Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1875-06-26
ANOTHER STEAMER LOST.

sinks with about Forty Persons ON
Board.
The steamer State of Georgia, from
Glasgow for New York, picked up boat
in which were five sailors in an exhaust
ed condition, who, ON being tenderly
cared for are able to tell their sad tale,
and developed the fact that the steamer
Vicksburg, from Quebec for Liverpool,
had sunk off the coast of Newfoundland
with all on board, in consequence of be-
ing cut down by ice. Three boats got
away, containing forty four persons of
whom but these five have been heard
from as yet, and the probabilities are
that the balance have persisted, as the
disaster occurred one hundred and
twenty miles from st. Johns, N. B., in
the midst of heavy floating ice.
James Crowley, the boatswain's mate,
one of the five survivors, makes the fol-
lowing statement We left Quebec on
Thurdsay morning, May ~, on our way
from Montreal to Liverpool. Our crew
consisted of over sixty men, and there
were on board eight saloon passengers,
of whom three were ladies and five were
gentlemen, and about twenty in the
steerage, of whom four were females.
On Sunday we fell in with ice, and in
little while were surrounded by it. 1t
was field ice, and there were many very
large cakes floating. The ship was
stopped until daylight, and then she pro-
ceeded on her way again. Very little
ice was seen until Monday evening, when
we were again surrounded by it, and it
was soon found that the ice was too
heavyto allow the ship to drive through.
All hands were ordered to shorten sail,
and the ship was headed to the south.
At midnight we struck the ice heavily,
and the engines were Immediately re
versed. 1t was found that the blow had
been received aft on the port quarter,
and the fans of the propeller had been
broken off and hole knocked through
the iron plating, causing serious leak,
through which the water came rapidly.
Sails and other stuff, whatever we could
get hold of, were brought and stuffed
into the hole, 50 that this leak was pretty
effectually stopped, but the ship had made
so much water that she was in serious
danger and the order was given to throw
the cargo overheard. While this work
was going on, the second officer and
were ordered to clear away the boats.
This was about six A. NJ. on Tuesday,
June 1. Soundings were again ordered
by the captain, and six inches of water
were found in the forward wells, and
five feet and half in the MANIFOLD
wells. The steerage was then full of
water, and shortly after the report came
from the engineer that the water had
risen 50 as to drown out the fires in the
engine room.
All hope of saving the ship was then
given up, as she could never have been
managed with her sails alone, being as
low down in the water as she was. We
got orders Immediately to man our
boats, and preparation was made for
putting into the boats such things as we
would need until we might be picked up
or get to shore. The captain told us all
particularly that the distance to st.
Johns was one hundred and twenty
miles, and that it lay northwest from
where we were. proceeded to care for
my boat, No, 1, into which number of
things were being put, and in which the
ladies would have gone, it being the
captains boat. In launching her she
was capsized, and everything that had
been put in, excep ting compass and
part of her provisions, was lost. With
fourof the men l got into her and began
balling out the water, when we dis
covered that we had drifted some little
ways from the steamer.
About this time we saw the second
officers boat lowered all clear, with nine
hands and himself in her. She came
round the bow, and pulled to windward
about sixty yards. The ship sunk about
ten o'clock, floating boat No. 2 from
her chocks with the chief officer and
about thirty people in her. She got
clear and pulled to the windward.
O'Brien, after the ship went down, saw
the captain and some persons floating on
a bale Of hay among the wreckings
We tried all we could to pick them up,
but owing to the boat being half full of
water and the ice about were not able to
do SO. We shipped our mast, kept
company with the other boats for about
two hours, and then lost sight of them to
the westward.
All that we had in the boat besides the
spars and oars was compass and few
provisions. Our beef and bread, forty
pounds of the first and fourteen pounds
of the other, were wet with salt water,
and we could not eat the bread. We
had nothing, therefore, but the beef to
eat, and on this we lived until we were
picked up. Fortunately we had three
gallons Of water, and we were very spar
ing of this, although there was little of
it left when we were rescued. We suf-
fered terribly from the cold, having
nothing to protect us. We sailed and
drifted about in our misery until about
1870 Saturday morning, when we sighted
the State of Georgia. She was dead tc
windward, but we got out our oars and
pulled with will until we reached her,