The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1870-03-17
TIA Il LOSS OF THE ARCTIC.
A MYSTERIOUS AND STARTLING STORY.

The following communication has been
handed US i:
An extract from a new work entitled
/ "Henry j Raymond and the New York
/ Press, is now extensively repubished
Throughout the country. The extract
! purports TO be narration of certain facts
| connected with the rivalry between the
/ Herald and Times newspapers in regard
| TO obtaining the first authentic intelligence
concerning the loss of the Collins steamer
''Arctic." on her homeward voyage from
! Liverpool in October. 1854. The read
! ing of it has recalled to my mind another
/ story far more startling, and belonging to
! the same terrible disaster, which, up to
| the present time, has never found its way
into print. The SKINNER after the Arctic
was lost, the writer visited New York
and at the Astor House in that city was
called upon by an old friend and school
mate who resided for several years at AL
| ton, ILL.,, and is pleasantly remembered by
many of the Older residents of that place
This gentleman lives in Chicago, and holds
responsible position in one of the leading
railways of the Northwest. At the time
the events occurred which ! am about to
! narrate, MIR. -- was private secretary
or foreign correspondent for L. X Col>
lins, the manager of the noble but most
unfortunate line of steamers bearing his
name, and an inmate Of his office Mr..
- was then, and is now, unless time
and trial have sadly changed him, a Jolly,
good-hearted, clever fellow, afraid of moth
ing, believing not much in anything, and
certainly tbe last person likely to be at all
tinctured with superstition. His veracity
| is unquestionable. After long conver-
sation about our boyhood days, and the
companions whom we had both known
and loved IN that happy era, naturally
made some inquiries relative to the Arc
tic, knowing that M, from his situa-
ton, would be likely to give some incidents
that perhaps had never been made public
To my surprise, when the subject was
broached, his face assumed serious cast,
his voice softened to a subdued, half W his
pering tone, and he remarked: s'There
was a mystery about that affair which
has always puzzled me and which | do
not like to think of To my knowledge
it has never before been spoken of outside
Mr.. Collins office, or his immt diate fam
| lily circle. l will, however, tell it to you,
but can give only the facts as they fell
under my own observation, Without at
tempting explanation"
Ms story was substantially as fol
lows, barring the inaccuracies which must
necessarily accompany the effort to re-
member conversation trauspiring fifteen
years ago:
81 was" said he, ''as you know, a
clerk in Mr.. Collins office, and, l believe
rather a favorite with him. AT any rate
he allowed me more liberties than most
of the other employees, and frequently
conversed about his own personal matters
in semi confidential manner, which was
very gratifying to one of my age.
Mr.. Collins wife and two children,
boy and girl, went TO Europe in the
summer of 1854, and made quite an ex-
tended tour on the continent. While alb
sent, they kept for his qualification a jour
nal, telling the places through which they
passed, the date of their visit to each lo~
cality, and brief description Of the
various objects of interest. The jour
nal, in detached fragments, was regu
larly transmitted 10 him, and he naturally
perused it with great pleasure. AT that
time spiritualisn was creating quite an
excite ment in New York, and some of the
clairvoyants, or trance mediums. had
gained considerable notoriety. One even
ing Mr.. Collins thought he would give the
phenomena personal investigation, or at
least submit the question to a sharp and
satisfactory test He accordingly dis
guised himself, and went alone to the house
of celebrated female medium in a remote
part of the city. Sending up a fictitious
name, he was ushered into the presence of
the woman. He stated to her that he
desired to know the whereabouts of
middleaged lady, young lady and
boy, and described as nearly as possible
tue appearance of his wife and children.
The medium, after the usual preiimna-
ries, lapsed into the trance state, said she
saw the party distinctly; that they were IN
an old town, she did not know the name,
and just at that time visiting an old church.
OF this church she gave a sufficiently min
ute description, which Mr.. Collins noied
down, together with the date of the iE-
terview, and departed. In due course of
mail, several weeks after, the journal ar
rived, and an examination verified exact
ly the particulars furnished by the clair
voyant. OF course, Mr.. Collins was
surprised at the curious revelation, but
the press of business soon drove it from
his mind, and forgot it altogether. Mean
while the summer passed and September
came. Mrs. Collins and her two children
were to return on the Arctic, according to
previous arrangement, and sailed accord
/ ingly. This steamer was noted for the
quirkness and regularity of her voyages.
and was due at New York, if | remember
rightly, on Saturday evening. MIR. Col