The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-11-17
THE ASSISTANCE FOR THE UNDERWRITERS.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE HERALD.

New YORK Nov. Is, 1854.
The papers Of to-day contain an article signed by Mr.
W. o. Lewis, of the Sandy Hook Telegraph in which he
attempts to shield from the underwriters OF this
city for the deficiency of boats and other suitable life.
saving apparatus board the steamboats, which they
employ for the relief of wrecks along our coast which
complained of in my letter dated at the scene Of the
wreck on Monday.
It an ungratefui task to arraign any BODY for de-
lnquency in terrible calamity as that over which
the whole community are still shuddering with horror
and which has sent mourning and deolation so many
hearts on both sides Of the Far better task Of
recrimination from me the imporing cries and out.
stretched hands OF that helpless perishing multitude Of
men, women and children which saw and described in
the rigging OF the New Fra-the mangcd aud stfened
corpses which sewed her deck and lined the beach at
dsrk-and more the aching hearts OF husbands brothers
and parents who in vain the brief list of the saved
for the Of the loved but forever lost All cry like
the blood Of innocence from the ocean and the land
against those whoever they may be, by whose neglect
their lives have been destroyed
It is true, no human power could have saved from
death large portion of those who rst swept from
the decks OF the lstarred ship but it is equally true
and motives Of interest poll shall deter me from
reitcratng the declaration-that every soul who re-
manned alive after the Achilles reached the could
have been taken of and saved had there good
surf boat board the steamer For the truth of this
proposition appeal with confidence to the captain pilot
and engineer, well to the deckhands and remen
of the Achilles. The untold suffering which fell to
aose who chung to that surgng wreck through the dark
Of Monday night saturated by the spray and chilled
by the night wnd-the dead which lined her rigging in
the morning, and washed, torn and mangled, among
the debs OF the wreckmght all have been prevented
BY one surf boat on board OF the Achilles the Leva
than, both OF which steamers Mr. Lewis says,
dered to the Of the wreck Alas for what pur-
poser THAT looks bad said Captain Reynolds to the
'snd the worst Is We can do nothing Why Neither
steamer had boat that could live moment In the SURF
much less sustain human beings:
True, being outside of Sandy Hook when the news Of
the disaster reached the city 'they could not be fur
nished with anything besides what they had" which
spect to the Excelsior (the sounds we and must
mean something noble,) which was fitted out Mr. /.
says the city under Capt Bownes supervision, the
the relief Of the wreck Let Capt Bovine speak for
himself when amid the darkness Of night he hailed the
Achilles and made the astounding disclosure that che
had not two men that could pull oar ~ He had a
steam pump, and an engine to put in
ton, to pump out the miserable hulk, such thing
possible but not two men who could put . boat in
motion to save fe notwithstanding he declared it pos
se. 70 board the wreck and take the and
three tugs large wreckng schooner and lastly
suitable boat but not soul sent down whose duty II
The truth seems to be that the great Board of Under
writer's of the great commercial metropolis Of this great
nss mot sign Of OF sne
ife property first of course but dependent upon
private enterprise for tug which they pay by the hour,
shen tug happens to be within resch-and that II
Aas not boats, or men to them.
repetition Of these appalling wrecks is almost moral
certain to occur during the stormy which has
commenced. Is this great and wealthy community con-
ent TO read these narrowing Details and vent their
vAling lamentations around their fresidesS The
New Era contained four hundred souls; each Of
these paid dcar when they embarked to the Commits
eoners Of Emigration In New York-threequarter for
the melancholy privilege Of being drowned upon our
coast That four hundred dollars would have purchased
four buoyanf life boats with Santons patent rubber
floats the best life boats invened the late Capt
T. Knight and the living Capt Forbes Of Boston, know
asyshingwhich board these tugs would have saved
hundreds Of valuable lives, and prevented all the wo
that has followed their sudden and sorrowful end Have
they anything to spare for the purpose! IL not, and
hundred more lives are sacrificed during the next
week or month win anybody be blameworthys
ELIAS SMITH of the News Yacht.