Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1854-11-24
The Wreck Of the New Era.

s,ulh Of New York The passengers aud
crew OF the ill-tatcd ship numbered l26. The
captain, mate and crew, all saved themselves
ia the ships boats, within six hours after
she struck, leaving the mass Of the passengers
to perish OF the passengers who were Ger
man immigrants Of the better class, l43 were
safely landed, making a total Of III lives
saved Forty deaths occurred on the voyage
by cholera, and t,ro hundr,d ana tticoa lives
we're lost by the hhipwrcck
The ship struck before light On Monday
morning At day break the beach was lined
with fishermen, wreckmen and surfmen, all
eager to render assistance to those on board,
who were seen clinging to various parts of the
ship, over which the sea was making n clean
awoar. while tho hran ors wsro violent that
Il boat could scarcely have lived in them
moment The scene from the beach is de-
scribed as truly appalling
&" The screams and cries Of terror from the
passengers Of the doomed shin blanched the
cheek and made the stoutest hearts quail The
hardy coastmcn almost ravcd IN thci- utter
impotence, and frequent and desperate at
tcmpts were made to launch the surf boats.
but each effort only showed the impossihility
Of keeping boat atlodt in such violent break
crs. As the fog now and then cleared up for
few moments, the people on shore could see
the poor einigrantS clinging to various parts
of the ship, to save themselves from being
washed into the sca. The bulwarks had been
washed away and men and women, clasping
their children IN their arms, imporingly
bcckcnlng and crying for Succor. might be
seen scattered over the upper deck. And then
II tremendous sea would sweep over them,
washing numbers from their lrail hold into
the boiling breakers below. \ few Of these
got ashore alive, but the greater portion were
drowned Those who succeeded in reaching
the beach had lashed themselves to blanks
and spars, or clung TO fragments of the bull
warks. and by their nd managed to swim
past the undertow when they were caught
by the surl-nen and saved
On Monday the steam tug Achilles was sent
to the aid of the New Era. but owing to the
rouglmess Of the sea was unable to approach
her, and therefore accomplished nothing
towards saving the ship or relieving those
who were lowering between life and death
upon her deck, " hen the wheels Of the
Achilles were put in motion preparatory 10
her return, the air was rent with imploring
cries hy those upon the wreck. An eye Wit
ness saws
"The SQUADS wee OOIle - us above the
waiinr- If the sur mat swep, over the ship,
We were near enough 10 distinct ly woman
holding their little ones with one hand, while
the other besched viii, the spray, Clung with
death grip to the ratilnes on which they
stood. one or two IN the nizcn rigging having
On but a chirt. On The forecaste there stood a
few momc mis- age group of four cling ing TO
/ he stay. but they are now gone--a heavy
swell has probaly swcpt them away, Two
/ nave been seen to tail from the lb-boom into
the suri.'
All the long night the wretched sufferers
! clung to the rigging. drenchcl by every wave
and chilled to the marrow by the cold. To-
wards morning Oh Tuesday the storru abated ,
and those who survived at day break were
safely landed On the beach in surf boats, and
kindly provided for at the ncighboring hous-
cs The following description Of the scene on
Tuesday afternoon is given BY the reportc,
Of the New York Triiuue
The ship laid about 800 yards from the
shore on the outer bar her deck level with
I,
! tinuallv. The ml-ts were standing unlniur-
ed The fore, main, and miLAcn topsails
were still set, rs when she went on, treble
rceieG. The other sails appeared to be loose.
ly clewed up, and rent in many places In
the main shrouds the body of q female was
still visible, nearly nude, her arms and legs
thrust through tie crossings The planking
Of the .bulwarks was all torn off and the
sea bclched every moment through the frame
Of the bulwarhs like the smoke from llig-
ate's guns when firing broadsidc.
We took scat in the surf-boat, and were
soon rCwed through the breakers and along
side the ships quarter. Watching an oppor-
tunity, as spent wave reccdcd, we leaped
into the mizZen rigging. Such a spectacle n,
the decks of the New Fra then presented We
hope never TO be called to witness again
The fcrecastle was beaten in, and the top OF
the poop-cabiu ON the larboard. side had Il
large hole in il that the waves had made
The deck had been swept of every thing -
The frames of the hulwarks stood above the
waves like the lcshless ribs of a leviathan
while protruding through them were the bo
dies of men, women and children, all of then
naked, or but partially covered with th'
clothes they had On when asleep in thai
hcrths. But the most awful sight of all wa
directly below our feet. There, between tn,
side Of the poop bin and tn" mizzcn chair
t about n score of cprpocs. all stark stlH ans
e cold, lay in every conceivable attitude Of ago
t. ny. MANNED. crushed ard bruised, with eve
1 washed irolu their -lckcts.vith teeth sci liL
t vices, and every .Iure foariuly conyulsc,l
. The blood had frozen in'n hackness benoa,I
e their finger nails, aud with the hal-chnche
I / hand, shaved how strong had been the gri
b, upon the rigging long and fierce ia
4 strife for life ia contest m which thcv dl
T. not Weld un'il tho bleak blast had frozen the
. hearts blood and their unconscious hands ha
e loosened their grasp, when their hves went OF
/ in the dark night s"aIO~ed up beneath tli
= see'hing waves that burst mady over the shuI
Until we come ON beard, the sea had bee
II too rough and The 'de too high 10 venture tro
l. the shore else these remains Of tuc poor slraI
IS gers would ha> C been t1kea aashl, and p-epir
+ ,d for in'erncnt IS It was, Capt. Brown
X ran along tho Top Of ne bulwdrks 10 the MAJ
II rlr,;ag 10 take down the body # the wo'un
l. that sull ramqiued there, With some difficult
ID he lisemongied her s'tiannd limbs from Il
l. shrouds and gently ioScged her by = rope IN
20 the suri boat,
d The boat came q anug-Ida, and Wc lelped n
=. 10 ucr, thankful tor Yuy escape from the dent
D. laden ship llst then a few grll,s wheel'
ie aud screamed bout her, an the wave. beat
u. hollow pass To their treble; the suu as It W
NJ about to st, flooded the wreck wi' h a halo
Is crimson and Go'1, aud tinged even the z,
ne harks TIM, rode 50 mayely far out at sea, Vi
ns glory, And then the sun went down, al
IS To-, the grlv twilight came on, the people on {
Ms shore silently bore oil the body Of the voul
ne girl, that had 50 ionI lain sthomng in the n
OF gng. th,t 1t might be prepared for Christi
re buual.
IS On re,chiug Nr-. hucn's n,ric. on uur
'd turn irJm tia beach, number # Wagons a
So carriages, containing tuuucls and their vi,
from the neIghhurlroi, were drawn up me-
n tlre door, aud lhe good dlmrs Of Jersey ",
~ quietly dispensing heir charities in the sha
'e- OF clothes To ire hu't.uated men snd won
at that gathered around lhon, aud ehowered Ul
ed edictiuus on their heads
ny
nj LIN. AIL.Al.I. En.1. S.n,.l.L, [