, 1854-12-02
Loss Of The Steam Ship Arctic.

r one of the most dreadful calamities it has
ever been onr lot to record The steamer
Arctic, of the Collins line, on her home.
ward voyage from Liverpool, when of
Cape Race, on nithe 9th of September
came in collision with a French iron pro-
peller, the Pesld, and was so badly injured
that she filled rapidly, and in about five
hours went down stern foremast-carrying
with her every female on board, and all
her cabin passengers except about twenty.
Part of her officers and nearly all her crew
seized the boats and deserted the ship at
an early hour. Capt Luce who stood no.
bly, by his vessel, went down with her, but
gained fOothold on q piece of the float
ing wreck, from which, with two others, he
was picked up by passing vessel forty
eight hours afterward. Two boats loads
OF survivors, embracing forty-four persons,
OF whom the larger part were scamcn and
tremen, reached the coast of Newfound-
land in safety. The propeller had her bows
completely carried away, but reached St.
Johns, The prevailing fog prevented her
rescuing any of the Arctics passengers.
Among the lost by this dreadful catastro-
phe, are the wife, son aud daughter of F..
X. Collins, Esq, Edward Sanford, Esq,
Of New York, several members of the
family of James Brown, Esq, Catherwood
the artist, and many others.
The New York Tribune has published
| in a tabular form the names of the passen-
gers and crew Of the Inflated Arctic. The
whole number on board at the time Of the
catastrophe was 3S7. Those known to be
saved were "a passengers, officers, and
so of the crew; total 10. Known to be
dead, 5; passengers missing, 2ll; crew
missing, 90; total of passengers and crew,
3S7. Among the Passengers there were
81 women and 10 children, not one of
whom is known to have been saved.
The collision took place at noon, while
the Arctic was running in q very thick fog
She was struck on the larboard bow, about
60 feet abaft the cutwater, by the iron
steamer, which made three large holes in
the ship, two below the water, one of
which was about five and half feet in
length, and one or one and half feet in
width, leaving the whole cutwater and
stern Of the iron steamer clear through the
Arctic's side. So dense was the fog, that
the vessel could not be seen q minute be
fore the collision. Every effort was made
to stop up the holes, but in vain, aud the
ship was headed for the land. Captain
Luce, in his statement, thus describes the
scene that followed Finding that the leak
gained upon us very fast, Notwithstanding
all our most powerful efforts to keep her
free, resolved TO get the boats ready, and
have as many ladies and childaen placed in
them as they could carry; but no sooner
had the attempt been made than the fire.
men and Others rushed into themin spite of
all opposition. 4l -
Seeing this state Of things, I ordered
the boats to be kept in readiness until Or
der could be restored To my dismay, l
saw the ropes in the bows had been cut,
and they soon disappeared 10 the fog. An
other boat was broken down by persons
rushing at the davits, by which many were
precipitated into the sea and drowned
This occurred while had been engaged in
getting the starboard guard boat ready to
launch, Of which had placed the second
officer in charge, when the same fearful
scene was enacted as with the first boat,
men leaping from the top Of the rail, a
height of twenty feet, bruising and maim-
ing those who where in the boat alongside
| then gave orders to the second officer to
let go and drop astern Of the ship, keeping
under or near the stern, to be ready to take
in the women and children as soon as the
fires on board the Arctic should. be put out
by the water and the engine stopped.
Ny attention was then drawn to the
other quarter boat, which l found broken
down, but still hanging by one tackle. A
rush was also made for her; when some l5
persons jumped in, cut the tackle, and were
soon out Of sight. now found that net a
seaman or carpenter was left on board,
and we were without any tools by which
we might construct raft, which was our
only hope. The only officer left was Mr.
Dorian, the third officer, who aided me,
and with the assistance Of many Of the
passengers, who deserve the greatest praise
for their GOODNESS and energy in doing all
in their power up to the very last moment
when the ship sunk, ' -
The Chief Engineer, with several of his
assistants, had taken the smallest of our
deck boats, and had, with about fifteen
persons, pulled away before the ship went
down. We had succeeded in getting the
fore and main yards and two top gallant
yards overheard, together with such other
small spars aud materials as we could col
lect, when l became fully convinced that
the ship must go down in very short time,
and that not moment was to be lost in
getting the spars lashsd together to form
the raft; to do which it became necessary
to get out the life boat, the only boat left
This being accomplished, l placed Mr.. Do
rian in charge of the boat, taking care to
keep back the oars, so that the boat might
not be taken away, as l still hoped to get
most Of the women and children in this
boat at least. We had made considerable
progress in the connecting of the spSrs,
when an alarm was given that the ship was