LOSS OF THE NORTHFLEET.

Southland Times, Issue 1717, 21 March 1873, Page 3

LOSS OF THE NORTHFLEET.

«■ ■ (Times, January 24.) On "Wednesday nisjht, shortly after 11 o'clock, an appalling; catastrophe occurred in the Channel a few miles from Dover. The Northfleet, an emigrant chip, was run down while at anchor by a foreign steamer, and more than 300 lives were lost. The atmosphere at the time waß tolerably clear, with stara visible, but the weather looked threatening, and, a? a dead head wind was blowing, several outward bound ships had brought up for the evening in this part of the Channel. The Northfleet was a fine old ship of 940 tons, built some twenty yenra ago at a cost of £25,000, by Pitcher, at the Kentish riverside village from which she took her name. She was originally built for Mr Dent's China trade, afterwards became the property of Duncan Dunbar, and at his death was sold to John Patton, junr., and Co., of Liverpool and London, of whom she was lately chartered by the firm of Edwin Clark, Punchard, and Co., of Victoria-street, S.W., contractors for the Tasmanian Main Line Railway, to convey 350 railway laborers, with a certain number of women, and children under twelve years of age, to Hobart Town. The Northfleet left the East India Dock on Friday, the 17th. inst., with her full complement of paesengers, the officers and crew adding about forty souls, and completing a living freight of about 400 persons. There were not more than 450 tons of cargo on board, and these were chiefly iron rails acd railway material, all of which were stowed in the lower hold, the entire range of the ship between decks having been Sited up for passengers. Almost at the moment of the chip leaving the dock* her commander during the last fivp years, Captain Oatee, was stopped by a Treasury warrant of subpoena to attend the forthcoming Tichborne trial, it being understood that he was the laßt man who saw Sir Roger Tichborne when the latter left Hio. The vessel wag quite ready to sail when the Treasury warrant was served, and Messrs Patton, having perfect confidence in Captain Oates's chief officer, Mr Knowle.», gave the command of the ship to him, and allowed him to take on board with him the lady to whom he had been married about a month ago, and who is among the few saved. After leaving Grravesend the Northfleet encountered the full force of last week's stormy weather, and Captain Knowlea felt it prudent to anchor under the North Foreland, where she remained until Tuesday. The pasßen^ers meanwhile, though the ship was to some degree Mhrltered, suffered great inconvenieuce from the continuous bad weather. Captain Knowles, in a letter addressed to the owners on Monday, stated that the surgeon's hands were very full in attend ing upon the female passengers. Un Tuesday, the weather having slightly moderated, the Northfleet weighed anchor and sailed down Channel, and was reported at Lloyd's as having passed Deal " all well." On Wednesday she came to an anchorage at sunset off Dunueness, about two miles from shore, in what, is stated to have been about eleven fathoms water, between No. 1 and No. 2 batteries, and almost opposite the coast guard station. About 10 o'clock p.m. the ship was taut and comfortabje for the night. Almost ;>ll the passenuers had turned in, and none but the usual officer and men of the watch were on deck. Just ac the bells were striking the half hour after 10 the watch observed a large steamer outward bound in dangerous proximity, coining down directly towardi them. >he appeared to be going at full speed, and the frantic shouts of the watch, who called upon her to alter their course, roused Captain Knowles, who was on the atter-deck a moment before the steamer came broadside to the Northfleet, striking her almost amidships, making a clean breach in her timbers beneath the waterline, and actually crushing the mas»ive timbers traversing the main deck. Jhe shock is described by the survivors to have been like the concussion of a very powerful cannon, and oue of the strangest features of the catastrophe is that immediately after the collision the steamer cleared the ship, and before more than very few of the terrified passengers below could reach the deck ehe was altogether out of sight. Most of the passengers were awakened by the shock, and a fearful panic ensued. Captain Knowles w;is un deck immediately and acted with a calmneHs, promptitude, and decision that will cover hia memory with honor. Nutv?nhstauding the cries of alarm that were raided on board the emigrant ship, the steamer passed on her way without offer- '

ing the slightest assistance Captain Knowlea immediately ordereri rockets to be sent up, and other signals of distress to be made, and in the meantime directed the boats to be launched, giving imperative orders that the safety of the women and children should be first eecured. There was a disposition to s a t these orders at defiance, and on some of the crew crowding to the davits with a new of effecting their own safety, he drew a revolver, and declared he would shoot the first man who attempted to save himeelf before the women were cared for. Moat of the cr«w seemed to understand that the captain was not to be trifled with, but one man refused to obey the order, and the captain discharged the revolver. The bullet entered the man's leg just above the knee. Meantime the pumps \ were set to work, but with little or no ' effect, the water pouring in through the openings occasioned by the collision. The survivors describe the scene as heartrending. Many of the passengers were in their n'ght drespes, others had upon them only such scanty clothing as they could secure on quitting their berths. Children were screaming for their parent?, and parents searching in vain for their children ; while husbands and wives were hopelessly separated. The horror was increased by the darkness of night. The captain's wife was placed with other women in the longboat, under the charge of the boatswain, but tfee tackle being too suddenly set adrift, the boat vras utove in. By this time the City of London steam-tug had reached the spot, having perceived the signals of distress, and succeeded in rescuing nearly the whole of the occupants of the boat as well as several others of the passengers and crew, the number saved by the tug being thirty-four. She remained cruising about the spot till early yesterday morning, picking up such of the passengers as could get clear of the wreck, and in the hope of rendering assistance to those who had floated on fragmeats of the ship after she settled down. The Kingsdown lugger Mary also rendered good service. She was likewise attracted by the signals of distress, and succeeded in picking up thirty passengers. The London pilot cutter No 3, and the Princess, stationed at Dover, also got to the ?pot and succeeded in rescuing twenty-one, ten of them from the rigging. The total number thus rescued was eigbty-five. The pilot in charge was named George Brack ; he was below at the time of the collision, and gained the deck simultaneously with the captain, of whose conduct he speaks in the highest terms. He describes him as displaying the utmoet coolness and presence of mind, and evincing every anxiety for the succor of those least able to help themselves The ship went down in about threequarters of an hour after she was struck, the captain remaining at his post till she sank, i <ne of the survivors states that he was standing close to him when she went down ; the former managed to lay hold of some floating substance, and wa9 borne to the surface. The captain, however, was not again aeen. The pilot and ten others had taken to the mizen topmast, from which they were finally rescued. THE GAS QUESTION". (to the tcditob, op the times). Sic, — A propos of jour remarks in your leader of to-day, I beg to add a reason in support of \our well reasoned argument for keeping the gas manufacture in Municipal hands, and it is this :— We are on th« eve of the establishment of a new method of manufacturing gas. It has I taken the name of air gas, and if it succeeds it ■will relieve the industry of a vast amount of that ma -hinery, plant, and raw material in the shape of coal, which now are necessarily embarked, ! and will enable us to command gas everywhere. Wait a sufficient time to give the company & fair start. Letthm incur the risk and outlay >>f a firct »dven' ure, justified by the confidence that exists among their promoters, amongst whom a couapieuous and eminent one is General ycott, and it they commercially succeed they will revolutionise the trarie or manufacture, and your Municipality may then quietly profit by the results. The Mechanic's Magazine will throw some light on the subject. At the eetins* of the No-th British Association of Gas M»nu facturers at Perth, a paper was read by Mr J. Alexander upon the subject of mixing shale with coal in the manufacture of ordinary gas, showing that in practice lie had found that the greatest economy, a greater facility of purification, and greater illuminating power resulted from its use. Now one of the sources of the air-gas is extracted from shale. We have this additional practical evidence therefore in support of the theoretic success of the air-gas, and when they make it a practical success we need wait no longer. But at present wait. — I am, &c. Wait. Invercargill, March 18, 1872.