Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1853-08-27
N1n,cs of thc F1nssenRcrs SaYed."COrOner'h
Innneat on inc Dcnd.

Petty fell from the deck, striking his head against
the boat and bounding into the water lie man.
oged to reach the Propeller then some distance oil,
and the propeller was Immediately headed towards
the steamer. The Atlantic had sunk to the hurrl-
cane deck before the propeller or boatS reached
her and the females then taken off as fast as
nossble and after them, the males.
The following were the circumstances attending
the escape of Mr.. Aaron D. Sutton, his wife and
two young children. While Mr.. S, was adjusting
the life preserver upon his wife, some one snatch
ed his own, and left him to his personal exertons
for safety. Being an expert swimmer, he TOOK ms
children and jumped into the lake, hiswife follow
ing. The life preserver buoyed up Mrs. Sutton,
and Mr.. S. kept his children ailoat until all were
George Dana and his brother, and man named
Hagans, three hands belonging to the steamer, tore
off the binacle, took outthe compass and throwing
the box into the water went in and chung around
Il. They were compelled for self preservation TO
kick from them the forms of the drowning menand
women, many of whom clungto their legs. They
were among the last taken out of the lake, and
were picked up by their own boat i'll charge OF
their second mate. They found the dead body of
a little girl about ten years old, with her ann
around a plank and her head resting on it as tho
she was asleep. She had nothing save her under
garment on and was quite dead The body was
taken to Erie, and is the one on which the Coro-
nerS inquest has been held.
The last persons taken from the wreck were Mr..
Givan, the Clerk, Mr.. Huell, the LIST engineer, and
gentleman from Illinois, whose name is not known.
These three were in the water cllnglng to ropes,
and when the shreks of the aflrighted passengers
were huShedi in death, they heard for the first time
the voice of child who was also clinging to the
ropes at some distDnce from them. The little fell
low who was boy of about seven years old, was
saying, as if talking to himself, ooh wish my
papaEwaS here to hold me up-I cannot hold ON
any longer, my hands are so tired.' The gentle
maj from Illinois, fine, stout, middle aged man,
Immediately expressed his determination to save
the noble little fellow orperish himself He start
ed down the rope, and reaching the child, seized
him lust at the moment he was about to sink. He
held him for some time, and Mr.. Givan, the Clerk
endeavored to get to him to relieve him, us he eX-
pressed n fear that his strength was failing. The
noble little hero told his preServer to let him go II
he was tired and take care of himself. At thatmo-
ment the boat passed, loaded down to the very
water's edge with passengers, and Mr.. Givan hail
ing the mate, enreated him to save the boy Mt least
The mate succeeded in reaching the rope and ta-
king the child from the arms OF the true man who
held him, placed him in the boat and he was saved
The next boat took off the Illinois gentleman and
the rest. The boy it is thought was with his I'M
cle who was lost, and has parents in MaSSachu-
SETS He is now with his preServer probably in
Cleveland.
wreck of the Atlantic, ascribe their safety to the
prompt and fearless efforts of Mr.. l.. D. Cnppen, of
Michigan, in their behalf. Two of the ladies he
rescued from the water, and the third was unable
of severe wounds upon his hands and feet he broke
in the windows and aided her escape.
One Young lady who was saved, jumped from the
wreck into the water. She was drowning, when
powerful man, supposed to be an emigrant, who
was evidently unable to swim, seized piece of
plank, and plunging overheard, made towards her
and catching her by the hair, held her up above
the water. He managed by immense eXertionS, 10
reach the side of the boat, having the young lady
in one hand and the plank in the other. rope
al
of it, and continued in the same position until some
of the hands of the boat succeeded in reaching the
female and pulling her on deck. By this time the
poor fellows strength was entirely exhausted, and
he sank to rise no more.
The Porter of the boat got bureau from the
Captains Cabin, which he emptied and cast into
the lake. He jumped on it and got some 20 or 80
persons aboard, when telling them to stick to it and
they would be saved, he swan for his life and got
safely TO the Propeller.
Il meeting of the survivors was heldln the SeS-
Ston rooms of the Presbyterian Church at Erie, last
evening, when the following, among other resolu-
tons. were adopted:
Resolped, That we would call the attention of
the public in particular to the inSu1hclency OF the
so called Life PreServers, which are totally use
less which was too bitterly proved to some of the
unfortunates who trusted themselves to their fan
cied security.
RcsOlpcd, That we express our indignation at the
gross misconduct of the owners of the steamboat
Atlantic, i'll not providing proper facilities to afford
the passengers on board the means of saving their
lives We consider that the want of sufficient
number of boats to hold the passengers in an I'M
ANTICIPATED contingency like the present, and the
want Of other loose materials to be wanton tam
perng with human life, and that the owners of the
unfortunate boat should be held up to the public as
men who have cast aside these considerations from
Indifference to the lives placed in their charge:
meeting of the citizens of Erie was afterwards
called, at which much feeling was manifested, and
the following resolutions were passed:
list. Resolved, that the loss of the steamer Ar
LANTIc, on the night of the Goth August, is ca
lamity of such an overwhelming and heart-rending
character, that the voice ofan outraged public is
inadequate to its expression, and that as citizens
of Erie, we desire that the proper authorities Mt
once proceed to arrest all the officers andmen who
are found within the county, who were employed
upOn the ATLANTIC or the propeller OGsDENBuRG,
that the case of the collision may be correctly as
certained.
3D. Resolved, That the prosecuting attorney of
this county, be requested to take immediate mea-
sureS to obtain such evidence as may be desired
from the passengers now in town.
Sd. Resolved, That, in our opinion, the officers
and owners of the Stermer ATLANTIC are highly
censurable for not having provided sufficient means
ofrelef in case of accident and i'll overlooking the
boat with passengers and freight.
4th. Resolved, That in our opinion, the life
p1eServerS attached to the stools on Wards boats,
by the late calamity, were found utterly made
quate and totally useless, and that the india rub
Der life preservers on that occasion performed good
service; and that the travelling public can place
confidence i'll WE'LL made article.
An inquest was also held in Erie last evening,
on the body of little girl, name unknown, picked
up in the Lake, when the following evidence was
DEGRAss MCNEIL, sworn.-I am first mate of
Propeller OGDENspuRa. commenced my watch
at midnight. About half past one, the steam
er, she had red light aloft, and two white lights
below. We had two lights at the croSs-trees, and
another signal lightin front of the wheel house.
when first saw her, she was probably three miles
distant. We were steering for the Welland Ca
nal, and Judged from her course that we should
pass half mile north of her. Upon nearing her,
She appeared to have changed her course, and to
be making across our bows now ordered ouren-
gines to be stopped. This was about ten minutes
before the collision. Seeing that we were likely
to strike together, ordered the engine to back and
the wheel to be put down hard starboard-I
nn,,ld-n,r hiStl nllt of