, 1873-12-23
THE VILE DU HAvRE.

Further Accounts of tho Great Dis-
sstcr.
LETTER FnoM RUDOLPH A. wIrTI1Aus, JR., TO Hts
FATHER IN NEW YORK.
49,. lad been aBcop but a short tfme,
when waB suddenly awakened by q tremendous
shock and loud grinding noise. which lusted
only Il few seconds. | jumped out OF bed aud,
without attempting to explain to nysalf what
beo 3ser oveces aud S a a and u So Irre
on deck. WIS one Of the first OF tho passon-
gers to roach tho deck. Tho engines stopped,
and there was . quantity Of debris lying on tho
deck. In looking upward, observed thnt but
little Of this had coma down from our rigging
and then ran to tho atarboard sido mud
saw our bulwarka driven in for a length OF
fully thirty feet, ind all tho rigging of tito
starbonrd side cut away; while was looking
over the side, saw that tho steamer was Hot-
boats. I then made up my mind for tho worst
and went Mt to Bee what chance there wns for
me in tho boats, for two of these wcro already
III the water; and as came aft haw thcm PIT
OF to tho ship which had run liz down, and
which fortunately lad kort atloat aud hove to
about ono-half Of a nlo under our storm. lhese
two boats wore filed cntirely with French sail
ors aud .tlre'neal po1ne forty n1cn wero n,alsing
frantic md useless efforts to got another boat
ovor the aido aud haIf of these uoWarlly raacals
wero already in tho bont.
Seeing that the crew was entirely dcmoralizcd
Igave up. all hopes Of bolng Bayod from the
stramor by boat, aud looked around mo for
Bono means OF Keeping ailoat whom sho should
60 down. TAcn saw q lnan near me, hnn.ncr-
ing at the taGrn!l With capstan bur, and on
looking closer I Raw ho WIS trying to get lifo-
preaerver loose. then rccollected having that
very day seon sailors knife sticking III sheath
IN tho tiagstaf1 to run and get t!lls was tho
work Of T. fow seconds, and with two cuts
loosenca the life-proserver for tho man whom
I hRd seon lammoring at it, and whom,
recognized as q Monsieur Burbanson. ! then
went at the noxt ono, which I secured for
myaalf;, then 7 gayo tho ltuifo to 8
Mr.. Delkaap, who Aad brQaon NIL the
blades of his ockct-knife in trying to cut life-
preservor looao: remained at tho extreme stern
OF tue ship Tor two roasoaa-first because there
wna little or no rigging over my head to drag me
down IN case Bhe should aiuk auddanly /; aud,
secondly, because had noticed that tho bow was
Judged sho would not sink vertically, but go
down at IN anglo, bow first, and therefore
causo moro suction forward than aft, which
proved to be the case. After I had secured my
around Mo; as looked forward Baw tie main
mast lean over to leeward, first slowly aud thou
suddenly fall oyor the side, with o terrific
crash; from the screams mud groans which ac-
companicd and followed the fall Of tAis must
aud ti.o 1nizzen-lnaat, which was draggod along
with IT, / knew that many porsons lad been
killed or crushed moro OF loss severely under
tho wlook. 1t then occurred to mo suddenly
that, 1t / rGmainod OIL board tho steamer until
Hhe went down, would lind Inyaolf in the water
among q crowd of others, some Of whom might
Boiza md drag MO down 10 took oil my HhoeH
cout, mud Int, put Gil my lifo-presoryor got upon
tho rail, committed myBolf to tho mercy or God
Almighty, and jumped over The Btern.
I sank OF courHo nt first, ind tl,en camo to tho
surface again; tllen, nftor getting tho watoc out
OF my eyes, turned around and Just saw the
stern mid mast OF tho steamer going llndor; at
a'Hhort distance from mo saw piece OF wrouk
,tpou which woro two FroNclt snIlolH. pushed
forward until I got hold Of this, and shortly
afterwards hfr. Delknap Ywa,n up and got hold
OF 1t also. Wo remained In the wator they say
MI hour or more-to mo It seemed I'LL etornity
with tho blaok water around u.s. tho cold atRta
abovo, tho ahriokH all around and ouoo our
pioce of wrock got eutnnglel with u tontiuY
corpse, which wo laa great trouble In getting
rid OF. After timo my trowsors being soaked
with water, got too loavy for mo, 30 loosenea
them and kicked them or 10 that whom was
finally dragged into q boat. ! had only my
night and undergliirt on, nna I was toarly
frozen. Whom got on board tho English ship
! obtained some olothng from tho sailors, and
swallowed u stout drnk Of brandy, which sllr.
vived ne sufficiently to onabla mo to patch up
Homo ot the many porsons who were scratched
or bruised In various waya III for myself, I Ind
not III much ~ y pin-Acratc, 10 describe tho
narrowing acanca which occurred OH the Hllip
Loci, En,l,, ~ boat after boat brought in somo
half'lrowHod sufferers, IL impossible; mon aud
women, but aas onIy QUO ollill, woro brought
in. naked or nearly 40, almost froxen liA!t
drowned, and all but three having lost aome
dear one, Whose dylng acreAmn attQ sounded u