In the saloon, passenger William Gihon "perceived a slight shock, although it was scarcely more than a tremor or a quiver". He continued his conversation with a fellow-passenger: "Neither of us entertained any idea at that time that the "Arctic" had sustained injury". The steamer which had collided with "Arctic" was , an iron-hulled propeller-driven French ship used by a major fishing operator to ferry its employees to and from their center of operations at Saint Pierre Island, Newfoundland. To those on "Arctic"s deck, "Vesta" appeared to be fatally damaged; Luce thought her bows "seemed to be literally cut or crushed off for full ten feet". His first reaction, believing his own ship almost untouched, was to assist "Vesta", on which scenes of panic and chaos among the 200-odd sailors and fishermen aboard her were evident. He ordered his chief officer, Robert Gourlay, to lower one of "Arctic"s six lifeboats with a crew of six, and to ascertain what help could be offered; meanwhile, "Arctic" slowly circled the stricken vessel. Gourlay's boat was quickly away, and another was prepared for launching, under second officer William Baalham, but before this could be done Luce rescinded the order. He had noticed a change in the movement of "Arctic"s paddle wheels through the water and saw also that the ship was listing, signs of potentially serious damage. Baalham was ordered to make a closer inspection of the point of impact; he found that debris from "Vesta"s iron stem and anchor were impaled in the woodwork of "Arctic"s hull, creating substantial holes about eighteen inches above the water-line. Two breaches were below the waterline, admitting large quantities of water. Unlike "Vesta", "Arctic" was not equipped with watertight compartments; the hull was open from stem to stern. As Baalham made his inspection, others observed the extent of the damage, and a mood of concern and anxiety began to develop as news spread. With the ship's four pumps working at full capacity, Luce attempted to stanch the leak by passing a large canvas sail over the ship's bow. This, he hoped, could be fastened over the holes in the hull to lessen the inflow of water, but the jagged iron debris protruding from the hull quickly tore the sail apart. The ship's carpenter tried to stuff the breaches with mattresses and other materials, but the holes were by then too far below the waterline to be reached.