Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-02-05
a nm N at this time

to recall the circumstances of the latter
event seems appropriate at this time.
Briefly told the story Is as follows: The
Arctic was one of the large liners of her
time (having cost 500, 0GO t6 buildD and
was homeward bound from Liverpool,
when. at noon September %. 1854. sixty
five miles off the southeast point of New
foundland, in a dense fog. she was struck
just abaft her bow by the propeller Nesta.
The Vesta. like the Florida in the re-
cent disaster. had her bow completely
crushed off: but, strange to say for those
days. she had been fitted with a bulk
head. which, being reinforced by ma
terials at hand. kept out the water suffi-
GENTLY to enable her to reach port
Capt. Luce of the Arctic. not knowing
his own vessel had been seriously dam
aged, hunted up the Vesta and steamed
around her twice, and then headed for
home again.
When too late it was found that the
Arctic had three punctures, two of which
were below the water line. and that the
Vesta's anchor had ben left immovably
damned in one or two of them; and al
though strenuous endeavors were made to-
stop the holes and TO keep down the
water with both steam and hand pumps,
in one hour the fires were quenched.
But the ship did not sink for five hours
after the collision. and all the 226 pas
sengers mot including children and all
Of the crew. numbering 115, could have
been saved but for the misconduct and
QeSertiOn OF most OF the crew, ana the
terror and unmanageability of the pas
sengers.
Only few kept their heads and acted
with good sense.
Principal among these We're Capt Luce.
Third Mate Dorian and Mr.. George II
Burns. Adams Express manager. who
worked heroically to build and provision
a large raft. but whose efforts were al
most nulified by the frequent panics
among the passengers.
mt C 10 "a
server, saying he would accept none
while any woman on board was without
one.
Meanwhile young Stewart Holland. who
was an assistant engineer. kept firing
signal guns in hopes OF summoning as
sistance.
just before the Arctic sank Mate Do
rian. who was in charge of the only re-
naming boat called to Holland to jump
into ,the boat but he refused. And Just
as the water curled over the ships sides
his last gun doomed over the sea and he
went down with all who were still on the
ship. including all The women and chill
dren, among whom were Capt Luces
wife, his daughter and his heroic little
SON.
The captain went down with his ship
but was rescued.
Stewart Holland was about twenty-five
years old and had been an employee in
the Washington navy yard.
His father. Isaac Holland, then resided
in Washington 18th street above
Pennsylvania avenue. and was once one
of the doorkeepers of the United States
Senate.
The courage and self-sacrifice of Stew
art Holland made a tremendous sensation
here. and a popular subscription was
started to erect q memorial TO him, but
for various reasons the enterprise lam
guished and failed
That the public will ever erect a monu-
ment to his memory is now very doubtful.
but his relatives will always be proud of
the heritage of glory he bequea he'd them,
his old friends will cherish his memory
as precious possession and his name
will never he forgotten as long as dis
interested devotion, even unto DEATH
has an admirer.
ROBT. H. HARNESS.