Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1884-05-09
DANGERS OF THE SEA.

DANGERS OF THE SEA.
80, 900 Wen and 500 1900, 900 of Prop
crty 60 10 the Bottom Of the At d.
Iautic.
From the Reading Times and Oespatch.l
|. Ocean disasters are of no rare occur
renee, but one took place over n hundred
years ago, whose very age makes 1t news
to the present generation. 1t was an Am
erican-Atlantic gale, and one fleet went
down in it whose loss Of human lives and
property is unparalleled in human histo-
ry. How msny vessels and men went
down i'll that great September gale of
1TS2 will never be known but ont of the
great Blue Field fleet, on its home ward
way from the West Indlas to England,
and composed of about 100 ships, consist
ing richly ladened merchantmen, convoy.
ing men-of-war, and captured frigates
and war vessels, over sixty We're never
heard of, 30, 900 men of that single fleet
went down to their graves i'll the Atlantic,
and 1t was estimated that the loss to Eng
land was directly 500, 900, 900 or 800, 900,
600. Truly for four days work there Is
nothing in the worlds history to reach it.
and though 1t occurred but yesterday, to-
day 1t IL nearly forgotten, and OF the
thousand who pass the Newfoundland
banks it is very small percentage who
know of the great graveyard of 11S2 that
lies III their close vicinity. This doomed
fleet was sent back from the Mosquito
coast in charge of Admiral, afterward
Lord Graves 1t has been estimated thar
there We're 3, 800 cannon i'll this great fleet
of about 100 vessels. These vessels start
ed on their disastrous voyage July % and
made slow progress against head winds
On the 10th of September heavy gale
sprang up in the afternoon, and on board
the flagship Families the topgallant
yards and masts were sent down, the
sails furled and the ship brought to under
Il maiusail on the lalbOard tack. The
fleet was well punched around the flag
ship, and the other vessels speedily fol
lowed her example so far as practicable.
During the night the wind was IL gale f.
:. f., when at three o'clock on the morn
ing of the 18th 1t whirled around into IL
directly opposite quarter, took theRamil-
lies by the lee, her main and mizzen
masts went by the board, the foretop
mast fell overthe starboard bow, numbers
of the yards broke in their slings, the til
Ter snapped, the rudder was nearly torn
off and in thirty seconds this great NOR
tai giant lay wreck on the crumpled tops
of a seethlng ocean, swept to Il dead lev
el by hurricanes knifelike hand. How
many of the consorting vessels went down
in that awful blast will never be known.
Nobly the great Families stood W
against fate. Her copper sheeting was
beaten off, the oakum left her seems and
the water poured in. Now came the
fight for life Gun after gun, shot after
shot and bower after bower were given
over sacrifice to the wrath or the deep
Whips and buckets and pumps We're 60
ing in all directions. Raw hides were
stretched and nailed fore and aft. 1t al
prolonged the vessels life but could moi
save it. Calamity she fought for exist
, ence until the evening of the 10Th. Thel
a part of her orlop deck was in her hold
her seams were gaping wide she was /
shaky ribwork of loose bolts and timbers
and evidently settling forward. Some o
the merchantmen that still remained abov,
water with their spars gone and side!
stove in came as near to therescue as pos
sible and with vast difficulty the crew
, of the Ramlllles was scattered amont
, them. This done, and with n hatred o
the storm that had wrecked their gallan
vessel, a hatred that seamen alone know
, the torch was applied to her magazine anC
the brave ship, with her last gasp, detieC
her enemy and became her own eXecu
toner. Such was the fate of the Ramil
lies. OF the res; of that great fleet, th
, gigantic Vile de Paris, with her 200
souls, went down with all on board, an,
+ not mortal eye saw her sink. The Cen
+ taur, Glorieux, Hector, (men-of-war) ant
and II number OF the merchantmen wen
down like the vast Paris-with none t.
a see their death and none left to tell the tai
: of their final mlseries. OF the others
!, some were seen to sink, the alarm gong
I OF others were heard, and some were see
to drive before the gale, mastless, ruddel
| less and helpless. About twenty-five YES
sells out of the hundred comprising til
"a fleet are supposed to have kept ahoat
: These reached different ports in sa
, plghts. Some brought mp Mt Halifax
: some at Plymouth Sound, others at BnF
. tol, at Irish ports and in France. Thi
q last refuge served to be the mockery {
g misery. The line-ship Canada, seventy
. four guns, was sighted by the survivor
n of the American-Atlantic tornano half hu
j., down, having her maintop and mizzel
# mnsts gone with her mainyard aloft an
p. the sail blown from the gasket. The in
q preston was that she would go down
p the bottom, But she dld not With
r. marvelously fleet heel she outstnppe
= the SURVIVORS, and ran into Portsmouth
# England, Ocaober 4. There she seattle
- ed the news of the dire fate that had owe
# taken the majestic Blue Field fleet. I'll
.e news WAS speedily waited across the chal
a mel to France, and the French pnvateei
Il swarmed forth to waylay the uuprotec
"a ed incoming victims of the gale, and cal
D, turcd number. 50 that after escapir
IS the jaws of the hurricane many fell int
IS the prisons Of France.