Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1874-01-16
The Vile du Havrc Disaster,

space TO this calamity, but the following
from letter by Miss Bulkley, who wa
: saved, to her brother In New York, vii
be read with sad interest:
A little after two, we were aroused b,
; a terrific crash, fierce sound of the whis
tie, and human shrieks; rushed int,
the hall. The state-rooms were dark
| met first steward, who answered m,
nothing, then the surgeon of the ship
who said "rien du TUT" However,
called out to Helen and Dallie to dresl
themselves at once, then went again te
the hall and met Mrs. Belknap, who
told me to get upon deck as quickly as
possible. Then heard there had been q
collision. My idea was at once that we
must get ready for the life-boats, so
told the children to put on their warm
est clothes, and take their satchels with
their valuables. We we're dressed in a
moment. Could not pass the main stair
case. 1t was just there the collision had
taken place. | did not know this at the
time, but seeing crowd there, felt
there was not moment to lose, so hur-
ried back with the children and rushed
up the steerage stairs. On deck all was
confusion and darkness, great flames
bursting out Of the ventilator, the life
boats filled with sailors yelling and
screaming. We walked down the deck
to the front OF the saloon cabin, Just
where we bid you all good-by." On
the right / saw life-boat black with
sailors. at once said to myself, there
is no hope for US here; these men will
swamp the boat. was des-
perately calm knew we were in peril,
yet never dreamed that we could be
sinking. A great-ship loomed up before
us at short distance, then / thought
there must be help. Miss Murray and
her brother, and Mrs. Platt, (Mrs.
Sturge's frienda,) all stood by US also
Judge Peckham and his wife, from AL
bany; Mr.. and Mrs. Montague. with
their young daughter. We were all per-
fectly calm. A young man named Mr..
Wait, son of the proprietor of the Bre-
voort House, came up and told me he
was going to try, with several other gen.
tlemen, to cut away life-boat for us.
Poor fellows! Had they found an ak or
knife five minutes sooner, they might
have succeeded, but in another moment
the mast fell, with an awful crash, lust
by US. Good God, we shipwrecked,
cried Mrs. Plat; but still hoping there
might be some organized system of res
cue going on which we did not see, / re-
piled /; Perhaps it has been cut away
on purpose" We could hear nothing of
what the danger was. Mrs. Platt burst
out in an eloquent song Of prayer. Lal-
lie and /, with Helen, clung to each 9th
er. A beautiful young Creole girl, Miss
Tourcol, joined US, and with pleading
voice said. may stay with you" So
we stood together another in
slant and the water rushed over the deck,
reaching the spot where we stood.
We heard Mr.. Waits voice crying to us,
I" Rush to the other side;" we started
together. and the next second we had
gone down with the vessel. As the wa
ters washed over us, some tremendous
force parted Lallie from me; desperately
| clung to her dress, but this, too, slipped
from my fingers, and | was alone with
my God. | knew that was drowning
all the sufferings of strangulation were
upon me, and ! had not the faintest hope
of life, yet my consciousness never de-
serted me, and when / found my head
rising above water, / was almost horri-
fed with surprise-my hand struck
hard substance, and clutched an iron
chain suspended from boat; it was up
set, but sailors were clinging to the up |
raised keel-instinctively / felt there ,
could be no help from them. so / spoke |
not a word in few moments the boat h
was broken to pieces; the men clung to
the fragments. and friendly plank /
struck me on the cheek. / recollected |
that in this position person could be |
sustained sometime, SO rested lightly I
upon 1T; one by one all these men dis. /
appeared from around me barrels and '
aoating timbers, then one woman foated t
hear me and disappeared again / was I
llone with my plank on the mighty t
'cean. | was not struggling for life, on. 7
y passively resting on my frail support.
was conscious that l was drifting off
rom the ship aud had not the faintest d
hought of succor, for / had not seen e
ife-boat, nor knew that one person from b
he steamer had been rescued. Sudden. b
y | felt a triangular piece of timber n
loaf under my feet, ard found that | &
ould rest upon it. Again / foated on Ii
With the plank under my chest and the t.