Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1882-05-22
THE TERRIBLE ICE.
Further Details Of tho LOSS of the Western

STEAMER SUNK IN TWENTY MINUTES.
Further Details of tho LOSS of the Western
Belle.
On our outside pages, the news of the
day, is an account of the crushing of the
steamer "Western Belle" by ice. Further
advices to the Herald give the followin g
details:
At quarter past eight the watch on
deck were startled by a huge, unpropor.
toned ghost-like something bearing down
upon them, while the watch below heard
the quick, sharp cry of "Ice ahead :" in
stantly followed by the order, Hard up
the helm! ~ The next instant there was
a crash, and before the men could rise
from their feet the water was pouring into
the ship in tons through a breach in her
port bow. Confusion ruled for the next
five minutes, as every man felt that the
vessel was soon to sink from under him
and acted for himself. She was fast set.
ting by the head, while the huge, phan-
tom. like iceberg passed ON astern Of the
ship and was lost to view as suddenly as it
had come upon them. The carpenter and
captain were quickly below to ascertain
the damage. The next order was, "Cut
away the boats.'' There were two in
number and were lashed upon skids in the
manner of most sailing vessels. The cap
tain got the twelve men to take one boat.
The mate had charge of the other and
some men worked for dear life to get her
launched others skulkcd about terror
stricken. cit was more by good luck
than good management we did it, }" said
the mate. There was no time to load hel
with provisions. The lashings had been
cut with the carpenters axe, and every
thing was done that could be done to
facilitate tie launching of the captains
boat.
"Come away, Captain: come away tc
our boat the ships not going to stay
alloat till you get your boat out ~ shouted
the mate. "For Gods sake, come away
come all of you we have room for you al
in our boat ~ Still tho captain and his
men stuck to their places at the boat.
John Kelly, the whcelsman, refused all
entreaties to enter the boat, and died al
his post. The mate, noticing that the
stern of the vessel was lifting, ordered his
men to pull astern. There was a heavy
sea running and a binding rain. There
might have been twenty vessels to succOl
them within a mile, and yet none coul(
have been seen.
The mate, sitting in his boat, waited a
little and watched anxiously the sinking
ship, while tho carpenter sat at the helm
All at once the stern of the Western Belle
rose higher and the mate called out to hi:
men;
"Pull away, menu
They pulled with will, but got no far
ther than ships length from the vessel
when she disappeared from view, going
down like diver. 1t was less than q
minutes from the time she struck that tht
ship went down. Thirteen persons were
in and around the boat on deck which the,
were trying to launch, but no one of them
tloated. II they did they uttered no cry
that could DO heard by the survivors in
the boat. Nothing could DO seen of either
captain or crew.
1t was questionable whether the surviv'
ors were much better off. They were il
an open boat with no provisions. They had
saved no clothing, and tho carpenter was
in his shirt and drawers without shoes
The sea was running high, and all that
could be done was to keep the boats head
to the sea, bail her out when she wa:
swamping and wait for morning. Th'
cold was intense. There was no water
found floating near by. 1t had come VI
from the wreck. The crew had no heart
for work. Several gave themselves up fOl
lost and lay down in tho bottom of the
boat refusing work of any kind.
At length, late in the afternoon, shil
was sighted. She proved to be the Presi
dent, Norwegian vessel, and the same
which had been seen in the afternoon. Sh'
was bound for Quebec, and received the
survivors of the Western Belle with tru'
hospitality. After fifteen hours of expos
ure tho crew were hardly able to hell
themselves, and some of them had to b.
helped over the side. The mate was 81
benumbed he could hardly speak, and re-
marked that in few hours more, had the!
not seen the President, there would hav'
boen a boat full of dead men driftin!
about