Rapides gazette. (Alexandria, La.) 1869-187?, 1873-03-01
Details OF the Northfleet disaster.


it appears that at 10} O'Clock 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 thr vessel, strik-
ing her amidships and cutting her below
the water mark. The carpenter quickly
reported her nearly half of water. The
pumps We're started promptly and the
crew worked hard at them for some min
utes, but while 1t was found the water
was rapidly gaining, q panic seemed to
seize both crew and passengers. and the
officers could not keep them In check.
A crowd of men and women had rushed up
from their berths, many only half clothed.
The passengers had mostly retired, and
but few were undressing.
The noise Of the collision Is likened bv
one of them to peal of thunder, and such
was the violence of the shock that those
standing were knocked down. It appears
that the steamer rebounded and came q
second time in collision with the North
fleet. The water began to pour In, and
In very short time the passengers quar-
tiers were swamped. Women were slower
to rush on deck than men, and many were
not in condition to go till the water rose
threateningly around them. No one on
board the steamer was heard to speak, al
though loud and eager shouts from the
NOrthfieet must have made her crew
aware Of the terrible danger that existed.
She backed for two or three minutes, and
then steaming away, was soon out Of
sight. For half an hour the scene on the
deck Of the North6eet was APPALLING; men
cursing and swearing fought their way
towards the boats, while the captain and
first mate rOared out commands to the
men to keep back and allow the women
to get to the side of the vessel, but ap-
parently without success. Rockets were
fired and blue lights burned. A gun was
loaded, and the screw OF the ramrod be-
came detached from the handle, and the
piece could not be discharged.
Signals OF distress were seen by several
vessels, but appear to have been regarded
as signals for pilot, for no assistance
was rendered. Meanwhile the scene on
deck baffled description. The captain.
finding the men determined to leave the
vessel, went below, armed himself with
revolvers and ascending the poop, de-
clared his determination to shoot the first
man who tried to leave the vessel before
the women were saved. The first boat
launched was lowered by 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 ten or fifteen feet. As there was a
terrible rush towards the boat, the scene
was one of distressed 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 purpose, even firing with
blank cartridges, 1t Is supposed, at first.
1t was unavailing, however. About thir-
" persons having got into the boat 1t put
of with not one Of the crew in 1t. An
other life-bOat was launched and man
got into 1t; he was ordered to leave, and
the captain shot him In the calf
If the leg. Capt. Knowles then placed
1is wife In the boat and said to the boat
swain, who had already got in, 'Here's
! charge for you, bosen Take care Of
Ter and the rest, and God bless you"
Wrmging his wife's hand he babe her
yood-bye, saying: II shall never see you
lgain." 1t Is impossible to describe the
)anic that ragged at this time. HF
Heart-rending shrieks on all sides. A
passenger seeing the captains wife In the
BOAT, threw his own wife In, passed her
himself. A little girl was thrown into
he boat by her father, who tried to save
he rest of his family, bat the seething,
crowd pressing toward the side
# the vessel prevented him, and with his
wife and two other children he went down
With the ill-fated vessel.
The engineer made frantic efforts to
ave his wife and children, but was
ahmed between the cook-house and gum
vale and received dreadful INJURIES
hough he was afterwards rescued In a pre-
arious state. Only two of the seven
,oats aboard were launched, owing. no
l0ubt to the panic, and one was seriously
Injured, as the tackle and boat fell into the
ga. When the second boat had got OF 1t
eemed to become question of moments.
The quarterback was crowded by men,
women and children. some crying, swear
ng and praying. The captain and pilot
we're together, and the latter was heard
o say, "It you want to save yourselves,
make for the t0p-mast," to which many
'oor people rushed. In quarter of an
lour tug picked up the second boat with
ONE time round the spot. About three
quarters of an hour after being struck,
he Northfeet went down with an awful
uddenness. Three hundred and twenty
even souls were on board at that mo-
nent. The first boat was 100 yards, and
he second only twenty or thirty from
he vessel. The crew Of the first boat,
Ifier landing the women, rowed around
he seen Of the wreck and saved fve men,
ryin9 to swim to the shore. A lugger
ook on the occupants Of the second boat,
passengers, and pilot cutter
'escued the pilot and ten men, who, hav-,
No zone down with the vessel, rose to
ne surface and clung to the main-top-
mast rigging. The vessel Les In eleven ?
athoms Of water. The survivors say the
,aptsin displayed the greatest heroism,
naintsined his presence Of mind, and
rom first to last strove hard to put an
nd to the panic and did his duty bravely
o the end. He was at the last moment
,oing across the deck In the hope Of en-
bling some of the crowd crouchiDg'
,ound the boats on that side to get away
rom the ship. The survivors say the
,ther boats got adrift when the ship sunk,
md express belief If the passengers had
lllowed them TO be lowered properly they
,ould have saved at least 100 more nyos.
The unfortunate women could not climb
he masts, although they did all IN their
nOwor tn helm them. COnecQu0ntlys all