Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1874-01-01

Oneiai Report sf Capt. ssrne.s.
| NEW YORK, Dec. 10. The following Is
the oficial report made to the company by
Captain Surmont, regarding the loss Of the
Villa du Havre:
| BEGINNING OF THE VOYAGE.
| left New York Nov. l5, at 3 O'Clock in
the afternoon, with 1876 passengers, a full
cargo and mails. had strong winds from
the southeast to east during the early part
or the voyage. l did not enter on the
banks OF Newfoundland until the fourth
| day. when an intense fog set in and con-
| tinued three days, during which the fog
signal was sounded every minute. During
these three days was on foot, resting a
| little only when the second officer was on
duty. On Wednesday, the 2lst, at about
five O'Clock in the evening, the weather
began to clear.
AN OBSERVATION.
l had made no observations for six DAYS.
and at eight, the weather being splendid
and the sky starry, l took the latitude BY
the polar star, while my second officer
observed the longitude, and we found that
we were at that moment at 46 degrees 81
minutes north and 80 degrees 40 minutes
west. l again took the latitude OF the
polar star and found was in a. degrees
north latitude. finished my calculation
oy III, when being very fatigued | laid
down on my sofa. after first writing the
order for night and directing NJ. Guillard
to call me at midnight; that officer also
ater leaving the watch and taking also
polar observation, told me
THE WEATHER WAS SPLENDID,
Without cloud. So went to sleep again
having written orders expressly directing
the officer on watch as usual to inform me
OF the slightest occurrence; at midnight
the second lieutenant would take the watch,
but as never sleep four hours together at
sea, got up from the sofa at two and left
my cabin.
THE COLLISION.
At this moment a ship under full sail
showed herselfall at once on our path. and
had hardly time To Jump on the bridge
when the Villa du Havre was already
struck In the side opposite to the main.
mast; left the bridge to ascertain the ex-
tent OF the damage; it was enormous.
being hole OF at least lG feet, rendering
II certain that the ship could remain very
little time afoat. The engine was stopped
at once BY Mr.. Luce, one of the watch.
and the valves were opened. The water
rushed In so quickly that there was not
time TO close the door of the bulkhead
which separated the engine from the
boilers; besides, the bulkhead OF the coal
bunker having been forced into the engine
room. the water poured in that way into
the boiler.
THE ORDERS GIVEN.
ordered the second officer to place HIM
self at the place of Decentralization, aud
desired him to supervise that operation
returned to the bridge, where ! was bound
to give orders il l had them to give or
where | ought to be found if needed,
directing at the same time the boats Nos
and TO be lowered, which were near the
bridge. The second captain now told me
that boats No. 3 ard No. were broken by
the collision and that all the lower part Of
the keel on the right side OF the ship had
been driven in.
LOWERING THE BOATS.
The whale boat No. was set afioat i'm
mediately, and left by the order of the
second officer under command of First
Lieutenant Guillard for the purpose of
reaching the other ship and of learning if
1t could take Us on board, and TO request it
to place its boats afloat as quick as possi-
Die. This whale boat left on board of the
ship some of her crew in order to tighten
her and that they might assist in lowering
that vessels boats. Two or three minutes
after boat No. 2 was lowered under the
supervision of Mr.. Vie, who, seeing the
mainmast strike just at a timely moment to
put her afloat, the boat No. 6 was lowered
ut the mast at the same time, and In less
than two minutes after the nlanmast gave
way, carrying with it the mizzenmast.
which fell on the deck, killing many per-
an nal s..,x ~.
anoat. The mainmast crushed boat No.
aud the persons therein. The lowering
OF boats continued, and was attended with
great confusion, caused by the fall OF the
two masts. Time pressed. The ship was
sinking. The boat No. of the second
officer, which ordered afloat, was outside,
but 1t could not heave to, the tackle fall
being engaged. Boat No. (mine) was
not outside the catheadS, when, at this
moment,
THE WILLIE DU HAvRE SUNK.
AS to boat No. 4, the men who were in
her, seeing all chance Of floating gone, as
the vessel was sinking, cut the rigging in
order to have 1t float when the vessel
should disappear. By the ill luck which
attend US the boat did float, but was
thrown with such violence against the
mizzenmast that 1t was smashed.
THEN WE WERE ALL AFLOAT.
1t was the final moment, when every ono
seized spar, or rope, as it offered. The
ship sunk. A plank which l found at
hand enabled me to keep afloat for about
twenty minutes, when was picked up BY
boat No. 4. The second officer, who had
returned to his boat, disappeared at the
same time as myself, and, despite the short
distance between us, we heard no more of
each other, and it was not until the third
visit of boat No. 4 that he was saved-that
Is, about an hour after the sinking of the
vessel.
THE RESCUE.
We were taken on board the British shin
Loeb Earn, Capt. Robertson. The whale
boat returned to the work of rescue. The
Engiifh ship put her boats afiOat. They
were Of great service, for with our two
boats alone We would not have saved 90
many persons. The rescue thus continued
until !O O'Clock, when the five boats re-.
turned irom the dismal place, there being
no one to save.
THE LOST OFFICERS
Mr.. Martin, the third lieutenant. had
been directed by the second officer. his
D0at being broken, to superintend the EN-
barkattOn Of passengers BY ladder rope.
which had been fixed for the purpose, and
ut the same time to supervise the boating
Of boat No. 4, which was at hand. This
omcer disappeared without our learning
anything Of him. No person, SO far q /
Know, saw or heard him, and it is supposed
that ne was crushed or thrown into the
water by the fall Of the mainmast. As to
the second lieutenant, Andurnan, none
knows when he disappeared.
THE INTERVAL RrrOpr rryr srNxrSa
l estimate there ives not more than IL