Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1873-02-14
The yorthfieet Disaster.
DETAILS OF THE TERRIBLE ETENr'

don naners from when IL aPPO. az
halEpast ten at night the caPtaIu ~ an s.
GERS were alarmed by cry RON w IT, Ts =
III ~ ~" conta;n and pilot rushed on deck anu
haS,rs tbey had got there the steamer had
mn into the vessel, striking her aIli ann T
~ emitting her below the water marx inc
oarnenter reported her nearly Iuii oI na.gI-
I'll Drmns were started promptly, anu the
~ worked hard at them some MINUTES
- whom il was found the water was raPlu-
~ 80 ZINC n manic seemed to seize bOth inc
cyeT and passengers, and the ollcers r9uIt
not keep the latter an cheek \ -
IN and women had rushed up ~, from me-
hertbs many only half clothed; me p1S7s,'
gers had mostly retired, Dut IL" "'''
dressing. t;,-.u..ll ,,. nm.
The noise of the collision l. llksheu y ou'
or them TO a peal of thunder anu SUI "
The violence Of the shock that tnO7e - -
,rere knocked down. IL appears M ~.
NeIe - ra6osnded and came second time
sIe'l-i'Gl with the NorthAeet. Water De
III 90 ,,oIr in and in a very short time SAe
s So ,lers' quarters were swamped; lne
l'S,,'.ll,S ,Tere sIower 10 rush on deck than the
,,oD and many were not in CONDITION 70 ~ ="
~ water rose threateningly arOuiiu 'HSIu'
| n ono on board the steamer WIS noIi -
~ W u, ,,I,bongh the loud and eager shouts
/ e., The Northheet must have male hsI
.r,,,, aware Of the terrible danger tnd' q
- She backed for two or three mIhute9'
and then steaming rapidly away va ~
/ ont Of sight. For hall an hour lhe NJ. "a
/ tbe decks of the NOrthiieet was aPPa''lns
| Women shrieked, men cursed sNoIe an
| f,,,,b- their wav toward the boats, whist
~ nartain and first mate rOared out com
r,o,jI m the men to keep back ana allo"
| ~. women 10 get 10 the side OF the 'eS7el'
/ - ,,,D,rentlV without success ROCKET
w. Sred and blue lights burned. gun
- Loaded but through an accident tns
80 md not be discharged. Signals OF
/ - we're seen By several vessels, Dul
-. 70 have been regarded as signals Tor
n niIot Meanwhile the scene on IeeA
oliies description. The captain huuiuS
the men determined 70 leave the 'eas1-'
went below and armed himself win re
volver. and ascending 70 the poop ue-A nc
| clored his determination % shoot the hi''
L. tried 10 leave the vessel before the
,-oTnen we're saved. The first boat launchel
M lowered bv a number Of the passenger
| b,- cr++incr the ropes There beng no 4al-
| dsr at hand the only way Of getting INTO 10
| was bv leaping OF dropping some t"e-'e o.
| fr-ear foot A. there was a terrible ru--
/ toward the boat the scene was OF "a ll-lI+--
/ ;,,, confusion. and man and a boy lei
| mo the water and were drowned lhe ON
! GERS did all they could 20 force the men VINO
[ first got into the boat 70 leave it lAal
the women might be saved, put % NJ
I purpose. even firing with blank ear g.
/ About 30 persons having got into It, the boat
M az Not one Of the crew were ln o.
| Another life boat was launched, man s't
into it and was ordered 20 leave; he refused
and the captain shot him in the calf Zap
tain Knowles placed his wife IN the boat
and said TO the bOatswain. VINO had a-rea-l
oot in. Here's n charge for you, hys.T-
| lake care Of her and the rest, and Tod Dies
| Won. Wringing his wife's hand, he babe
her "Good-by." saying, Il shall never ~es
You again.
II i impossible TO describe the panic that
ragged all this time. Heartrentng scene
/ were witnessed on all sides. One Of The
| pazsenrer- seeing the captain s wife "a ile
| boat. threw his own wife IN, tossed her
| bahv L. her and entered the boat himself.
! A little girl was thrown into the boat hy
her father. who tried 70 save the rest % Do,
/ family. but the maddened crowd pressing
| toward the side of the vessel prevented The
rescue Of his wife and two other children
and they went down with the Inflated
/ vessel. The engineer made frantic efforts
| to save his wife and children. lie wa-
| iammed between the cOOk-hOu~e and the
| gunwale and received dreadful injuries, ami
| though afterwards rescued, Is in precar.
Gus state Only two Of the seven boat
aboard were launched, owing, no doubt, to
! the panic. and one was seriously injured.
! as the tackles were cut and the boat tell
/ into the sea When the second boat had
| got off it seemed TO become question OF
moments The quarterback was still crowd
ed by men, women and children, crying,
| swearing and praying The captain
| and pilot were together, and the
latter was heard saving II
| Won want 20 save yourselves. make for the
| topmaSt To which many poor people
| rushed. In a quarter of an hour tug
/ picked up the second boat with thirty 0c-
| cupants. and then steamed around the spot
l About tn ree-q quarters of an hour after be-
| ing struck the Northfeet went down head
/ first. with awful suddenneSs. with 81
soul, on board. At that moment the first
| boat was 100 yards, and the second boat
/ only ~ or 81 yards from the vessel The
crew of the first boat. after landing the
/ women. r0wed around the scene Of the
wreck, and saved five men trying 10 swim
20 the shore. \ lugger took off the Occu-
I pants of the second boat. - passengers, and
/ a'pil0t cutter rescued the pilot and 10 men.
who. having gone down with the vessel. rose
/ to the surface and chung To the main-top-
mast rigging The vessel lies in eleven
iathoms of water. The survivors say that
the captain displayed the greatest heroism.
| lie retained his presence of mind from the
/ first TO the last, >trove hard 10 put an end
10 the panic, and did his duty bravely 70
| the end. lie was, at the last moment, 90
| ing across the deck. in the hope Of enabling
some of the crowd crushing around the
boats on that side 20 get away from the
ship. The survivors say that other boats
got adritt when the ship sunk, and expressed
the belief that if the passengers had allowed
them TO be lowered they probably could
have saved at least 100 more lives Unt0r
tunately, the women could not climb she
mastS, although We did al. in cur power TO
help them. Consequently all the women
and children, with the exception of the cap.
were drowned