The democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1868-1874, 1873-12-22
A Disaster at Sea.

The purser Of the lost steamer, Vile
du Hayre has furnished the following
narrative Of the disaster:
We had been out Of New York seven
days when our ship accomplished her
terrible destiny. A thick fog settled
over our course during the first five
Gays OF the voyage, but on the night OF
woeful event the mist had cleared away
and the sea weather was fine and bright.
l retired to rest at the usual hour, and
was sleeping in my cabin when the col
lision occurred. The shock, Of course,
awoke me, and / Immediately rushed
on deck to ascertain the cause OF the
unwonted disturbance. I deserted a
sailing ship, and l knew OF once that it
had come in contact with our right side.
The rigging OF the main.mast was gone,
and FIVE minutes afterwards there broke
over me the fearful conviction that the
ship was going down by the bow. The
scene which followed will ever remain
with me as living memory, but can
not attempt to describe it, Some thirty
or forty OF the passengers had managed
to get into the long.boat, lowered by
order OF the captain, and the feeble hope
which had remained with them that they
might escape with dear life grew strong
when they found themselves thus freed
from the sinking ship. Just at that
moment, however, an awful fatality
happened. The mizzen.mast fell on
the left side Of the vessel, and either
killed or wounded nearly the whole Of
the occupants OF the boat. Half q min.
ute afterwards the mainmast fell on the
deck, killing two and injuring several
others. The horrors OF the catastrophe
seemed, as 1t were, to concentrate ut
this point, and surely more terribly
heartrending scene was never enacted
In mid.ocean. I hear even now tie
groans Of the wounded, the grieyous
but unayailing cries Of "Help | help /"
the heartrending shrieks which pierced
the air as Zone was taken and the other
left" / hear even now the calmly ex.
pressed determination Issuing from
many manly heart to die nobly, as
die we must" I hear even now the
sound Of the water rushing down the
windpipe into tho hold with a velocity
which convinced all who knew what Il
meant that the vessel was sinking, not
gradually but with wondrous, awful
rapidity. / undressed and, with an.
other, jumped into the water. We
swan towards the English ship Loeb
Earn, which had then hove of q distance
Of half mile from the Vile du Havre.
/ heard the ship cracking, and, turning
ny head round, saw that the vessel
would DO under water Immediately.
exclaimed to the gentleman who was
swimming by my side, "Look behind
you the ship is going down." As o
rule when n vessel sinks she reels and
"shivers," but in this instance the
ship won't down forward. For a moment
n mightier shrek rent the mir, and the
cries from the vessel were evidently the
outbreak Of the last great agony. Then
all was peace where all had been con.
fusion, deathlike calm succeeded
noise and tumult, aud I knew that the
good ship and the souls on board her
had sunk into q watery grave. I should
like TO add that our captain remained
on the bridge during the whole Of this
scene, and went down with the vessel.
he was rescued, however, in the course
Of IN hour afterwards. All the officers
saved were picked mp ont of the water,
with one single exception, viz, tho first
lieutenant, who left, by command Of
the captain, in n boat for the English
ship in order to ascertain whether II
was sinking or able to receive the pas.
sengers. There were fifteen officers in
all, and only six Of these remained to
tell the tale. With regar,l to myself l
swan in the direction / before indica.
ted for half IN hour, but when I did
succeed in getting close to the ship !
missed the ropes thrown out to me. 1
continued swimming for ten minutes or
quarter Of IN hour longer, when I
was picked up by the life.boat belong.
ing to the LOch Earn.