The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1873-02-19
srhe Northneet Horror.

The London Tunes OF January 10Th
publishes details Of the terrible disas-
ter to the ship Northfeet, from which
il appears that at half-past ten at night
the captain and others were alarmed
by cry from the officer Of the watch
"A steamer is right into u.s. The
captain and pilot rushed on deck, but
: before they got there the steamer had
run into the vessel, striking her amid
ships, and cutting her below the wa
ter-mark- The carpenters reported
her nearly half full of water. The
pumps were started promptly and the
crew worked hard at them for some
minutes, but when it was found that
the water was rapidly gaining, a pan
ic seemed TO seize both crew and pas
!. sengers, and the officers could not keep
the latter in check 4 crowd Of men
and women had rushed up from their
berths. Many only half clothed.
The passengers had mostly retired
but few were undressed. The noise
of the collision is likened by one of
them to peal Of thunder, and such
was the violence Of the shock that
those standing were knocked down
Itappears that the steamer rebound
ed, and came a second time in COLI
sion with the Northaeet; water be-
gan to pour in, and in a very short
time the passengers quarters were
swamped The women were slower
to rush on deck than the men, and
many were not in a condition to 20
till the water rose threateningiyarOund
them. No one on board the steamer
was heard to speak, although loud and
eager shouts from the NOTtbheet must
have made her crew aware of the ter
rible danger that existed. She back
cd for two or three minutes, and then
steamed away and was soon out of
sight For half an hour the scene
on the Northheet was appalling Wo-
men shrieked, men cursed and swore
and fought their way toward the
boats, whilst the captain and first
mate r0ared out commands tc keep
back and allow the women to get to
the side of the vessel, but apparently
without success. Rockets were fired
and blne lights burned. The gun was
loaded, but the screw of the ramrOd
became detached from the handle, and
the piece could not be discharged
/ Signals CT distress were seen by 9th
er vessels, but appear to have been re-
garded as signals for pilot, for no
assistance was rendered. Meanwhile
the scene on deck baffled description.
The captain, finding the men deter
mined TO leave the vessel, went below,
armed himself with a revolver, and
ascending the poop, declared bis de-
termination to shoot the first man who
tried 10 leave vessel before the wo-
men were saved. The first boat
launched was lowered BY e number
of passengers BY cutting the ropes.
There being no ladder at hand, the
only way of getting into it was by
leaping or dropping some twelve or
fifteen feet. As there was a terrible
/ rush toward the boat the scene was
one of distressing confusion, and a
man and boy fell into the water and
were drowned. The officers did all
they could to force the men who first
got into the boat to leave it, that the
women might be saved, but to no pur-
pose. Even firing with a blank cart
ridge, it is supposed, at first. was una
vailing. About thirty persons having
got into it, the boat was pulled off
with not one of the crew in it.
I Another life boat was launched, when
a man got into it and was ordered to
leave. He refused, and the captain
shot him in the calf of the leg. Cap
tain Knowls placed his wife in the
boat and said to the boatswain, who
had already got in, Here is charge
for you; take care of her and the rest,
and God bless youl" Wringing his
wife's hand, be babe her goodbye,
saying, II shall never see YOU again.
1t is impossible to describe the panic
that ragged all the time Heartrend-
! ing scenes were witnessed on all sides
One of the passengers, seeing the cap
tain's wife in the boat, threw his own
wife in, tossed the baby to her, and
entered the boat himself. 4 little
girl was thrown into the boat BY. her
father, who tried to save the rest of
the family, but the seething, madden
ed crowd pressing toward the side of
the vessel prevented, and, with his
wife and two other children, be went
down with the i'll fated vessel.
The engineer, who made frantic ef-
forts to save his wife and children,
was jammed between the cock-house
and gunwale, receiving such dreadful
injuries that though afterwards res
cued, he is still in a precarious state
Only two of the seven boats aboard
were launched, owing, no doubt TO
the panic, and one was seriously in
jured as the tackle was cut and the
boat fell into the sea. When the sec
ond boat got off it seemed to become
I HutSSteu VI A4oliAtutc, tut HudfltT I
deck was still crowded by men. wo-
men and children, some crying, swear
ing and praying. The captain and
the pilot were together, and the latter
was heard saying, III YOU want to
save yourselves, make for the top
mast to which many people rushed.
In quarter Of an hour a tug picked
up the second boat with thirty Oceu-
pants then steamed for sometime round
the spot. where, about three quarters of
an hour after being struck, the North
feet went down, head first, with aw-
full suddenness, with 227 souls on
board. At that moment the first boat
was one hundred yards and the sec
ond only twenty or thirty from the
vessel. The first boat, after landing
the women, put out to the scene of
the wreck, and saved FIVE men who
were trying to swim to shore. 4 lug
ger took off the occupants of the see
ond boat, "a passengers and a pilot.
The cutter rescued a pilot and ten
men, who, having gone down with
the vessel, rose 10 the surface and
clung to the maintopmast rigging.
The vessel lies in eleven fatboms of
water.
The survivors say the captain dis