Description
The scrapbook, inscribed "Wm. B Culver" on the cover, is probably a
memorial to Culver, created by a family member. Newspaper clippings in the
scrapbook report varying accounts of the event, provide the names of survivors
and those who died, speculate on the cause of the collision and whether the
crew had acted appropriately to avoid the hit. The accounts also report on
prominent figures who died in the collision, including Judge Rufus W. Peckham
of Albany, New York (1810-1873) and Collodion, a caricaturist.
Background
On November 22, 1873 at 2:00 a.m. the steamship Ville Du Havre (formerly
named Napoleon III) of the French Atlantic line, running between New York and
Le Havre, collided with the British ship Loch Erne, travelling from London to
New York. Of the approximately 226 crew and passengers, only around 87 were
saved. According to newspaper accounts the Ville Du Havre spotted the lights of
the Loch Erne through the fog with minutes to spare.A Second Lieutenant and the
Captain tried to turn the ship in time but they received a full hit at
mid-ship. The Ville sank in twelve minutes drowning many passengers in their
cabins. A mast fell, hitting a craft filled with those who made it to the deck
and killing many more. The captain had a first lieutenant swim to the Loch Erne
for help, and although the latter had also been badly damaged and had drifted
half a mile away, she sent over three craft to pick up survivors.
Availability
Collection is open for research.