Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-12-07
THE Loss OF THE WILLIE DU
asaEK,nr

tzAVRE.
The recent collision III mid-ocean of
the steamers Vile du Havre and Loeb
Erne, and the tragic fate Of thepassen-
gers of the former, viii serve to temper
the modern over-estiinate of the tri-
umphs of human skill and sciences and
viewed in connection with the disas-
trous wreck Of the Atlantic in the early
part Of the year, will inspire both trav-
oilers and carriers by sea, with more
just notion Of the perils to be met and
averted. What wonderful accident
Think of it. Two bodies of only few
hundred feet dimensions, blowing across
broad open sea of millions of square
miles surface, come headlong together
1t seems almost improbable. And
when we think of the sudden and APP
palling result two hundred and TWEEN
ty-six human beings, our friends or rel
atives it may be, sinking down, down,
as they struggle with death, to the low
and desolate plains of the ocean-bed-
1T seems almost as If fate had cruelty
ensnared the unfortunate people in or
der to revel in their destruction and
IN the bitter woe of their friends and
dear ones. 1t may be that the story of
the calamity is net yet all told. The
Loeb Erne, which was seriously dam
aged by the shock, was to reach Queens
town by the 29th Of November. and
failing, has caused some anxiety as to
its fate. The responsibility of the acct
dent is a question of great interest,
though as yet entirely obscure. 1t was
late at night, and the Captain of the
Vile Du Havre had retired and left the
second officer in charge. His previous
watchful labors necessitated rest. The
second officer, who was in charge
at the time of the collision, was among
the fated lost. The officers of the other
vessel have not been heard from on the
subject of responsibility. The rescued
passengers and crew, it seems, have no
fault to find. But it is likely that
nearly all of them were asleep at the
hour of 2 A. NJ, and the catastrophe
had come and was over in the brief in
terval of twelve minutes; and therefore
was too unexpected, toe soon over, and
the officer too soon swallowed up IN the
briny deep, for those ON board
to know much better than
we do, how it happened. If it oc-
CURED through the officers negligence,
that negligence is possibly a secret and
buried forever with him. The night
was clear and it does seem that the
commander of one of the ships might |
have averted the shock. But a little
remissness ON the part of the COM
manders and the respective directions
in which their vessels were moving,
may have been barely enough to have
rendered the collision possible. And
collision ON the high seas in so uncom-
mon and so little to be expected, that
they doubtless felt themselves safe
with little laxity Of vigilance, which
any tribunal, Notwithstanding the seri-
business Of the result, might pronounce
altogether venial. This is probably the
case, and it is possible that the loss of
the splendid steamer Vile Du Havre,
so many people-so many well known
and distinguished men among them
is no more than a pure misfortune.
But this f1ghtful event, together with
its more appalling predecessor, the loss
of the Atlantic, will teach travellers
and carriers by sea lessons in eau
ton, trust and management, and may
prevent the loss of many lives in the
future and thereby avert vast deal of
woe Otherwise no good viii come of
the experience. There are a number of
competing lines across the Atlantic,
and an accident like this would do any
of them immense damage, if not entire
ly ruin its patronage, and therefore 1t
is the highest interest of companies to
maintain a constant and most strenuous
caution. This is the most reliable safe
guard the public has against fatal voy
ages. 1t is worthy of inquiry by the
National, Inman, French and German
lines of steamships from New York to
Europe, which have all lost vessels,
with a frightful sacrifice of human life,
why it is that the Cunard Line, al
though the oldest in existence, having
run since 1889, has as yet never sus-
tanned an accident of that character?
Is it possible that it is good luck, or is
it some superior management: