The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1854-11-25
Wreck of the New Era.

The New York papers bring full details Of
the wreck of the ship New Era, whose loss
was briefly noticed in our last She was an
emigrant packet ship, Capt Henry from
Bremen for New York with 81 Storage and
10 cabin passengers, and went ashore off
Deal, on the coast OF New Jersey, during n
dense fog in the night of the lth inst. The
particulars Of the disaster as given in our
New York exchanges are painfully thrilling
accounts Of the suffering aud death upon this
Inflated ship. Crowded with emigrants,
within sight and hail Of the shore towards
which their hoping eyes had been turned us
to the promised land, fathers, mothers, and
children were swept into the sea almost in
the grasp OF the stout arms stretched to save
them.
The scene bcggared description, and the
agony Of excitement of those on shore who
could do nothing 10 save the drowning cmi
grants was intense.
I'm eyewitness who was on board u steam
tug which cudcayorcd to reach the wreck
says:
Still hoping for movement toward,
launching the boats from shore, We cOuiinu
cd painful spectators of the scene, ringing
our bell to encourage them and bcckouinr I,
them on the shore to launch their boats
When our wheels were put in motion to adj
just the position Of the steamer, the passcn
e.
leave them, would rcnd the air with implo
ring cries, while others tollcd the ships bell
the sounds Of which were borne to us aboy,
wailingS of the Suri that swept over III,
smp.-Wc were near enough to distinctly Sc,
women holding their little ones with on,
hand, while the other blcachci bv the
spray, chung with u death grip ~ tnc ia'lnc
on which they stood, one or two in the mzsl
rigging having on bat shirt On the fore
castle there stood few nom ntS ag3a groul
ofiour clinging to the stay, but they are nov
gonc--a heavy swell has probabiy swept then
away. Two have been S ,cn to fall from In
/ jib-hoom into the surf.
The Captain came ashore in life boat soOl
after the ship struck and did not again return
AT the time she went ashore the passenger
were .ttt'ooi Jeiotr for the better working O
the ship during the gale, and the sea brcalu
in, the poor wrctchcs in the Storage wcr
drowned without hope ofcscapc.
II is said that the whole Of the shot in tn
possession Oft the Government ciiiCcrwas fire
without ciiccting connection between III
ship and the shore. They succeeded in &c
ting II line across the ship, but the passenger
did not know how to secure it, So that no GOO
resulted from il. Had the captain been o
board the result might have been different.
On Tuesday the wreck was boarded irOl
the shore, where upwards ola thousand pc,
pie had assembled Mortified spectators Of Il
scene, and all the surviving passengers take
off, lJ5 in number ofwhom several have sine
died After all the living were taken from Il
wreck search was made on board for the ,ca
and the rigging was found filled with the I'M
tlatcd remains. The total loss OF life by Tia
disaster was 215. The cause is said to hay
been the Captains installing his sounding
for those OF Long Island. Indeed, he seen
from all accounts to have understood little
his whereabouts, too little for person havr
in charge SO precious freight of souls. i
: was said to have been asleep when the ma
reported that the ship was in six Gthoms
water, and he told him to 20 ahead In ,
hour She struck.
The ship was settled in the sand, and h
= deck is now nearly level with the sea. II
. spars still stand but her hull is much br
ken, and she will be total loss. She is I
, ported to he insured in Boston for 500, 90
which is equally divided among six Office