News and Miscellany

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Dec 9, 1873

News and Miscellany.

“Can ye not discern the signs of the times?”

Terrible Catastrophe.

A SINGULAR AND appalling catastrophe lately occurred in mid ocean on the Atlantic. The following are some of the particulars:—

LONDON. December 1.—The ship Trimountain, from New York, arrived at Cardiff early this morning, with intelligence of a dreadful disaster to the steamship Ville du Havre, which left New York November 15 for Havre, in command of Capt. Sarmont. At 2 o’clock on the morning of the 23d, the Ville du Havre came in collision with the British ship Loch Earn from London, for New York, and sunk shortly after. Two hundred and twenty-six of the persons of the Ville Du Havre were lost. The Trimountain saved 87 passengers and brought them to Cardiff.

Later.—The following additional particulars of the loss of the Ville du Havre have been gathered from the officers and passengers at Cardiff: The Ville du Havre experienced a thick fog until the 20th. At the time of the collision, the weather was clear and little wind blowing, but there was a heavy sea. The captain had just retired, and the second officer was in charge. The lights on the steamer were all right. The collision was wholly unexpected. The Loch Earn struck the steamer amidships, and made a chasm 12 feet deep and from 15 to 20 feet wide. The exact position of the Ville du Havre at the time was—latitude 47 deg. 21 min.; longitude 35 deg. 31 min. A panic took possession of the passengers. Five minutes after the collision, the main and mizzen masts fell across two large boats which were filled with people and ready for launching. The boats were crushed to pieces and many of their occupants killed and injured. In the brief interval between the collision and sinking of the steamer, the crew were able to launch only a whale-boat and the captain’s gig. The Loch Earn went a mile before stopping. She then got out four boats to pick up people struggling in the water. Meanwhile the whale-boat, under command of the second lieutenant of the Ville du Havre, picked up one load of those who were clinging to planks, spars, etc., and took them to the Loch Earn. She returned to the scene and rescued another load. Captain Sarmont, who remained on deck to the last, was rescued by this boat three-quarters of an hour after the collision. One of his officers swam a mile to the Loch Earn, and was hauled on board with a rope. The boats continued to search the water in the vicinity of the disaster until there was no hope of saving more lives. The cold was intense. Many of the survivors were immersed two hours and were almost lifeless when rescued. The ship Trimountain sighted the Loch Earn at 8 A. M., six hours after the sinking of the steamer, and received the survivors as before reported. The saved speak in the highest terms of the kindness of Captain Urquhart, her commander. There were six stowaways on board the Ville du Havre. Later accounts make the date of the collision the 22d instead of the 23d ult. A vessel which arrived at Bristol reports speaking the Loch Earn with ten survivors of the Ville du Havre on board.