Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-02-13
The Sinking of the NorthfIeet.
FULL DETAILS OF THE DIsAsTER-HEART
RENDING sCENES-HOW A BRITISH CAP.
TAIN DIES AT HIS POST.

FULL DETAILS OF THE DIsAsTER-HEART-
RENDING sCENEs-How A BRITISH CAP
TAIN DIES AT HIS POST.
LONDON, January %.
Very intense excitement everywhere
prevailed to-day on receipt of intelligence
that emigrant ship with over 400 passen-
gers had been run down last night by a
foreign steamer whilst at anchor in the
channel, about two miles off Dungeness.
The ship is the Northfleet, and is des-
cribed as a splendid vessel, of 400 tons
register, Captain Knowles, of and from
London, for Hobart Town, with emf
grants, chiefly navvies, numbering about
Alp, besides a crew of thirty hands, and
a cargo of railway iron for constructing
railways in Tasmania The Northfeet
left dock on Tuesday week, touched at
Gravescnd, and has since been beating
about the channel. At the time of the
collision, which was about eleven o'clock,
She was riding at anchor, with her mast
head light burning. On the approach of
the steamer the watch on the deck of the
NOrthheet called the steamer off, but be-
fore she could turn round she was upon
the emigrant ship and cut her to the
waters edge, causing her to sink in about
threc-quarters of an hour. The steamer
proceeded without rendering any assist
ance whatever. The panic on board is
described as of the most heart rending
description. The crew and passengers
were, most of them, in bed, when sud
denly the stiffness of the night was brOk-
en- by an alarm made by some Of the
crew on deck that steamer was coming
bow on them. The pilot, Mr. George
Brack-a Trinity House pilot of London
heard the alarm, as also did Captain
Knowles, but before either of them or
any one else could get on deck a fearful
crash was experienced, Indicating that
the collision had taken place, and it was
Immediately seen that the Northtieet had
been struck amidships, nearly cutting
her in two. The whole of the passen-
gers had now been aroused, and rushed
out Of their berths in anything they could
find-sOme in their night clothes only.
On ascending to the deck the scene was
one of the utmost confusion and desola-
ton. and heart-rending shrieks were
heard from women who were seeking
their children, or on the other hand,
crying children crying for their parents,
and the men were endeavOring to get
boats to save themselves. NOtwith-
standing all this dire confusion, the cap
tain stood upon the poop, and acted
with the greatest GOODNESS and dellbera-
ton. He gave distinct orders to the men
to keep back from the boats till all the
women and children had been put into
them. and from the commencement of
the collision till the captain went down
with the vessel his greatest anxiety SEEM
ed to be for the safety of the helpless
women and children. Notwithstanding
/ the captains order, however, great
/ many men pressed forward to the boats,
when the captain drew revolver and
I said ne would shoot the first man that
/ dared get to them. One man disobey-
/ ed the captains command, and jumped
/ into the long-boat, laid himself down at
| the bottom, and after twice refusing to
( come out the captain fired upon him
/ twice. one of the bullets entering just
/ above the left knee, but without doing
! any serious injury. The captain then
/ handed in his wife, who is quite young
woman, and to whom he had only been
married six weeks, in charge of the boat
swain, when another young woman got
! into the lOng-boat, and just as she was
| about to be let down from the quarter
/ deck her husband came forward with
| three little infants about six months
| old, and threw them to her into
| the boat. He then jumped into the boat
/ with her, cut the tackle, and the boat
came down with such force that one OF
| the sides was stove in. The boat then
| drifted away from the fast-sinking yes
| sci, and some time after was picked uT
| by the City of London tug, which haC
h., I1,rlf &c
kept cruising about till early this morn
ing with a view of picking up any OF the
passengers or crew who might be strug
ging in the water, and landed thirty OF
them at Dover to-day. The pilot
George Brack, who was below at the
time OF the collision, came on decE
simultaneously with the captain, and or
dered the pumps to work, which was
Immediately done, but without any re
suit, as the breach was of such nature
| that the water came in rapidly and tho
vessel filled and sank, as before stated
i'm about three quarters OF an hour, going
down. as described by one OF the sur
/ viyOrs, like a stone. The sea aroun(
now presented horrible spectacle, TO
it was covered with struggling human
beings - mothers with their chlldrel
clinging to their husbands, and wives en-
deayoring to save their lives-the 0the
passengers clinging to broken spars o
any pieces of rigging that might be visl
Bile, but most of them sank to rise MT
/ more.
Three boats in all put off from th'
sinking vessel, and the night being eX
ceedingly calm, though very dark, man.
more might have been saved, but for TIN
rourhpess and even matwess of the men
nearly all navvies. The crew agree II
stating that never were there less disclp
lined men on board ship, and the trutl
of this is perhaps exemplified in the fac
that the captain, az before stated, wa
Obliged to shoot one of them MAJ
named Thomas Biddles, who chung t
the bottom of the boat. Their
were six boats in all in the ship
three of which could only be success
fully let down in consequence OF tn
men wildly filling them before the.
could be even turned outwards. III
captain, with the pilot who has bee
saved, rushed on deck Immediately atte
!, the collision took place. The captain
who was quite calm throughout, shoute
out, Sound the pumps, and on receiV
ing an answer back from below that th
water was coming in sheets through tn
rents, signalled and shouted as loudly a
possible to the steamer. 1t is stated b
: some of the saved that the officers OF tn
3 steamer knew too well the damage the
] had been infiicting, for they backe
steam, and made every possible exertlo
"a matter of no little difficulty-to 60
clear off. The captains shouts, som
: of the men saw were answered, but til