The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1892-07-16
HE DIED LIKE A MAN.

ing its course among Atlantic steamers
The loss of no fewer than five large yes
sells had already been chronicled when
on the Sd day Of October, news reached
New York that the Arctic, of the Col
Inns line of Liverpool steamers, hat
gone down under circumstances Of pc
culiar interest and horror.
She was one Of the finest vessels O
her time. She was side wheeler, hat
cost 800, 900, and was insured for $500,
900.
On Wednesday, Sept. 81, 1854, she wa
on her return trip to New York witt
220 passengers exclusive OF children)
mostly homeward bound tourists;
crew Of 175, valuable cargo and {
heavy mail, and had gotten within sixty
five miles of Cape Race, the southeastern
extremity of Newfoundland, when, ex
actly at noon, while stearning through
dense fog, she was struck by the
propeller Vesta, bound from st. Peters
to Granville.
Although the Arctic had two men il
the lookout at tho time of the accident
the fog was 50 thick that the Vesta was
not sighted until within minute of the
time of the collision.
Tho Arctic was making twelve miles
an hour and tho Vesta eight, and they
struck head on. The stern Of the Vesta
struck about twelve or fifteen feet abaft
the stern of tho Arctic. At the moment
of collision the Arctic was on the crest
OF large wave or swell, while the
Vesta was in the corresponding trough
and the bow Of the Arctic being ele.
waited the Vesta struck her below the
water line. The anchor of the vesta
was driven through the timbers of the
Arctic and broken, and part OF it was
left sticking in the orifice. The Arctic
was pierced in three places, two of the
breaks being below the water line. The
Vesta had about ten feet of her bow
literally stove In and crushed off, and
when Captain Luce, of the Arctic, hur-
ried on deck and saw the vesta he
thought sho must Immediately go down.
He dispatched his first mate, Mr..
Gomley, and boats crew to the Vesta
to offer assistance, and turned his own
vessel in the direction the Vesta. had
taken, and, reaching her vicinity, he
steamed twice around her.
He found to his surprise that no as
sistance was needed. The Vesta,
though in appearance a nondescript
craft, was provided with a bnlllhead.
which, REINFORCED by 100 mattresses,
piailiasses and other effects of the crew,
kept out the water sufficiently Especially
after the foremost had been cut away)
to keep the vessel aioat until she reach
ed port with the 149 persons who still
remained aboard her.
Soon after the collision Captain Du-
chesne, of the Vesta, dispatched bout
with crew of ten men to the Arctic to
offer assistance, but in attempting to
board the Arctic their boat was CAP
sized and all but ono of its crew were
lost, either by being struck by the wheel
of the Arctic or by drowning, or both.
The single survivor was saved by the
crew of the Arctic. Mate Gomley, of
the Arctic. lost his way in the fog and
did not get back to his ship, but eSentu-
ally reached shore.
1t was not until shortly after the Arc
tic had resumed her holneward course
that the gravity of her injuries was dis
covered. She was found to be taking
water rapidly, and efforts were made to
stop the break in her hull by passing
sails under her and by thrusting mat
trcsses and pillows into the holes. The
anchor chains were thrown overheard
to tighten her bow, but the fragment of
the Vesta's anchor was wedged in the
timbers SO firmly that it was impossible
to dislodge 1t or to get the sails close
enough to her to keep out the water.
The seriousness of the situation now
became apparent to Captain Luce. The
Vesta was out of sight in the fog and
a considerable distance away, beyond
hearing Of the signal guns. He headed
for Cape Race, some forty-five
to sixty miles away. For half an hour
good speed was made, but the lower
fires were then quenched by the rising
water, although the steam handpumps
were both at work. In another half
hour the upper fires were out, and then
the great chip was helpless wreck.
1t seems strange as we look back
at the occurrences of this sad day that
the outcome was so appalling But an
i'll fate seemed to hang over the vessel.
When Captain Duchesne, of the Vesta,
saw the Arctic steam twice around him,
he had no idea she was seriously hurt,
and afterward reported that no could
have accommodated all her passengers
and crew had he found out that they
needed assistance. He thought when
she parted from him that she had gone
straight to New York.
AS soon as Captain Luce found that
the Arctic must sink he took measures
to save his passengers. Even then, had
good order and discipline prevailed, all
could easily have been saved. The
Arctic floated for five and quarter
hours after the collision although no.
body knew but that she might go down
at any moment. The sea was smooth
and so remained for twenty-four hours,
and boats and RATS could easily have
gotten to land.
But 1t was not to be. A sad scene of
Insubordinetion and selfishness now be-
gan to be enacted, relieved, God be
praised, by some flashes of noble hero
SIN. ..-. .".
Five boats remained after the first
mate left. Four of these were taken by
the engineers, sailors, a few passengers
and the remaining officers, except Cap
tain Luce and Third Mate Francis Do
rian. The second mate, with two boats
and forty five passengers, reached shore.
Captain Luce, Third Mate Dorian and
George H. Burns, messenger of the
Adams Express company, started the
and provisioning of large
raft, while some of the passengers and
those of the crew who remained worked
at the pumps and fired signal guns.
The boat had been lowered to assist in
building the raft, and Captain Luce and
some of the male passengers were help
ing keep the crowd back when a panic
seized those on deck and thew rushed