Register of the Culver (William B.) Memorial Scrapbook of
the Shipwreck of the Ville du Havre,
1873-1874
Processed by Daryl Morrison; revised by Don Walker;
machine-readable finding aid created by Don Walker
Holt-Atherton Department of Special Collections
University Library, University of the
Pacific
Stockton, CA 95211
Phone: (209) 946-2404
URL:
http://www.pacific.edu/Library/Find/Holt-Atherton-Special-Collections.html
© 1998
University of the Pacific. All rights reserved.
Register of the Culver (William B.) Memorial Scrapbook of the Shipwreck of the
Ville du Havre,
1873-1874
Collection number: Mss169
Holt-Atherton Department of Special Collections
University
Library
University of the Pacific
Contact Information
- Processed by:
- Daryl Morrison; revised by Don Walker
- Date Completed:
- 1994; 1998
- Encoded by:
- Don Walker
© 1998 University of the Pacific. All rights reserved.
Descriptive Summary
Title: Culver (William B.) Memorial Scrapbook of the
Shipwreck of the Ville du Havre,
Date (inclusive): 1873-1874
Collection number: Mss169
Creator:
Beverly Hodghead
Extent: 0.25 linear ft.
Repository:
University of the Pacific. Library. Holt-Atherton Department of
Special Collections
Shelf location: For current information on the location of
these materials, please consult the library's online catalog.
Language: English.
Administrative Information
Access
Collection is open for research.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Culver (William B.) Memorial Scrapbook of the
Shipwreck of the Ville du Havre, Mss169, Holt-Atherton Department of Special
Collections, University of the Pacific Library
Biography
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.
The Chicago papers emphasized the 11 Chicagoans killed in the wreck. It
is of interest that Mrs. H.G. (Anne) Spafford travelled with her four children,
another child in her care (William B. Culver) and a nanny. Mrs. Spafford was
the only one to survive in her party. Wm. B Culver was the twelve year old son
of B.F. Culver, President of the Lincoln Park Commissioners. The boy was being
escorted by Mrs. Spafford on his way to school for a few years in Germany. He
was to be placed under the charge of his grandfather, the Reverend William
Barry. Barry was formerly of Chicago, and once Secretary of the Historical
Society.
Scope and Content
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.
BOX 1: CULVER VILLE DU HAVRE SCRAPBOOK,
1873-1874
-Misc. newspaper clippings from Chicago Boston and New
York newspapers, though most are from the Chicago Evening Mail, the Chicago
Evening Post and the Chicago Tribune [December 1st, 1873 to February 19, 1874]
-Harper's Weekly (12-20-73)account [includes sketches of
the ship]
-"The Ville Du Havre: Letters from C. Burritt Waite, one
of the rescued passengers"
