National Republican., 1873-04-03
WRECK OF THE ATLANTIC.

The news Of the terrible fate OF the steamer
Atlantic wrung with distress the hearts OF
two continents. Our readers have read with
an interest embracing the greatest horror
and tendcrcst pity tho very mcagre details
which have reached US. There Is something
peculiarly terrible In disaster Of this char
acter, differing from the horrors Of a battle
field or the heart agony Of an explosion. By
a shlpwreck helpless women and children
are made TO face death In one Of Its most
fearful forms. This was particularly the
case in the disaster Of which We writo.
An omigrant ship bringing to this country
an interesting human freight-men full OF
faith aud hope, their minds stirred by anxious
ambition, their hearts full Of love that
had prompted the voyage or lured hither by
an affection Of years; women with love
equal TO any risk, and who see In the new
land Of hope bright, attractive visions Of life
these are tho classes that crowd the vessels
bound for America. THINK, then, how ex-
trcmo Is the agony which Oils every soul
when such passengers arc awakened In the
dead Of night, their temporary dwelling shat
tcring Its frame upon o rock, away from kind
friends, with watery grave yawningbefore
them, waiting to sink forever the hopes,
loves and ambitions of q lifetime! Think we
must Of the sorrow that Is scattered broad
cast over the land that was left, and over the
land that was to have been reached; Of the
prayers and loves and wishes Of the
relatives and friends on the other
side; of the hopes and Joys of the
expoctant watchers oil this shore. Like al
other steamers the Atlantic, according to her
advertisements, possessed "all the modern
improvements aud combined with speed
aud safety" many other boasted qualities. 1t
Il unnecessary to present resume Of the de-
tails Of lhis disaster which have reached US
thus far, but u Ia desirable that theories be
advanced respecting the question as to the
party or parties upon whom the rcsponsl-
bility Of the disaster rests. There j. o
question which cannot be overlooked by
even the most careless reader, and one for
which the owners, agents ald officers Of the
ship should be made to answer II Is this
How was Ii that after voyage Of only endayt
the supply OF coal became cxhaustodi There
seems to be no escape from this question, SO
crowded with pcrtincncy, when all the cir
cumstances are considered. At this season
Of the year, when a mariner Of little or no
experience should expect storms, and when a
three weeks voyage is among the pruhabil-
ties, u ten days supply Of coal was obviously
inadequate. More than this, snch stint eau
only be attributed TO soullCss greed, that
has resulted In the downright murder Of over
seven hundred passengers. 1t was the boast
Of the owners Of this steamer that economy
of fuel was one Of its principal adv aniages
and thousands Of bercavcd families now
curse those who uttered ii. We do not care
to be understood as reasoning that the Allan.
tic Is the only one or one of a few vessels
which weekly cross the broad ocean freighted
and cOalcd In the same manner God know,
there are too many Of them; and to such
avaricc, to such sinfulncss, are the frequency
with which such calamities as this occur too
often justly and directly ascribablc.
1t Is not Inappropriate to refer in this con.
nectiOn to q recent investigation before Con.
gress, during which the question OF ship
building was discussed before the NavaI
Committees Of both Houses. The White
Star line, to which the Atlantic belonged.
was especially referred to in this lnvestiga.
ton. The argument was advanced that
"long, slim vessels were unmanageable.
But what makes this circumstance still more
strongly pertinent to the pending discussion
Is the fact that this very steamer Atlantic It,
self was cited TO show the dangerous charac.
ter Of that kind Of naval architecture. 1t wa,
shown that In tortuOus channels, or In emer.
gences when quick response to the helm /,
required, such vessels are exceedingly dan
gerOus.
We have the opinions of competent judges
that among those Just stated two causes COM
bined to effect the disaster. The first was
tho unsafe architecture Of the ships the scC-
Ond and most culpablo was the strange blum.
der by which the ship was Strnndred on Il
rock, the exact locality Of which should have
been as well known to the officer In com
mand as the bed In which he was asleep.
View this terrible calamity as lcniently a.
we can It IL impossible for the most charitable
or the most forgiylng to shut his eyes to the
fact that an investigation of this sad affair
u thorough searching lhvcstigation-should he
Instituted at once. IN such matters we are
neither charitable nor forglylng, becatsC
were either forgiveness or charity deserved
In this particular case they would be thrown
away In others. Believing 1t to be the solemn
duty Of every paper In the old and the new
country to demand this investigation We hope
that public sentiment concerning this matter
may continue as strong for weeks to come as
II now Is, and that II will force an inquiry
which may bring to speedy punishment those
guilty Of thi. fearful crime.