Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1873-12-25
THE WILLIE DU HAVNE.

Lrt,cr from Lee t:ra"s' T.. Cra'''cr-Thc
snip Goes Down in Fifteen Mine
Otcs.
From the Troy Times.
The following Letter from Lie Grand
G. Cramer, son Of George Fl. Cramcr
of this city, who was passenger OH
the ill.fated steamer Vile du Havrc,
together with his aunt, Mrs. Edward
Curtis (who is LOST, is the first con
nected narrative of the disaster yet
published in this country. The letter
was written on board the ship Tri-
Mountain, which took the rescued pas
sengers off the Loch Earn, and landed
them at Bristol, England. twas COM
posed under the most distressing cir
cumstances, and its graphic description
of the horrible disaster will be read
with intense interest. It brings the
terrible scene most wildly home to the
Imagination. Mr.. Cramer went down
with the ship, and though badly hurt.
seems to have been wondrously and
mercifully saved by Gods good provi-
dence. The letter (Which is written in
penciD is as follows
SHIP TR1-MoUNTA1N, Nov. %, 1873.
My DEAR PARENTS: I will
now state briefly the calamity which
hurried two hundred and thirty souls
out of three hundred and ten into
eternity. The day after we left New
York the weather was fine, the sea
smooth. and all promised we'll for a
successful and pleasant voyage. On
Monday storm came up, which con
tinued for forty-eight hours, and dur
ing which time the steamer lost one
blade of her screw. This accident,
although it did not materially affect
the speed and safety of the vessel,
seemed to cast gloom over the pas
sengers and created feeling of uneasi-
ness among them, which the apparent
| lack of discipline and order among the
| crew did not tend to relieve or remove.
Following the storm, which ceased
Tuesday night, fog came up, which
lasted until Friday evening, when it
became clear and starlight, We then
being fifteen hundred miles from New
York and just about in mid-ocean.
That night we all went to our state
rooms feeling more security, but we
little knew how soon or in what great
peril our lives we're to be placed, or
how few of us would see the light of
another day.
About 2 in the morning 1 was
awakened from a sound sleep 10y ter
rible crash, accompanied by the shrieks
and groans of men, women ssand chill
dren. On getting out of my room was
told that we had come into collisions
with only small vessel that the
steamer was not at all injured; and I,
after telling aunty to dress, went up on
deck and found we had collided with
large iron sailing vessel, which struck
our steamer amidship, making very
large hole in her side below the water
line. I at once saw that the steamer
was rapidly sinking, and that our only
hope OF safety WAS in the life-boats. I
returned to saunty and told her the
condition Of the ship, and brought her
up on deck as soon as possible, and
placed her with the ladies. while I
went with some gentlemen to help get
of the life-boats TO save the ladies. Tho
lack Of discipline we had before
noticed was now too apparent. The
officers had no control over the men;
they we're only thinking OF saving their
own lives, and left the passengers to
we do, unaccustomel to handling the
rigging of life boats, and but few Of IFS
to do anything? We all worked with
desperation to get boat into the wafer.
Had we had more time We might have
done so; but the ship was settling
very fast, and suddenly she went down
bow first, with all On board-at least
all the passengers, as about half the
crew had gone in the boat and left us
to our fate. saw aunty just !, moment
before. the ship went down, but was
powerless to save her, there being 10
ife-preserver to be found in the state
room or on deck, although + made,
every effort to find one for her.
1 went down with the ship, believing
it was my last moment; but after being
drawn down by the suction of the ship,
[ came to the surface, and, although
encountered with clothes, managed to.
swim until I got hold of floating
spar, although was pulled under wa
ter twice by some poor drowning per.
son. After being in the water. over
thirty minutes, was picked mp by
boat from the ship that had run into
us, completely exhausted, mere dead
than alive. l was taken to the Loeb
Earn with others, which proved to be
an English ship, and, although herself
badly damaged by the collision was
yet able to keep atloat and save the few
of us who are now here to tell the sad
story.
After being on board few hours We
were transferred to tho shin we are
DOW on, hailing from New York to
Bristol, England, commanded by Cap.
tam Urquhart, one OF the noble>t and
kindcst hearted men that eyer walked
deck: There were only twenty-thrce
first class passengers saved out. of
eighty-five, eleven ladies and twelve
gentlemen, the remaining saved being
steerage passengers, officers and crew.
Eigllty-tive in all, out of three hundred
and ten souls, were saved. * +
LIE GHAND G. CRAMEH
The Gloucester Fishermen,
The harbor of Gloucester presents u