The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1875-05-11 00:00:00

WRECK OF A MAIL STEAMER.

LOSS OF OVER 300 LIVES.

The splendid mail steanaer Schiller, belonging to the
Eagle Line of mail ships plying between New York and
Hamburg, went ashore on Friday night on one of the
many Scilly isles, and 312 persons out of an total of :135 on
Iscard were drowileil. The Schiller left New Yerk on the
27th April, under the command of Captain Thomag. a
anil experienced sailor. having ..n Issiril 251
passengers and 101 olliceni and men. For the first six glays
all went well. But after the 4th of May, the weather
was so thick that no observations could be made. Friday
last was a clOll4 day, and in the evening a dense fog set
in. This caused Captain Thomas to reduce the speed or
the ship by half, to take in the Nile, to place reliable men
on the look-out, and have the best hands at the wheel.
The captain hoped to see the light MI the fileheln, or hear
the fog bell. Suddenly, about ten o'cl.sk. a slight check
was felt; another hump, and an order for fill speedastem
showed netle. ale I.ffei a adlialtY had ...cured. The few
yawengerii who had retired immediately left their berths
and joined those who were dressed in rushing on deck.

WINK ON DECK.
Great confusion prevailed. The pumpe were nounded,
and a report made that the vmowl wam filling rapidly. The
captain gave directions for launching the seven boata.
I titticult wa. the task of the mate. in weing thi. command
executed. strong men trembling with fear. screaming
women dreamed and in their night-dreesea, young children
crying bitterlY.hung on to them. imploring to be told
what to do. This was a trying time for the officers. They
were obliged to disengage thetuselves. even by force.

.11ETI-E0 THE BOAT.

The launching of the boats wan a very difficult matter.
Most of them had been already tilled with persons, and
when lowered into the water they were ..waniped, and
pinny people drowned. Two or three managed to live,
although these were swamped, but were with difficulty
kept afloat, by baling with hands, hoot+, and hats. One
of them boats was found to have the tang nut, and when
the hole had been stuffed she rode in safety. Another
was nearly ria.sheil to pieces by being carried right in
under the mile of the ship. The boats hung about the
ship all night, but did not approach no another lest some
should want to change from an overloaded boat.

Fearful scenes were-Tie-Tug -;iinesseil on hoard the
Schiller. After bumping several time., she heeled over
on the starboard side, and in this 1141Sit10111 W/IVO after
wave broke over her, each one carrying away some
unhappy creatures. :Many hal ...cored cork waistcoats,
in the hope that, if washed away, they would float •hout
until assistance arrived, lilt this hope W. vain, a, proved
by the many corpses found with the cork round them.
Into the deck pavilion crowded scores of men, women, and
children, all huddled together and terror-stricken. This
place was their only recoucie for shelter, hut they were
not destined to remain there long- A huge billow, higher
and mightier than any o hich had washed the deck pre-
viously, came tumbling on. It struek the pavilion with
terrific force, and the next minute the erection, together
o ith all its living freight, when.. reit,. the survivors say,
make them shudder when they think of them„ was vr”hed
idf the ship into the angry waters. The rktk was now
completely deserted. and on the Spot Whoro no lee.
or two before Captain Thomas had had to use his revolver
to enforce obedience to his cowman-lA, not a soul could be
seen, the gallant Captain, who had never deserted his post,
being about the last to be washed nit
ID"! TUC WANTS.

The only portions of the wreck which could then be
relied on for safety were the masts, in which some fifty
or sixty people were clinging with all the strength of
persons on the verge of death. It was hoped that, the
ship being new, the masts would hold on until the morn-
ing. and it was known that no fear was to he apprehended
from the blowing up ..f the hollers, Captain Thomas
having given the engineers °rteru at the first to blow off
the steam and put out the tires. The toasts held for •
considerable time, and several who mere clinging to them
died before they went by the board.

A-.RAMPAIti Oy 1.110 lionkrA.

. ......
Some memo., higiseces of the uses of dead tuen's bodies
wcre then brought to light. Two or three who beheld the
fate of their fellow passengers climbed in front of them,
and no utilised the bodies of their former comrades to
protect them from the tremetelou, seas which were con-
tinually pouring over them At last both toasts went over
the gideotitd thee there was not a soul on the wreck.

—...-.-.
THE CAPTAIN.
At two o'clock Captain Thonta,4 wad, still on the ',ridge,
when be was called down to save sonic persei,. Ile went
down on deck, but a sea came in and literally tore his
clothe, from hiin, and afterwards washed him over the
vide. The unfortunate captain had not been in bed for
live night, and throughout the trying and terrible acene
acted with coolness and bravery.

..
TUE /WATS sTELKES FOR LAND.
By this time morning was dawning. awl the two hash%
which hal been cruising shout, thinking that they could
In no good by remaining, had their heads ARINNI forked.
Up to this time no one knew where the wreek had
osTurred, but with dawn came a sight of the Bishops% and
the proof that tl.e ship had struck on the dangerous
Retarder Ledges. The lost, in making their way to the
store, picked up two or three 'scolds, floating ;asset, gind
passed many dead bodies. With their I,lliplentent of
slut 28 persons they got to land at Tn.., and llryher
Islands, and here they received the kindest treatment
by the lord proprietor, Mr. Dorien Smith, awl those living
under him.

V/GC HELP WAS SO LONG CONJS.:.
.• . . .

Meanwhile news of the disaster lint been conveyed to
the inhabited islands by the coasfauarj. nti.t at ono.
preparations were made, tlomgli late, to render every
assistance. When the ship struck, (apt. Illoula. ordered
Kane to be firej as slam of distress, and several rockets to
be discharged, but only one was beard on sliorc. and this
was taken by the watchman to denote the n44dng of the
Schiller. she being then expected, aml he telegraphed to
to this effect to the agents at l'lymooth. The rockets
were never seen at all owing to the dense fog. When the
Ma, once reached Selig.. there were hundred.. of ainitat
hands to pull boats o to the wreck. and thew cruised
all it the spot for home, picking up a few stray persons,
t of them clinging to pieces of wreck. Fkhins.
;mate from the adjacent villages hastameil to the spot, and
one of them picked up live persons and ranVtled them to
the shore.

rigts:v or Pion nommt.
When the fog lifted it revealed &sorrowful sight indeed.
It WW, not merely that lure and thin-e -iirde bodies were
to be seen floating, but there wag •int• terrible group of
nearly iks)—chiefly as it to igatine•l to the awe gtriken
goectators --women in their aught gear, niii their long
lair rising and falling tin the tutublitt.4 waves, and little
children who been Itartel the sad fate of the orphaned.
A snitamix nig ore.
The escape of Mr. Stern. un Americatt stockbroker. was
of a very marvellous character, lie vi........... ni *tot
boats which had become crowded, and at once decided to
abandon it anal seek safety on •nf the monis -a sea-
faring friend advising hint that that wag the hest part of
the ship to stick to. There he citing for Mews, and when
the mwit went by the boanl he managed tl I free himself
ir the rope with which he hod lashed himself, and fell
in with a life-into;. Thig let put round him arm tit keep
him up, and got MI for tonne distance towards the shore.
On his way there he fell in with • broken spar, which he
seized and pitseeti under hi, other arm. Soon afterwards
an American trunk came arms:this path. Thin he seized,
and, placing his spar on the trunk, he rained himself out,
of the water, h•tilling on to the handles of the trunk until
re.eued by a twigging boat. The Aeonal carpenter of the
shin ;night have been I.lVeli, hut he jumped from one
of the boats into which he hwl got, back into the ship,
fairing that the boat woul I capsige, and he was never seen
afterwards.

TIII6 suitirtvogia.
When the survivors were all landed at Scilly, it wow
found that the total saved ametinted to 4:1„ I Sunday 31
were brought Iron the Wend to the mein land, and
whilst the saloon paasengers rwormeilml for London, the
remainder were taken to the 11,,,,, c at Plymouth,
where they will remain until Friday, when they will be
despatchwl IT the Eagle steamship Teasing for l'herbourg
and Ilatuliurg.

THE SIMLA.
Up te the present time M of the total of 200 meta of
mails have been recovered and sent on to London, the
Ant instalment having being picked up on Saturday morn-
ing by a Penzance th.hing boat and brought to the main-
land. The letters, however. are redueeli to • complete
Mato of pulp, and were sent on to London without being
touched.
_

;odies continue to be washed on shore in great
nutoben,.

ST. MAIM'S Sunday Night
The greater moldier of the bodies picked up, as well as
seen floating, had life-lielts on. The Schiller was ao well
provitle,l that there was a life-belt in every berth, and the
first act itone, under the orders of the captain, when the
danger of the vemel a-as seen, was to supply all the women
with them. Tin, heavy sea, however, rendered these
unavailing. Some of the saved appear to have a terribly
vivid recollection of the terrors of the fatal night. They
say they cannot get the shrieks of the helpless women and
children out of their ears, and, exhausts:a as they are, are
unable to sleep in consequence. A flood of telegrams of
anxious inquiry after relatives continue to pour into the
islands by the cables. Many are of the most piteous and
harrowing character, anal sonic contain earnest requests
for . the preservation of the haiku, of those to whom they
refer. It is sadly unlikely that many of such requests can
be attended to.

Monist% The ilimen of the Ray steamer arrive.l at Penzance at
tu 0 o'clock this aftenesin from the Scilly Islands with
Pe yen bags of mails, rve.overed since yesterday Bodied are
laing continually lacked iii,.

Printed and Published at k, Highatreet West, Dorchester
by ALVIMO ATKINS, in the parish of Holy Trinity. for
Nelf and co-proprietor.
Tuesday, May 11, ISM.