Year: 1873

NKw YoEK, Februaryz


THE details of the terrible disaster to
the ship Northaeet are published, from
which it appears that Of half-past ten st
night, the Captain and others were alarm
ed by a cry from the officer Of the watch,
"a steamer Is right into MS :" The Cap
tain and pilot rushed on deck, but before
they got there the steamer had run into
the vessel, striking her smidsbips and
cutting her below water The car
penter quickly reported her nearly hat
full of water. The pumps we're starred
promptly, and the crew worked hard at
them for some minutes, but when it was
found that the water was rapidly gaining.
a panic seemed to seize both the crew and
passengers, and afterwards it was impos-
sible to keep the latter in check 4
crowd of men and women hsd rushed up
from their berths, many only half clothed
The passengers had mostly retired, but q
few were undressing. The noise OF the
collision is hkened by one of them TO
peal of thunder, and, such was the
violence of the shock, that those
standing were knocked down. 1t appears
the steamer rebounded and came q second
time in collision with the Northheet-
Water began to pour in, and in very
short time the passengers quarters were





rush on deck than the men, and many
were not in q condition to go till the
water rose tbreateniDgly around them.
No one on board the steamer was heard
to speak. although the loud and eager
shouts from the Northfeet must have
made her crew aware Of the terrible dam
ger that existed. She backed for two or
three minutes, and then stesming rapidly
away, was soon out of sight. For half an
hour the scene on the deck of the
Northfeet was appalling. Women
shrieked, men cursed and swore, and
fought their way toward the boats, whilst
the captain and first mate roared out com
mands TO the men TO keep back and allow
the women to get to the side of the vessel,
but apparently. without success Rock
cts were fired and blue lights burned
The gun was loaded, but the screws
of the ramrod became detached from the
handle, and the piece could not be dis
charged. The signals of distress
were seen by several vessels, but appear
to have been regarded as signals for n
pilot, for no assistance was rendered
Meanwhile the scene on deck battles de-
scriptlon. The Captain, finding the men
determined to leave the vessel, went ber
low, armed himself with revolver, and,
ascending the poop, declared his determi-
nation to shoot the first man who tried to
leave the vessel before the women were
saved The first boat launched Was,
lowered by the passengers, by cutting the
ropes There being no ladder at hand,
the only way to get into il was by lesping
or dropping some twelve or fifteen feet.
As there was q terrible rush towards the
boat, the scene was one of distressing
confusion, and a man and boy fell into
the water, and were drowned. The off,
GERS did all they could to force the men
who first got into the beat to leave it, that
the women might be saved, but to no
purpose. Even firing with blank cart
ridge, it is supposed at first, was unavail-
ing. About thirty persons. having got
into the boat, put off. Not one of the
crew was in it. Another life-boat was
ordered to leave. He refused, and the
Captain shot him in the calf Then Cap
tain Knowles placed his wife in the boat,
and said to the 5oatswain, who had al
ready got in, Here's q charge for you,
Boatswain. Take care of her and the
rest, and God bless you" Wringing his
wife's hands, he bade her good bye, say
ing. al shall never see you again" 1t Is
impossible to describe the panic that
ragged all this time Heartrending scenes
were witnessed on all sides. One of the
passengers, seeing the Captains wife in
the boat, threw his own wife in, tossed
the baby to her, and entered the boat
himself A little girl was throwniHto the
boat by her father, who tried to save the
rest of his family, but the seething, mad
dened crowd pressing toward the side Of
the vessel prevented, and with his wife
and two other children he went down
with the i'll fated vessel. The engineer
made frantic efforts to save his wife and
children, but was jammed between the
cook-house and the gunwale, and re-
ceived such dreadful injuries that,
although afterward rescued, he is
in a precarious state. Only two of
the seven boats aboard were launched, ,ow-
ing, no doubt, TO the panic, and they were
seriously injured. as the tackle was cut
and they fell into the sea- When the sec /,
ond boat had got of, it seemed to become
a question of moments. The quarterback
was still crowded by men, women and
children, some crying, swearing and pray
ing. The captain and pilot were together,
and the latter was heard saying, "lf you
want to save yourselves, make for the
topmast" To this many poor people
rushed In q quarter of an hour tug
picked up the second boat with thirty &C.
cupants, and then steamed for some time
around the spot where, about three-quar-
ters of an hour after being struck, the
Northfieet went down head first, with sw-
full suddenness, with S27 souls on board
At that moment the first boat was one
hundred yards, and the second only twen-
ty or thirty from the vessel. The
crew of the first boat. after landing the
women, rowed around the scene OF the
wreck, and saved five men try
ing to swim to shore. A lugger
took off the occupants of the sec
ond boat, thirty-fsur passengers. and
pilot-cutter rescued the pilot and ten men,
who, having gone down with the vessel,
rose tn the surface and clung to the main
topmast rigging. The vessel lies in elev-
en- fathoms of water. The survivors say
the Captain displayed the greatest hero
ism. and maintained his presence of mind
from first 10 last, strove hard TO put an
end to the panic, and did his duty brsv. ly
to the end. He was, at the last moment,
going across the wreck in hope of en-
abling some of the crowd, crushing round
the boats on that side, TO get away from
the ship. The survivors say other boats
got adrift when the ship sunk, and express
the belief that, If the passengers had al
lowed them to be lowered properly. there
could have been saved at least one hun
dred more lives. Unfortunately The wo-
men could not climb the masts, although
we did all in our power to help them;
all the womeH and chill
dren, with the exception of the captains
wife and another and two children, were
drowned. q 90


Cheer Him.