Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1874-01-01
Helena, Montana, Thursday, January 1, 1874
Further Particulars Concerning the
Loss Of the Steslmcr Vile du l1;AVrc.

LOSS o. the steamer VlIlc q l1slVfc.
New YORK, December 23.-Thc Trib"ne
tomorrow will publish a second letter from
Randolph 4. Williams, Jr., who was pas
sengcr on the ill-fatcd steamer Vile tlu Havre,
to his father, in this city. He writes as fol
lows: In lny last gave you C. sketch Of my
experience in connection with the sinking
Of the Vile du Havre. will now give you
my opinion concerning the cause of the acci
dent, etc. From all that l can gather from
the officers and men conclude that the blame
lies entirely with TIE officer on watch on the
steamer, " hose duty it was to get oUt OF the
way Of the I.och Earn. 1t appears that in
stead OF doing this he did the very opposite,
Altering the course Of the steamer so as to
run right across the hows Of the Loeb Earn,
ut least SO say, the officer who was on watch
on tic latter boat at the time of the collision.
In any case it is an acknowledged rule Of the
sea that Il steamer is bound to get out OF the
way ct Il sailing craft. and as the night was
magnticently clear and calm the accident can
only haye occurred through some ineXcusable
blunder of those i'll charge Of the steamer.
After the accident had occurred, if it can he
called such, and while the slip was sinking,
the officers and crew behaved in the most
cowardly manner, the latter l know did, and
therefore believe were looking out for them
selves, leaving the women and children to
look out for themselves, the only exception
that saw being the doctor, Mr.. Audmont,
whom | saw three or four minutes before the
ship went down going below, and told him
that he would not have time to get up again,
to which he answered that he must look after
! those who were crushed in their state-rooms,
| but he never came up again. A significant
| fact and one needing no comment, is that not
| Il single passenger was taken from the sink
! ing ship by the boats, all being picked up i'll
| the water, while at least twenty of the officers
and crew reached the Loch Earn without
wetting as hluch rs the soles of their shoes.
VI Captain SarmOnt's conduct know moth
Ing. Those who saw him speak well OF him,
and 90 not thini, he is directly to blame for
the collision, although he is to blame for not
having his crew t'ldcr better discipline, and
for not having his L,ats in condition to be
promptly lowered. II great contrast with
the demOraliZed cCnditr,n of the crew wa
the GOODNESS of the passengers, even the wo
men and children, no screaming or running
about without an object The women were
in knots praying quietly, while the mct were
looking around for pieces of wood, or were
making efforts to get one of the boats cleal
Of the ship and which the crew had aban
doncd, so that it might float before the yes
sci sank. Language fails in expressing my
admiration of and gratitude to the gallantry
and generosity Of the officers and crew of th'
Loeb Earn and of the Tri-Menntain. Th'
former saved the greater part of us from th'
water, and both gave us clothing and did al
in their power to make lis as comfortable n
possible under the circumstances. The Frencl
crew, on the contrary. were a mob Of brute
and towards.