The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1874-01-10
MISCELLANY.
THE VILE DU HAYRE.

Statement of the Purser of the Lost
wesseI-A Passenger's Account of
the Accident and the scenes that
Followed Et-Extract from the Log
book of the Loeb Erne.
The purser of the lost steamer has fur
nished the following narrative of the dis
aster to the London Times:
1--WE had been out of New York seven
DAYS when our ship accomplished her ter
ribIe destiny. A thick fog settled over our
course during the first five days of the
voyage. but On the night of the woeful
event the mist had cleared away and the
weather was fine and bright. / retired to
rest at the usual hour, and was sleeping in
my cabin when the collision occurred.
The shock, of course, awoke me, and L
Immediately rushed OH deck to ascertain
the cause of the unwonted disturbance. |
deserted sailing ship, and knew at once
that it had come into collision with our
right side. The rigging of the mainmast
was gone, and five minutes afterward there
broke over me the fearful conviction that
the ship was going down by the bow. The
scene which followed viii ever remain with
me as living memory, but | cannot at
tempt to describe it. Some thirty or forty
of the passengers had managed to get into
the long-boat, lowered by order of the
captain, and the feeble hope which had re-
manned with them that they might all
escape with dear life grew stronger when
they found themselves thus freed from the
sinking ship. Just at that moment, how
ever. an awful fatality happened. The
mizzen-mast fell on the left side of the
vessel, and either killed or wounded near
ly the whole Of the occupants OF the boat.
Half minute afterward the mainmasts
fell on the deck, killing two and lnJurlng
several Others The horrors OF the catas-
trophe seemed, as it were, to concentrate
at this point, and surely a more terrible,
heart-rending scene was never enacted
in mid-ocean! ! hear even now the
eroans of the wounded, the griey-
Gus but unavailing cries of Help! helpl'
the heart-rending shrieks which pierced
the air as sone was taken and the other
left.' hear even now the camly expressed
determination Issuing from many manly
heart to die nobly, as die we must. hear
even now the sound of the water rushing
down the wiIsdpipe into the hold with
a velocity which convinced all who
knew what it meant that the
vessel was sinking, not gradually,
but with wonGrous, awful rapidity. | un-
dressed, and, with another, jumped into
the water. We swan toward the English
ship Loch Erpe, which had then hove off
q distance of half mile from the Vile du
Hayre. / heard the ship cracking, and,
turning nay head round saw that the YES
sci would be under water Immediately. |
exclaimed to the gentleman who was
swimming by my side, Look behind you ;
the ship is going down. AS rule, when
a vessel sinks she reels and sshivers,' but
in this instance the ship went down for
ward. For a gnoment a mightier shrek
rent the air, and the cries from the vessel
Were evidently the outbreak of the last
great agony. Then all was peace where
all had been confusion, deathlike calm
succeeded noise and tumult, and | knew
that the good ship and the souls on board
her had sunk into watery grave. / should
like to add that our captain remained on
the bridge during the whole Of the scene,
and went down with the vessel. He was
rescued, however. in the course of an hour
afterward. All the officers saved were
picked up out of the water, with one single
exception. viz, the first lieutenant, who
left by command of the captain, in a boat
for the English ship in order to ascertain
whether it was sinking or able to receive
the passengers. There were fifteen officers
in all, and only six of these remained to
tell the tale. With regard to myself, !
swan in the direction [ before indicated
for half an hour, but when l did succeed
IN getting close to the ship missed the
ropes throwni out to me. | continued
swimming for ten minutes or quarter OF
an hour longer, when | was picked up by
a life-boat belonging to the Loch Erne. .
A PASSENGERS ACCOUNT OF THE ACCIDENT.
The following story of the disaster is re
lated by Mr.. G, B. Waite of New York
The awful rapidity with which theship
went down after she was struck is scarcely
credible. We were sleeping TRANQUILITY IL
our berths when dreadful crash and the
shivering of the vessel awoke us in a mo-
ment. The passengers-men, women and
children-ruslled on deck, some of them
half dressed, others in their night dresses
At once we saw the extent of the accident
which had occurred. There were the bows
of large sailing vessel projecting over tht
deck, and there, too. was a frightful hole
in the side of our steamer, through whiel
the water was rushing furiously in. tn,