Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-02-13

meaning was not UNDERSTOOD. Captain
Knowles, seeing the steamer moving
away, in spite, apparently, of all en-.
treaties, ordered the signal sun on board
the ship to be fired. Here a new disas-
ter occurred, for the sponge and ramrod
became damaged, SO the gun could not
be discharged. AT this point, a Young
nan, believed to be the clerk in charge
OF the emigrants, offered CALAMITY to
take charge OF the blue lights, and with
these for full quarter of an hour, burn
ing his fingers and arms in the attempt,
this solitary individual kept lights burn
ing, asking aid from ships, at the same
time lighting up all the hurried opera
lions on board. The captain, on send
ing off the first boat, lifted his wife,
who pleaded hard to be allowed to stay
by his side, into it, and said at the same
time to the boatswain, ''Esser, with you
| leave the management of boat. My
wife is in your charge. God bless you
all. The shackles were then cut, and
the first boat, with thirty souls on board,
including three sailors, put off. In the
second boat there were thirty souls, and
in the third twenty souls. These rep
resent those who were saved, with the
addition of some picked up in the sea
and from the rigging. The bow of the
NOrthfieet first went into the waves, and
all on board congregated on the poop in
the last moment of the ships existence.
Then came an excited scene the women
were terribly anxious and excited. AS
boat after boat became full, suspense be-
came more agonizing, and shortly after
the third boat left, the ship lurched and
went down, the cries of the drowning
men and women being heard far away
by the boats already proceeding to meet
the friendly tug. In their last moments
the men clutched at anything; some al
ready holding spars made heroic efforts
to get towards their wives and children,
while mothers clasped their hands and
shrieked for mercy so long as the water
bore them up. Most of the saved men
are overcome, the boatswain completely,
owing to the affection for the captain,
which was of the most fervid character.
Many men prefer not to speak at all of
the horrors of the night. The captains
of the tugs and pIlot-boats behaved most
chivalrously in cheering the rescued men
and women.
The KingsdOwn lugger Mary, cruising
near the spot was attracted by blue
lights. She came up in time to rescue
thirty-four of the passengers and crew.
Large fires were lighted on board, and
every attention paid to the destitute emil
grants. She remained cruising about
some hours till all hope of saving any
others was given up, and then put into
Dover with her freight, arriving there
about nine o'clock this morning. On the
vessel going down, the captain, who had
never left his position on the poop, went
down with her. One of the passengers
named Dennis McCarty was observed
standing near to the captain, and went
down at the same time. He, however,
rose to the surface, and was rescued,
| but the captain was seen no more. The
steamer, whose name was unknown,
was hailed on the collision taking place,
but the barbarians took no notice of the
| call, and proceeded on their way down
| Channel without stopping a moment t.
ascertain the amount of damage they
| had inflicted Only ninety-seven out OF
/ 412 passengers and crew have been
/ saved The City of London (tug
/ brought in thirty-tour passengers in all,
/ the master (Kingston) acting most cOur-
/ ageOusly and praiseworthy in saving
/ lives. The survivors, as soon as they
/ were landed in Dover, all of them in the
most destitute condition, had their wants
! at the Sailors Home speedily attended
/ to, where the Rev. William Yate is the
/ honorable secretary, and Mr.. Hatch the
superintendent The captains wife was
taken to Mr.. Yates house, and still re-
mains there, and sixty of the survivors
/ have been sent away this afternoon by
the London. Chatham and Dover railway
! to London. \ sad incident in this ter
rible calamity is that one poor girl was
put into the boat by her father, who re
turned to fetch his wife. but at that mo-
ment the vessel went down, and hus
band and wife perishcd. At the Sailors
| Hons are clustered together seVera
knots, all bemoaning the loss of some
relative, and the anxious way they scar
the survivors as they are brought in
hoping to recognize some relative OF
friend, is painful in the extreme, willis
the rec0gnitiOns, which prove but few
! are made with tears of joy. 1t is a some
what remarkable circumstance that thC
late captain of the Northfieet, who ha
been with the ship for four years, wa
recalled at the last moment, he having
been subppnaed as a witness in thu
TichbOrne trial. He is supposed to have
been the last man who saw young ROge
Tichbore at Rio. Mr. John Patton, Jr.
a representative of Messrs. Patton
Vickers 81 Co, the owner of the vessel
is on the spot.