Fearful Collision at Sea.

Cromwell Argus, Volume V, Issue 224, 24 February 1874, Page 7

Fearful Collision at Sea.

At the beginning of December intelligence was received of the loss of the Ville du Havre, without one mitigating circumstance. She was one of the largest vessels afloat, with a tonnage of no less than 5100, and was a magnificent seaworthy ship, with an adequate accommodation for upwards of 1000 passengers. She was well provided with boats, her crew was large, her captain watchful and experienced. She was not deeply laden, and though on board her were many cabin passengers, she had not her full complement. All seemed going well. The fog which had beset the ship on'leaving New York had cleared away, and the night of the fatal occurrence v/as bright with starlight. The passengers'were asleep, when a fearful crash told them they had struck in mid-ocean. The Lochearn, a large vessel belonging to Glasgow, bound from Liverpool to New York, had struck the Ville du Havre on the starboard side, just about midships, striking a hole in her deck 12 feet deep, and breaking in the iron plates of the steamer for 25ft. or 30ft. The terror which prevailed among the passengers paralysed their efforts to save themselves, many giving themselves up to despair on hearing the water rushing into the vessel, and feeling that she was rapidly sinking, never quitted their state-rooms, fathers, mothers, and children going down together. At this moment there was no outcry, but all seemed to meet calmly the death that was soon to overtake them. From the force of the collision, the mainmast and mizenmast fell, smashing in their fall the two large boats of the steamer, and killing numbers of their occupants. In 12 minutes from the time of the collision the "Villo du Havre had sunk, and 236' persons were buried beneath the waves. So sudden was the catastrophe that not a single person was saved from deck. The captain, who had been for three days and three nights without sleep, was worn out with fatigue at the time of the collision. He went down with the ship, but was rescued an hour afterwards. He did everything in his power to assist in launching the boats. The officer who was in charge of the vessel has not been saved. The

boats of tho Lochearn and those of fcho Ville du Havre remained about the scene of the accident until all hope of* saving lifo was abandoned. , Many thrilling incidents are related by the survivors. In examining the bows of the Lochearn, it was found that sho was-much damaged, and about 8 o'clock in the morning an American ship, which was afterwards discovered to be the Tremountain, hove in sight. It was found that sho was bound from Bristol to New York, and after a second survey of the Lochearn, it was deemed advisable to transfer the survivors —B7 in number—to the Tremuntain, which vessel came to anchor in Cardiff Roads on the Ist inst. The news of the terible disaster produced a most painful impression in Havre, whither the Ville du Havre was bound. The captain and crew of the Lochearn were landed at Plymouth on the 6th. It appears from the statements of the chief officers and entries in the official log-book, that, after the collision, the Lochearn, although taking in little or no water, wa3 unable to sail. She remained in mid-ocean for two or three days, when a heavy gale came on, and the sea smashed in the bulk-heads and the sides of the compartments. The gale did not abate, water flowed in rapidly, and six days after the collision, by which time the ship British Queen had come up, the ship was abandoned. She could not at the best have floated more than a few hours after that. The British Queen was bound from Philadelphia for Antwerp. The Lochearn appears to have acted on the unquestionable rule at sea—that a steamer is bound to give way to a sailing ship. It appears thus that the blame of the collision lay wholly with the officers of the Ville du Havre'. The Lochearn showed all her side lights, rang her bell, and ported her helm—having observed that the steamer was approaching too near. When close to the bow, the steamer's helm was starboarded, and she was going across the bow of the Lochearn, when an order was given on the Lochearn to back the after yards. Before anything could be done, however, the two ships met with a tremendous crash, and the steamer sunk in fifteen minutes. The two lifeboats of the Lochearn were at once lowered to assist the Villo du Elavre, and kept out till daylight, when everyone floating among the wreck had been picked up—eighty-seven persons in all—the rest having gone down with the steamer.— London correspondent of the Daily Times.