The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1884-05-21
DANGERS OF THE OCEAN.
aRApH1o ACCOUNT OF THE GREAT
EST WRECK KNOWN.

aRApH1o ACCOUNT OF The aRnAT-
EST WRECK KNOWN.
The Disaster of 17S2-3O,000 Men n
500, 900 900 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 hcgira 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
wears ago whose very age makes it news
to the present generation. 1t was an
Aherican-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
homcward way from the West Indies
to England, and composed of about loo
ships, consisting Of richly ladcned mer.
chantmen, conveying men-of-war, and
captured frigates and war vessels,
ovcr sixty were never heard of, 30,OOO
men of that single fleet went down to
their graves in the Atlantic, and it was
estimated that the loss to England was
directly geo, 600, 900, u 500, O0O, 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
a 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 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-
mcrous French men-of-war from the
Counts de Grasse and d'Estang. as well
as American vessels and heavily-loadcd
merchantmen from both nations. These,
with a large fleet of British merchant
men, all well loaded; transports and YES
sc,s returning with the sick and disabled,
were placed under convoy of Admiral
Graves, and the protection of the flag
ship Families, scventy-four guns, Canada
and Ccntaur sevcnty-four guns each,
frigatc Pallas, t~hirty-siX guns, Nillc-de-
Paris, 40 guns, war vessels G'orlcuX.
Cation, Ardent, Jason, Hector and a 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 %. and made slow progress against
heavy winds. On September 1G 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 furlcd and the ship brought to under
a mainsail on the larboard tack.
The fleet was well punched around the
flagship and the other vessels speedily fol-
lowed her example SO far rs practicable.
During the night the wind was a gale,
when Mt 3 o'clock on the morning OF the
18th it whirlcd around into Il directly
opposite quarter, took the Families by
| the lee. her main and mizzcn masts went
by the board, the forctop mast fell over
the starboard bow, numbers of the yards
broke in their sings, the tillcr snapped,
the rudder was nearly torn off, and in
thirty seconds this graf, mortal giant
Law a wreck on the crumplcd tops of a
| scething ocean, swept to a dtad-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 wei rs 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 a part Of her
orlop-deck 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 rs near to the rescue as pos
sible, and with vast difficulty the crew
of the Families was scattered among
them. This done, and with a hatred of
the storm that had wrecked their gallant
vessel, a hatred that a caman alone
knows, the torch was applied to hcr
magazine and the brave ship, with her
last gasp, dcfed her enemy and became
her own cxccutioncr. Such was the fate
of the Families. Of the rest of that
great fleet, the gigantic Vile de Paris,
with her 1000 souls, went down with all
on board, and not n mortal eye saw her
sink. The Ccntaur, Gloricux, Hector
(men-of-war) and a number of the mcr-
| chantmen went down like the vast Paris
with none to see their death and none left
to tell the tale of their final miseries. OF
| the others, some were seen to sink, the
| alarm gongs of others were heard, and
| some were seen to drive before the gale,
mastlcss, rrAdcrlcss and helpless. About
twenty-five vessels out of the hundred
comprising the fleet arc supposed to have
kept ailoat. 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 mockcry of misery. The line ship
Canada, seventy. four guns, was sighted
by the survivors of the American-Atlan-
tic tornado half hull down, having her
main.top and mizzcn-masts gone, with
her main yard aloft and the sail blown
from the gasket. The impression was
that she would 60 down to the bottom.
But she did not. With q marvclously
fleet heel she outstripped the entire sur
| vivors, and ran into Portsmouth, Eng
land, October 4. There she scattered
the news of the dire fate that had over
taken the majestic Blue Field fleet. The
news was speedily waited across the
| channel to France, and the French priva'
tecrs swarmcd forth to waylay the I'M
protected incoming victims OF the gale,
and captured u number. So that after
escaping the jaws of the hurricane many
fell into the prisons of Franco. Pitts
| burg Chronicle telegraph.