Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1873-12-31
THE VILE DU HAYRE.
Letter from LIE Grand C, Cramcr-Thc
snip Goes Down in Fifteen Min

HI
From the Troy Times.
Inc following letter from LIE Grand
Y. Cramer, son Of George Ell. Cramer
OF THIS CITY,. who was passenger on
the Inflated steamer Vile du Havre.
together with his aunt, Mrs. Edward
Curtis (who is lost), is the first con
nected narrative of the disaster yet
published in this country. The letter
was written on board the ship Tri-
Mountain, which took the rescued pas
sengers off the Loeb Earn, and landed
them at Bristol, England. It twas COM
posed under the most distressing cir
cumstances, and it's graphic description
OF the horrible disaster will be read
with intense interest. It brings the
terrible scene most wildly home to the
imagination. Mr.. Cramer went down
with the ship, and though badly hurt.
seems to have been wondrously and
merclfully saved by Gods good provi-
dence. The letter (Which is written in
penclD is as follows
SHIP TRI-MoUNTA1N, Nov %, 1873.
MY DEAR PARENTS: g [ will
now state briefly the calamity which
hurried two hundred and thirty souls
out OF three hundred and ten into
eternity. The day after we left New
York the weather was fine, the sea
smooth. and all promised we'll for a
successful and pleasant voyage. On
Monday storm cameup, which con
tinued for forty eight hours, and dur
ing which time the steamer lost one
blade Of her screw. This accident,
although it did not materially affect
the speed and safety of the vessel,
seemed to cast q gloom over the pas
sengers and created feeling of uneasi-
ness among them, which the apparent
lack of discipline and order among the
crew did not tend to relieve or remove.
Following the storm, which ceased
Tuesday night, fog came up, which
lasted until Friday evening, when it
became clear and starlight, We then
being fifteen hundred miles from New
York and just about in mid ocean.
That night we all went to our state
rooms feeling more security, but we
! little knew how soon or in what great
peril our lives were to be placed, or
how few of us would see the light OF
another day.
About IN the morning I was
awakened from sound sleep by ter
rlble crash, accompanied by the shrieks
and grOans of men, women and chill
dren. On getting out OF my room / was
told that we had come into collisio,s
with only small vessel that the
steamer was not at all injured and I,
after telling aunty to dress, went up on
deck and found we bad collided with a
large iron sailing vessel, which. struck
our steamer amidship, making a very
large hole in her side below the water
line. / at once saw that the steamer
was rapidly sinking, and that our only
hope OF safety was in the life-boats. /
returned to aunty and told her the
! condition Of the ship, and brought her
/ up on deck as soon as possible, and
placed her with the ladies'. while ]
went with some gentlemen to help get
off the life boats to save the ladies. The
1 lack Of discipline we had before
noticed was now too apparent. The
/ officers had no control over the men
j they were only thinking of saving their
own lives, and left the passengers to
look out fer themselves What could
we do, upaccustomed to handling the
rigging of life boats, and but few of us
/ to do anything? We all worked with
desperation to get a boat into the water.
Had we had more time we might have
done SO; but the ship was settling
very fast, and suddenly she went down
bow first, with all on board--at least
ali the passengers, rs about half the
crew had gone in the boat and left us
| to our fate. [ saw aunty just moment
before the ship went down, but was
powerless to save her, there being nc
life -preserver to be found in the state
room or on deck, although [ made
every effort to find one for her.
went down with the ship, believing
it was my last moment; but after being
drawn down by the suction of the ship
[ came to the surface, and, although
encountered with clothes, managed te
swim until I got hold of floating
spar, although [ was pulled under wa
ter twice by some poor dro wing per
son. After being In the water over
thirty minutes, [ was picked up by q
boat from the ship that had run into
us, completely exhausted, mere dead
than alive. [ was taken to the Loeb
Earn with others, which proved to be
an English ship, and, although herself
badly damaged by the collision was
yet able to keep afoat and save the few
of us who are now here to tell the sad
story.
Alter being on board a few hours We
were transferred to the ship we are
now on, hailing from New York tc
Bristol, England, commanded by Cap
tain Urquhart, one of the noble>t and
kindest hearted men that ever walked
deck. There were only twenty three
first class passengers saved out O
eighty-fve, eleven ladies and twelve
gentlemen. the remaining saved being
Storage passengers, officers and crew
Eighty-fve n all, out of three hundred
and ten souls, were saved.
LIE GRAND G.. CRAMER.
The Intelligent StOrks.
A great fire once broke out in little
German town near where stood a towe.
about eighty feet high, which formed
part OF the forti6cation on the town
! yua1l a., fho ~