ready: had n.rod
the second officer In casrge when the same sc,p, ws
enacted as with the first boat then gave orders to the
second officer to let % and after the ship keeping
near the stern, TO be ready to take the women and chill
rs soon a. the hres were out and the engine should
stop.
My attention then drawn to the other ouar,er
oos "nsh found broken down, but hanging by one
TICKLE rush was made for her also aud some fifteen
got IN and cut the tackle aud soon out of
sesan was ieit on board, or Carpenter and
w,nou. sools to assist US in building ram
MY hope and the only officer left was Mr. d. ri,n the
third mate who worked molly for the succor Of ALL
Many OF the Passengers who deserve great praise for
their GOODNESS aud energy did all In their power until the
latest moment before tue ship sunk. NJ. Rogers the
ehei engineer, with part of his assistants bad aiken
one oil the small deck boats, and tefore the ship went
down. pulled away with about 10 persons.
To form raft IL became Necessary to get the only re-
manning boat the lie boat, into tue water This being
accomplished. Mr. Dorian, the chief officer of the boat
akrg to keep the oars on board the s,e,me, ~
prevent those in the boat from leaving the shin procred
ed to work, still hoping DO able to got the women and
children OH hoard his boat at last They had made con-
siderable progress in collecting SPAR when the alarm
gwen mat TIE ship was snkng and the boat was showed
oil without oars or anything to hold Themselves
IN an instant after, at about quarter past FIVE o'clock
r. M he ship went down, carrying every soul On hoard
with her soon found myself OH the surface sfer brief
struggle with my own helpless child in my arms when
again FOUND myself impeled downward a Srea, depth
aud before reached the surface second time had near,
upwards. ss'N
When got upon the surface Of the water the mos, aw
ul aud heart rcndng scene presented itself to nv view
Over two hundred mep women and children w.r. s,,r,
CLING together amid pieces OF the eek calling upon Zach
ether or help, and implorng God TO assist them Such
An sppahng scene may God preserve from witnessing
again. I'D
Amid this struggling of human beings discover.
cd my Gu aud was IN the act ofying him when
portion OF the paddle box came rushing up .dr.w,rd
JHst srazinG my head and falling with all its weight upon
The head OF my darling child
Then succeeded III getting on top Of the paddle box
IN company with eleven Others. One however soon
lett Tor another piece aud others remained until relieved
oy death We stood in the up TO our knees III,
SCI ir, ienily breaking We separated om our
friends OF the wreck, and passed the night each
ting every hour Ia be his last.
lie morning came, but not living soul could be seen
ou' OUT o~" party consisting Of seven men. About
moor hf' N. woodruff, OF New York, relieved by
uea'n hhu all tie Others now began suffer severeiy
from the want OF water except George L. Allen aud nv
sell NiSht AZ last came OIL, thick and dreary with our
mines made up that neither of US would se. In gbt n,
another day Very soon three Of suffering party
were relieved by death, and Mr.. Allen young man and
myself were all that were left, and We were much
become somewb refreshed.
About an hour before daylight Friday, the oe,h We
saw vessels light near us We all e1erted ourselves to
the utmost OF abilities in la ling but the light d.sn
hove In sight to the northwest The fog wing gbeued
little We observed that she steeaing arenty for
u.s. Tut in short time she appeared have her
coarse again. and We were doomed to bitter dissppont.
men-yct feel hopes that OF fellow era
may have been seen and rescued by them.
ShtrIy alter ship discovered TO the eastward
steering directly for u.s. As she approached they for
tunateIy discovered man raft near them and suc-
ctcded in saving him. This saved is a Frencbmar
VINO was passenger Oh board the steamer with which
We came III collision. lie informed the CAPTAIN thai
Others were on pieces Of the wreck and he TO
cruso around Ia source Of them. We were taken on
board al ut S,ock, 7. after Iposure Of 46 hour.
III a most exhaust d condition.
Shortly after Mr. James Smith of Mississippi. was dis
covered and rescued About dusk another piece of the
wreck, on which five Of iremeu was discoyer-
ed, and tho sufferers rescued. None Others could be
found
Captain John Russell, of the Cambria proves 10 have
b' en- the Captain OF H. jesse Stevens whose memora
rescue by Captain Nye OF the Pacific will be tepsu.
Lered
Captain Luce, with his fellow sufferers G, pected to leave
for New York on Saturday evening.
captain Luce adds that at the time OF the collision tie
anchor Il the steamer Veta drawn through the bows
OF the Arctic about inches above the water line and nm
immense hole had been made the same by the
Nuke oil the anchor about two below the water line
TX ny The lore and alt plank, and finally breaking it,
chan left the stock remaining in aud through the Arctic
w'ch rendered the attempt to draw sail around the bow
the vessel imprActicable.