Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1873-02-11

her below the watef.mask. Tho osspeunss r.
ported her nearly full u wSasr. The v1mna
were started promptly and the Grew vorksd
hard at them for some minutes, but when Il
was found that the water was rapidly Rsiuine.
panic seemed to seize both the crew snd
passengers, and the officers could not Keen
the latter in check. A crowd Of men and
women had rushed up from their births, mssy
only half dressed. The passengers had moss.
ly retired, but few were UNDRESSING,
The noise of the collision ID liksnod by ora
of them to . peal Of thunder, and such VA
the violence Of the shock that those standing
were krocked down. It appears that ths
steamer rebounded and came . second time In
collision with the Northfeet. Water began
to pour in and In very short time the pan
engers' quarters were swamped. The women
were slower to rush on deck than the men,
and many were not in condition to 10 until
the water rose threateningly around then.
No one board the steamer was heard 70 sneak.
although the loud and eager shouts ftum The
Northfeet must have made her crew swaro Of
the terrible danger that existed. She backed
for two or three minutes, and then steaminf
rapidly away was soon out of sight. For
half an hour the scene on the decks sof the
Northfeet were appalling. Women shrieked,
men cursed, swore and fought their way 10.
mate roared out commands to the men to
keep back and allow the women to get to the
side Of the vessel. but apparently without
success. Rockets we're fred and blue hshts
burned. A gun was loaded, but through IN
accident the. piece could not be DISCHARGED,
Signals of distress were seen by several ves.
sells, but appear to have been regarded % sig.
nails for pilot. Meanwhile the scene On
deck baffled description. The captain, And.
ing tho men determined to leave the vessel,
went below and armed himself with q rsvol.
yer, and ascending to the poop deck declared
his determination to shoot the first man who
tried to leave the vessel before the women
were saved. The first boat launched vas
lowered by number Of the 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 waa a terrible rush toward
the boat the scene was of distressione con.
fusion, and man and boy fell into the va.
ter 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 purpose, even firing with
blank cartridges. About thirty persons hay-
ing got into it, the boat put OF. Not one Of
the crew were in it. Another life-boat was
launched, man got into it and was ordered
TO leave; he refused and the captain shot him
in the calf. Captain Knowles placed his wife
in the boat and said to the boatswain, who
had already got in, 'sHere's charge for you.
Bosen-take care of her and the rest, and
God bless you" Wringing his wife's hand,
he babe her, Goodbye" saying, II shall
never see you again"
1t is impossible to describe the panic that
ragged all this time. Hesrtrending scenes
were witnessed on all sides. Ono of the pas
sengers seeing the Captains wife in the boat,
threw his own wife in, tossed her baby to her
and entered the boat himself. A little girl
was thrown into the boat by her father. Who
tried to save the rest of his family, bnt the
maddened crowd pressing toward the side Of
the vessel prevented the rescue Of his wife
and two other children. The engineer made
frantic efforts to save his wife and children.
He was jammed between the cook-house and
the gunwsle and received dreadful injuries.
He was rescued in precarious state. Only
two Of the seven boats were launched, owing,
no doubt, to the panic, and one was seriously
injured, as the tackles were cut and the boat
fell into the sea. When the second boat had
got off, it seemed a question ofmoments. The
captain and pilot we're together, and the lat
ter was heard saying eff you want to save
yourselves, make for the topmast," to which
many poor people rushed. In quarter of
an hour tug picked up the second boat with
thirty occupants, and then steemed around the
spot. About three-quaters Of an hour AFTER
being struck the Northfleet went down head
first, with awful suddenness, with S27 souls
on board The crew of the first boat, after
landing the women, rswed around the scene
of the wreck and saved five men trying to
swim to the shore. A lugger took of the &C.
cupants of the second boat, SO passengers,
and a pilot cutter rescued the pilot and 10
men, who having gone down with the vessel,
rose to the srface and cluDg to the main-top-
mast rigging. The vessel lies in eleven faith
oms of water, The survivors say that the
captain displayed the greatest heroism. He
retained his presence of mind from the hrst
to the last, strove hard to put an end to the
panic, and did his duty bravely to the end.
He was at the last moment gsing across the
deck in the hope of enabling some of the
crowd crushing around the boats on that side
to get away from the ship. The survivors
say that other boats got adrift when the ship
sunk, and expressed the belief that IL the
passengers had allowed them to be lowered
they probably could have saved at least 100
more lives. Unfortunately the women could
not climb the masts although we did all in our
power to help them. Consequently all the
women and children, with the exception Of
the captains wife and another and two chill
dren, were drowned.
General John w. Geary.