One of the most terrible of modern disasters is reported
this week,—a disaster comparable to the wreck of the Northfleet. At two in the morning of the 22nd November, the French steamer Vile du Havre, bound from New York to Havre, came into collision with the Loch Earn, a sailing ship of Glasgow, some- where in the neighbourhood of the Azores, and went down in twelve minutes. Out of a total of 313 persons, crew and passen- gers included, only 87 were saved. The Captain, who had been exceedingly anxious during three days of fog which preceded,. and had hardly quitted the deck day and night during that time, had gone down to take some rest, as the night was bright. He returned on deck just to find the bows of the Loch Earn protrud- ing over the deck and his own ship sinking. The captain did his duty. He remained on deck to the last, and was only picked up swimming an hour after the ship went down. He ordered out the long-boat, but just as it was filled with passengers the mizen- mast fell upon it, killing and wounding many. Then the main- mast fell on the deck. The passengers, as a whole, seem to have behaved nobly, and it is astonishing how much those who were ultimately saved seem to have seen, in those few minutes of terror, of the conduct of their companions. Among the pas- sengers, says the Times' narrative, "was a French priest, whe- never for a moment lost his self-control in the frenzy which raged around him, or missed, as far as I could see, a single opportunity of comforting and nerving those who were about to die. 'Are you a Catholic ?' I heard the father ask of a passenger near him. 'I am,' was the reply. Repent, then, and I will forgive you your sins !' said the priest, and these. were his last words on earth. The vessel sank immediately, and the father was drowned, but the gentleman with whom he con- versed was amongst the saved." Catholic and Protestant seem, to have vied with each other in resignation and courage, as they faced their dreary and lonely fate. The officer of the watch was drowned, and it is feared that his want of care was the cause of the calamity, for the Loch Earn had a light, though not, it is said, the proper aide lights, and the night was bright.
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