The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1873-02-22
SINKING OF THE NORTHFLEET,
Full Particulars of the Fatal Collision
narrowing Scenes-HerOfc Conduct
of the CaDtain.

The details of the terrible disaster
to the ship Northfeet are published,
from which it appears that at 1:30 A.
NJ, the Captain and others were alarm
ed by the cry of the officer on the
watch, ga steamer is right into us"
The Captain and pilot rushed on deck,
but before they got there the steamer
had run into the vessel, striking her
amidship, and cutting her below low
water mark. The carpenter quickly
reported her nearly half full of water.
The pumps were started promptly, and
the crew worked hard at them few
minutes, but when it was found that
the water was rapidly gaining q panic
seemed to seize both the crew and pas
sengers, and afterwards the officers
could not keep the latter in check. A
crowd of men and women had rushed
up from their berths, many half cloth
ed. The passengers had mostly retired,
but few were undressing The noise
of the collision is hkened by one of
them to peal of thunder, and such
was the violence of the shock
that those standing were knocked
down. 1t appears that the steamer re-
bounded and came second time in
collision with the Northfeet. The
water began to pour in, and in short
time the passengers quarters were
swamped. The women were slower to
rush on deck than the men, and many
were not in conditi III to 90 till the
water rose threateningly around them.
No one on the colIiding vessel was
fn 81 4
eager shouts from the Northfeet must
made the crew aware of the terrible
danger that existed She backed for
| two or three minutes, and then steam
| ed away and was soon out Of sight
For half an hour the scene on the
deck of the Northheet was appalling.
Women sbrieked, inch cursed and
swore, md fought. their way to the
boats, whilst the captain and first mate
roared out commands to men to keep
back and allow the women to get to the
| side CT the vessel, but apparently with
out success. Rockets were fred and
blue lights burned guns were
loaded, bat the screw of the rarurod
became detached from the han
die, and the piece could not be dis
charged. The signals of distress were
seen by several vessels, but appear to
have been regarded as signals for a
pilot, for no assistance was rendered.
| Meanwhile the scenes on deck battles
description. Tie captain. finding the
men determined to leave the vessel.
went and armed himself with a revoly-
er, and, ascending the poop, declared
| his determination TO shoot the first
| man who tried to leave the vessel be-
| fore the women were saved The first
boat launched was lowered by mum
| Der OF passengers by cutting the ropes.
There being no ladder at hand. the on
" way OF getting into it was by jump
1Ig OF dropping some twelve or fifteen
feet. AS there was terrible rush
| toward the boat there was a scene of
distressing confusion, and a man and
| boy fell into the water and were
drowned. The officers ana all did all
they could to force the men who first
| got into the boat to leave it that the
women might be saved, but to no Dur
pose, even firing with blank cartridges
About thirty persons having got into it,
the boat put off, with not one of the
crew in it. Another ife-boat was
| launched. \ man got into it and was
ordered to leave, but refused, and the
captain shot him in the calf Then
the captain placed his wife in the boat
and said to the boatswain who had
already got in. "Here's charge for
you. Take care of her and the rest.
ana God bless you" Wringlng his
wite's hand, he babe her good bye
saying, g shall never see you again. y
1t Is impossible to describe the panic
that ragged all this time, and the heart
rending scenes on all sides. One of
the passengers, seeing the captains
wife IN the boat, threw his own wife III.
tossed baby to her, and entered him,
self. A little girl was thrown into the
| boat by her father, who tried to save
the rest of his family, but seeing the
maddened crowd pressing toward the
side OF the vessel was prevented. and
his wife and two other children went
down with the Inflated vessel The
| engineer made frantic efforts to
save his wife and child, but was
damned between the cook -house
and gnuwale and received fearful
injuries that, though he was afterwards
rescued, is IN precarious state Only
two of the seven boats aboard were
launched, owing no doubt, to the pan
&c, and one was seriously injured. as
the tackle was cut and the boat fell
into the sea. When the second boat
had got Oft it seemed to become ques-
ton of moments. The quarter deck
was still crowded by men, women and
children, some crying, swearing, and
praying. The captain and pilots were
together, and the latter was heard TO
say, "Save yourselves make for the
topmast, to which many poor people
rushed. In a quarter of an hour a tue
picked up the second boat with thirty
occupants, and then steamed for some
time round the spot where, about three
quarters of an hour after being struck.
the Northtleet went down head first
with awful suddenness, with 327 souls
on board at that moment. The first
boat was, after landing the women.
rowed around the scene of the wreck
and saved five men swimming towards
shore. A tug took off the occupants of
the second boat, thirty-seven passen-
gers, and piiot cutter rescued the
pilot and ten men who, having gone
down with the vessel, rose to the sur
face and chung to the rigging. The
vessel lies In eleven fathoms of water
Survivors say the captain displayed the
greatest heroism; maintained his pres.
ence OF mind from first to last; strove
hard to put an end to the panic, and
did his duty brayely to the end. He
was at the last moment going across
the wreck in the hope of enabling