The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1884-05-02
DANGERS OF THE OCEAN.
G5APTIc ACCOUNT OF The GREAT-
EST LOSS EVER KNOWN.
The Disa>ter of I1S2-3O,O9O Men and
Sl0O,0O0 600 of Property $50 TO the
Bottom OF the Atlantic.

The DisaSJer of I7S1-3O,OoO Men and
100000 600 of Property $50 TO the
Bottom OF the Atlantic.
The recent sinking of the steamer Dan
iel Steinmann, near Sambro light, and
the dreadful loss of life accompanying
the occasion, renders, in connection with
the summer hegira to Europe all matters
pertaining to ocean travel of interest
Ocean disasters are of no rare occur
renee, but one took place over hundred
years ago whose very age makes it news
to the present generation. 1t was an
American Atlantic gale, and one fleet
went down in it whose loss of human
lives and property is unparalleled in his
tory. How many vessels and men went
down in that great September gale of
1882 will never be known; but ont of
the great "Blue Field" fleet, on its
homeward way from the West Indies
to England, and composed of about 100
ships, consisting of richly ladencd mcr-
chantmen, conveying men Of war, and
captured frigates and war vessels,
over sixty were never heard of, $1,000
men of that single fleet went down to
their graves in the Atlantic. and it was
estimated that the loss to England was
directly $50, 900, 600, or 500. 0O0, 600.
Truly for four days work there is moth
ing in the worlds history to reach it,
and though it occurred but yester-
day-to day it is nearly forgotten.
and of the thousands who pass
the Newfoundland banks it is
a very small percentage who know Of the
great graveyard of 1892 that lies in their
close vicinity. This doomed fleet was
sent back from the Mosquito coast in
charge of Admiral, afterward Lord,
Graves. Lord Rodney was in command
of the British vessels. and in connection
with Sir Thomas Hood. had captured nu-
merous French men-of-war from the
Counts de Grassc and d'Estang as well
as American vessels and hcavily-loadcd
merchantmen from both nations. These,
with large fleet of British merchant
men, all well loaded; transports and YES
sells returning with the sick and disabled,
were placed under convoy of Admiral
Graves, and the protection of the flag
ship Families, scvcnty-four guns, Canada
and Centaur seventy-four guns each,
frigate Pallas, thirty-six guns, Vile de
Paris, 40 guns, war vessels GloricuX,
Cation, Ardent, Jason, Hector and num-
Der of others. 1t has been estimated that
there were $500 cannon in this great
fleet, of about one hundred vessels The
vessels started on their disastrous voyage
July 20, and made slow progress against
heavy winds. On September 16 a heavy
gale sprang up in the afternoon, and on
board the flagship Families the top gal
lanG yards and masts We're sent down, the
sails furled and the ship brought to under
mainsail on the larboard tack.
The fleet was well punched around the
flagship and the other vessels speedily fol-
lowed her example so far as practicable.
During the night the wind was n gale,
when at o'clock on the morning of the
18th it whirled around into a directly
opposite quarter, took the Families by
the lee, her main and mizzon masts went
by the board, the foretop mast fell over
the starbolrd bow, numbers of the yards
broke in their sings, the tiller snapped,
the rudder was nearly torn off, and in
thirty seconds this or at, mortal giant
lay wreck on the crumpled tops of
seething ocean, swept to dead level by
a hurricanes knife-like hand. How many
of the consorting vessels went down in
that awful blast will never be known.
Nobly the great Families stood up
against fate. Her copper shcathing was
beaten Off the oakum left her seams and
the waters poured in. Now came the
fight for life. Gun after gun, cable after
cable, shot after shot and bower after
bower were given over as a sacrifice to
the wrath of the deep. Whips and
buckets and pumps were going in all
directions. Raw hides were stretched and
nailed fore and aft. 1t all prolonged the
vessels life, but could not save it, Gal
lantly she fought for existence until the
evening of the 10Th. Then part of her
orlop-dcck was in her hold, her seams
were gaping wide, she was a shaky rib
work of loose bolts and timbers, and
evidently settling forward. Some Of the
merchantmen that still remained above
water with their spars gone and sides
stove came as near to the rescue as DOS
sible, and with vast difficulty the crew
of the Families was scattered among
them. This done. and with hatred of
the storm that had wrecked their gallant
vessel, hatred that a seaman alone
knows, the torch was applied to her
magazine and the brave ship, with her
last gasp, detied her enemy and became
her own eXecutioner. Such was the fate
of the Families. OF the rest of that
great fleet, the gigantic Vile de Paris
with her ., 200 souls, went down with all
on board, and not a mortal eye saw her
sink. The Centaur, Glorieux, Hector
(men-of-wap and number of the mer-
chantmen went down like the vast Paris
with none to see their death and none left
to tell the tale of their final misericS. OF
the others, some were seen to sink, the
alarm pOnGS of others wprp heard and
some were seen to drive before the gale,
mastless, rudderless and helpless. About
twenty-five vessels out of the hundred
comprising the fleet are supposed to have
kept anoat. These reached different
ports in sad plights. Some brought up
at Halifax, some in Plymouth Sound,
others at Bristol, at Irish ports and in
France. This last refuge served to be
the mockery of misery The line ship
Canada, seventy four guns, was sighted