Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1884-05-02
DANGERS OF THE OCEAN.
GRAPHIC ACCOUNT OF THE GREAT
EST LOSS EVER KNOWN.
The Disaster of 11S2-30 ,O90 Men ana
100000, 900 of Property 60 TO the
Bottom OF the Atlantic.

The Disaster of I1S2-sO, 900 Men ana
S1OO.O0O,O0 of Property 60 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 a hundred
years ago whose very age makes it news
to the present generation. 1t was an
American-Atlantic gale, and one feet
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 out of
the great "Blue Field" fleet, on its
homeward way from the West Indies
to England, and composed of about 100
slips, consisting of richly lodnnpd nnor-
chantmen, conveying men of-war, and
captured frigates and war vessels,
over sixty were never heard of, 10000
men of that single fleet went down to
their graves in the Atlantic, and it was
estimated that the loss to England was
directly e20, 100000 or $100, 900, 900.
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
very small percentage who know of the
great graveyard of 1882 that lies in their
close vicinity. This doomed fleet was
sent back from the Musquito 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 Grasse and d'Estang, as well
as American vessels and heavily-loaded
merchantmen from both nations. These,
with largo feet of British merchant
men, all we'll loaded; transports and ves-
sells returning with the sick and disabled,
were placed under convoy of Admiral
Graves and the protection of the flag
ship Families, seventy-four guns, Canada
and Centaur seventy-four guns each,
frigate Pallas, thirty-six guns, Ville-de-
Paris, 110 guns, war vessels Glorieux,
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 25, 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-
liant yards and masts were sent down, the
sails furled and the ship brought to under
mainsail on the larboard tack
The fleet was we'll punched around the
flagship and the other vessels speedily fol
lowed her example so far as practicable
During the night the wind was 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 mizzen masts went
by the board, the foretop mast fell ovel
the starboard bow, numbers of the yards
broke in their sings, the tiller snapped
the rudder was nearly torn off, and II
: thirty seconds this great, mortal gian
lay wreck on the crumpled tops OF
seething ocean, swept to dead-leVel b.
; hurricanes knife-like hand. How man.
of the consorting vessels went down il
! that awful blast will never be known
Nobly the great Families stood VI
against fate. Her copper sheathing wa
beaten off, the oakum left her seams an(
, the waters poured in. Now came tn
fight for life Gun after gun, cable afte
! cable, shot after shot and bower afte
| bower were given over as sacrifice t.
the wrath of the deep. Whips an
| buckets and pumps were going in a
directions. Raw hides were stretched an
D nailed fore and aft 1t all prolonged tn
vessels life, but could not save it. Gal
\ lantly she fought for existence until tn
+ evening of the 10th. Then part of he
: orlop-deck was in her hold, her seam
: were gaping wide, she was a shaky rit
j work of loose bolts and timbers, an
evidently settling forward. Some of th
r merchantmen that still remained abov
i water with their spars gone and side
+ stove came as near to the rescue as pos
f sible, and with vast difficulty the ere
n of the Families was scattered anon
n them. This done, and with hatred {
/ the storm that had wrecked their gallal
s vessel, hatred that seaman alor
;. knows, the torch was applied to h
J. magazine and the brave ship, with HI
d last gasp, defed her enemy and becan
g her own executioner Such was the fa
# of the Families. Of the rest of tn
4 great fleet, the gigantic Vile de Pari
rt with her 1000 souls, went down with
# on board, and not mortal eye saw h
" sink. The Centaur, GlorieuX, Hect
d (men- of-war) and number of the me
w chantmen went down like the vast Paris
+o with none to see their death and none le
\ to tell the tale of their final miseries.
w the others, some were seen to sink, t
se alarm gongs of others were heard, al
4 some were seen to drive before the ga
n mastless, rudderless and helpless Abo
n twenty-five vessels out of the hundr
to comprising the fleet are supposed to ha
no kept a6oat. These reached ditfere
D, ports in sad plights. Some brought
t. at Halifax, some In Plymouth Soun
40 others at Bristol, at Irish ports and
~ France This last refuge served to
v the mockery of misery The line sh
IT, Canada, seventy four guns, was sight
o. by the survivors of the American Atl9
no tic tornado half hull down, having
main-top and mizzen-masts gone, wi
her main yard aloft and the sail bloN
from the gasket. The impression
%. that she would go down to the botto
-, But she did not. With marvelou
u, no fleet heel she outstripped the entire s
~ u. vivors, and ran into Portsmouth, El
ie - land October 4. There she scatter
~ ~ the news of the dire fate that had ov
Ibo So taken the majestic Blue Field fleet ]