The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1884-01-26 00:00:00

WRECK OF A PASSENGER STEAMER.

A terrible shipwreck occurred off the Massechwetts
coast early on Friday morning in last week. The New
York correspondent of the Daly N(1,03 gives the fol-
lowing particulars: The steamship City of Columbus,
from Boston to Savannah, struck on a reef callei the
Devil's-bridge, off the south-eastern end of Martha's
Vineyard, and immediately began breaking to pieces.
The wind was blowing a gale and a tremendous sea
was running. The vessel filled, heeled over, and then
water flooded the cabins. There were eighty cabin
passengers, twenty steerage, and forty-five officers aed
seamen, Only twenty-two were saved. When the
vessel Amok all the passengers except a few women and
children came on deck,wearing life-preservere. Boats
were launched, but immediately swamped in the
heavy sea, which swept all the persons from the
deck except a few who climbed the rigging. A. few
were picked up by lifeboats from the shore, but the
majority perished. The weather was intensely cold.
Escape at all was almost miraculous. The vessel lay
ta four fathoms water, with only the railing on the
hull visible. The lifeboats could not approech to Niel
off the men clinging to the rigging without being
pounded to pieces. The men were forced to jump into
the raging sea on the chance of reaching the boats.
Many perished in the attempt. Others were pulled
Into the boats only to die before reaching the lind.
There were twenty-two women and many children
aboard, not one of whom was saved.
Most heartrending accounts are given by the sus-
vivors. The vessel struck at 3.45 in the moreirg.
The captain was below at the time. He hur:Lei no
leek, saw the hopelessness of the situation, and sem-
monad all on board to come cn deck. Within twenty
m,nutes the cabins were untenable, and many were
frowned in them. An eye-witness says that sixty
pavengers stood huddled terror-atricken on the deck,
not knowing which way to turn in the darkness, when
a gigantic wave swept over the vessel, and, without a
shriek or a prayer, al/ disappeared. Of those who re-
mained about forty were clinging to the rigging.
Others succeeded in getting a boat launched, but had
hardly entered when it capsized, and they sank with
it. The first aid from the land came at 10.30, but
before it arrived many of those in the rigging had
dropped exhaust...el into the sea. The tireless bodies
of others dangled in the wind frozen st'ff to the ropts.
One of the survivors gives this account of his experi-
ence :--" I clung to the rigging for hours, with the sea
breaking over me at frequent intervals, Once some of
the rigging gave way, striking me a stunning blow on
the forehead, but my fingers, which were frozen, main-
tained their mechanical grip, and I did not fall. When
the rescuing boat approached I jumped into the s?a,
and was swept by the waves to the side of the boat.
While in the rigging the pilot, who was also there, told
me he had fixed the course of the vessel, fastened
the wheel, and, as it was very cold, had gone
to the smokestack to warm himself. He stayed
there twenty minutes. When he returned he found
the ship had veered around, and was among the rocks.
Believing it impossible to save her he then beaded her
for the shore." The captain, who is among the nu.-
vivors, says that this statement is incorrect, as the
wheelhouse is heated steam, and there was no
occasion for the pilot to leave the helm, He says also
that the second officer was in the wheelhouse wir,h
the pilot at the time. Both are dead.
The Devil's Bridge is a dangerous ragged reef which
jots out from Gay head promontory about five•sights
of a mile. Its ledges are considered by mariners the
most dangerous en the coest. The regular course for
steam ships would have carried the vessel a mile
away. The passage is a dangerous one in rough
weather, but easily made in safety with proper vigi•
lance. The night was clear moonlight. The lights
on the reef welts burning, and .he accident seems ex-
plainable only on the ground of carelessness.

According to later intelligence, 119 lives were lost
in the wreck of the City of Columbus. The passeni era
were mainly people from the Eastern States going
South. All those who were saved were full-grown
men. Several of those rescued from the rigging
alive have since died. Several others were
rescued .by hosts from Gay Head, one of whom has
died. Directly the vessel struck she was backed about
twice her length, when she filled forward and listed
to port, then settled down aft and righted. The sea
then began to break over the deck, the stern being
entirely submerged; many of the passengers and crew
were then washed overboard. Those who were
reamed remained in the rigging for some hours.

The New York correepondent of the Standard says
that the stories related by the survivors deser't-e
scenes of infinite pathos. Soon after the vessel struck
the captain ordered the passengers to prepare for an
effort to get to land in the boats. But they, seeming
to be paralysed rather than frenzied, and perhaps not
realising the danger, remained below until the ri•ing
water drove them upon deck, At that moment a
white mass of roaring water advanced upon the
d )omed vessel, and, to use the steward's words,
" literally swept the deck of every human being, as
you would sweep the dust off a smooth floor." In this
way sixty persons, including every woman and child
on board, perished at once without one shriek or one
uttered prayer, for there was no time for either.
Many bodies have been found upright, with life
preservers attached to them, showing that a lingering
death from exposure had been suffered.
Now began for the few who then survived a frightful
and weary struggle. Several boats left the ship. but
their management being undertaken by inexperimeed
passengers, all met with disaster. Some were capsized,
others were stove in by being driven against the reeks
or portions of the wreck; and the result was that
not a single life was saved by the boats.
By this time the rigging was dotted with human
beiegs. As the gala caused the wreck to careen over,
1.1.8 waves swept through the cordage, and one mareco
couple were seen to kiss and embrace one another ;
then they fell int) the seething waters. Two brothers
were up in the rigging; the elder one actually cuffed
his younger biother as he scolded him into courage,
and so kept up the boy's courage until, eight or nine
hours later, the boats brought deliverance. Then the
lads plunged into the waves together, and swam to the
boat as gaily as if they were on their annual excursion
to Coney Island.
Every few moments some one fell from the rigging,
either from exhaustion, because death had already
come; while some, even after death had ended their
sufferings, remained frozen to the ropes.
When this ghastly scene came to an end, out of
eighty passengers who had started to seek pleasure or
health in the sunny South, only nine survived;
and of the crew of forty-five, thirteen alone remained
alive.