Connecticut western news., 1873-12-12
A FRIGHTFUL DISASTER.
Details of the Loss of the Steamer Vile du Havre, with Two Hundred and TWenty.Six Lives.


 Details of the Loss of the Steamer Vile
 du Havre, with Two Hundred and
 Twenty-six Lives.
 The news of the sinking of the steam. ship Vile du Havre, of the French line from New York to Havre, and the terri ble loss of life resulting therefrom, | created the greatest consternation among all classes of our citizens and appalled, the hearts of those who had | relatives and friends on board the ill | fated vessel.
 She was struck amidships by the ship Loch Earn, and sunk in twelve minutes after the collision occurred. The Loch Earn immediately lowered three boats, which rendered all the ser vice it was possible for them to do.
 At the time of the collision the weather was clear; little wind was blowing, but there was heavy sea. The Captain had just retired, and the second officer was in charge. The The collision was wholly unexpected.
 The Loch Earn made chasm twelve feet deep and from twenty-five to thirty
 
 position of the Vile du Havre at the timewas lat. AT degrees 21 minutes, lon. 35 degrees 31 minutes. Panic took possession of the passengers. Five minutes after the collision the main and mizzenmasts fell across two large boats which were filled with people and ready for launching. The boats were crushed to pieces, and many of their occupants killed and injured.
 In the brief interval between the col lision and the sinking of the steamer the crew were able to launch only a whale boat and the captains gig.
 The Loch Earn went mile before stopping. She then got out four boats to pick up the people struggling in the water. Meanwhile the whale boat un- der the command of the Second Lieu tenant of the Vile du Havre picked up one load of those who were clinging to the blanks, spars, &c., and took them to the Loch Earn. She returned to the scene and rescued another load.
 Capt. Surmont, who remained on deck to the last, was rescued by this boat three. quarters of an hour after the collision. One of his officers swan a mile to the Loch Earn, and was hauled on board with rope.
 The boats continued to search the waters in the vicinity of the disaster until there was no hope of saving more lives. The cold was intense. Many of the survivors were immersed two hours, and were almost lifeless when rescued.
 The ship Trimountain sighted the Loch Earn at A. M., six hours after the sinking of the steamer, and received the survivors, as before reported.
 The Vile du Havre was a large car. Tier of freight, and had valuable car. go. Over 1, ,6O0 bales of cotton, 30, ,S77 bushels of wheat, 2S0 tierces of lard, 51 casks of jewellers ashes, 1888 bundles of hides, and number of. smaller con signments of assorted merchandise made up her manifest. She had the largest cargo ever carried by steamer of this line.
 Of the crew, an unusually large one for European merchant steamer, but fifty-four are reported saved.
 The steamer was one of the finest specimens of marine architecture ahoat. She was originally side-wheel vessel, and was built on the Thames at Lon don. When she made her first voyage to America in 1866 she was called the Napoleon III. Owing to her great con- sumption of fuel, and to her small freight carrying capacity, the company ceased to run her after two or three voyages, and she lay idle in her dock in Havre until the end of last year. She was then taken to Heppburn-on-the- Tyne, and. there rebuilt by Messrs. A. Leslie & Go. She was transformed into screw-propeller, and her dimensions were increased so as to make, as is said, the largest steamer except the Great Eastern that ever piled the Atlantic. She was 430 feet in length, her breath of beam was AS feet, and the depth of hold 40 feet. Her tonnage was 5, 400. The engines were of the finest desorip- tion. They were built by Maudsley, Son & Field, of London, were what are known as compound surface conden- sers, and of $50 nominal horsepower, although capable of being worked up to 5000 horsepower.
 In elegance of finish in the saloons, cabins, etc., the Vile du Havre, as she was called after rebuilding, probably excelled any steamer that ever entered the port. Suffice it to say that her original cost was over $1, ,000,00 and that the changes on the Tyne amounted to half a million more.
 FIFE PURsER's STATEMENT.
 The purser of the ill-fated steamship gives the following narrative We were seven days out on Saturday night. I was sleeping in my berth when the collision occurred. Rushing on deck descried a sailing ship, and three minutes later gained the fearful con viction that the steamship was going down by the bow. Thirty or forty pas sengers managed to get into the long boat, and life grew strong within them when they were freed from the sinking vessel; but, suddenly, the mizzenmast fell and left the side of the vessel. killing or wounding nearly all of them Immediately afterwards the mainmast fell on the deck, killing and woundine more. The water was rushing dowr the windpipe with fearful velocity. The vessel was sinking. I jumped over board, with another, and commenced swimming towards the Loch Earn which was half mile off.
 Looking around I saw the steamer disappear, without reeling, going dow1 head foremost. For a moment mighty shriek rent the air-the last outbreal of agony. A deathlike calm succeeded the noise and tumult. The Captain re mained on the bridge during the whol' scene. He was rescued one hour later Six officers out of fifteen were saved, al by swimming for life, with the excep tion of the Frst Lieutenant, who wen in boat to the Loch Earn.
 The Purser here added 0 touchin, narrative of the conduct of Frencl priest, his calmness on deck, where h remained dispensing his blessings to tn people, and continued:
 "The boats cruised until ten o'clocl next morning, engaged in the hopeles task of picking up others of the sur vivors. I remained on board the Britisl shin until three o'clock and was the]