Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1854-10-18
statomont 81 car. Guoe.

|
liza Statement Of Capt. Luce. iI
sPARTIOULARs or ms MIRACULOUS ESVAPE.
! NEw YoRG, Oct l6lh The following IS Tie
substance Of Oapt, LuCe's statement as leeglaph-
ed 10 AlI, CollinSi M
Cupl. Luce. OF tie time Of Tie collision, WIS
down below working out the position Of the slea'
met. He Immediately au on deck, and saw The
| IRON steamer untef tie SlalbOATd bow, aud pass.
lug aslern, glazing aud tearing tie guards il Ier
| pro, ress.
The bows Of the strange vessel seemed TO be lit.
emlly cut or crushed OF for ten feet, and seeing
that she must probably SINK in ten IN mules, and
taking glance Of our ship, and believing that Q
were comparatively uninjuIed, The boats were
cleared, and The list Officer and six Indl lett with
boat TO GOaTd The stIaligsh and ascertain tile ex'
ienlol her dbmags.
| The engineers were Immediately instructed 10
put on the slsaiu pumps aud the loutdeck pumps
were worked by the passengers and crew. The
ship was nj once headed for land, and several at,
tellRis wsIe made 10 stop tile leak bygeiiing soils
over lie bows.
BINDING that the leak was gaining on them very
fast, notwithstanding The very powerful Efforts 10
keepisr Tree, the captain resolved TO get the boats
ready, and have ns many laHUS aud children put
on them as possible. No sooner, hOW ever, had an
attempt been made 10 do this than the fienen and
Others rushed into The boats In spite az all Opposl.
boats usleTn 10 be kept m TvaOiutss until order
OOuldbe Ie,toTeI, whenlO my disnoy saw them
cut HE rope IN tile bow and soon disappear IN Tie
fog.
! Another boat was broken down by persons rush
ing in at lhe davis, and many were pEecipilaied
INTO The sea aud ltoWued This occurred while
had been engaged In getting the slal6oaId quad
boat ready, ! had placed The second officer ~
cLntge, wGen Tie sane scene was enacted as with
The lirst boat. then gave orders 10 tie second Of
eet let 30 and row alter The ship, kee Ing near
The stern, TO he ready to tnke the women nnI chit
dlen as soon as tue fites we're out aud The engine
should stop.
My attention was then drawn TO the other quar-
| ter boat, which found broken down, but hang
| ing by one tackle. Arush was made for hetnlsO,
aud some fifteen got ~ and cut the tackles and were
soon out OF sight Not q seaman was left ON board,
OF a carpenter und we We're without tools 10 assist
us ~ building raft, as our only hOpe and the OFT
| ly ofiicvrlslt US was Mr.. Olnud, the third mate,
WHO worked nobiy for,ibe suec0T Of 0lI.
Many Of the passengers, who deserve great
praise for their goodness and energy did oil in ieif
pOwetunli the latest moment before the slip sank.
Mr, Rogers, the chief engineer, with parl OF Ibis
assistants, had taken Que VI Tile small UeCk OOalg,
and before tile ship went down, pulled away with
about 10 persons. arsu
To form IHit it become Necessary TO get The
only rtmaining boat, the life. boat into the water.
This being accomplished, MI HOllond, the chief
officer Of The boat, taking care to keep the oars OH
board the steamer, 10 prevent those in the boat
lion leaving the snip, proceeded 10 work, still
hoping 10 he able TO get the women and chililten
Un board his boat OF last They had made consider.
able progress in collecting spdTs, when tho alarm
was gwen that the ship was sinking, aud the boat
vas showed oil without oars o. anything TO hold
themselves.
| In ON instant aner, al about QuarlsT pas FIVE
O'ClOckn r. NJ, the ship went down, carrying
every soul On board with lIeL on found my
sell on the surface, after brief struggle, with my
own helpless child IN my aims, when again found
myself ilnpeled downward 10 great depth, ana
6elote reaclied The surface lhesecond time | had
neofy persisted, and lost the hold Of my child as
struggled upwards.
VI len got upon the surface OF the water The
most awful and heart tending scene presented Its
self to my view. Over Two buHdtedlntn, women
and children were struggling together amid pieces
OF the wreck, calling upon each olleT iOt help and
implUring God 10 assist them. Such on appalling
scene may God preserve me from witnessing ngHin.
Amid THIS struggling mass Of human beings
discovered my child, and wos in the net Of trying
to save him when portion Oflhe paddle box came
rushing up edgeways, just grazing my head, aud
falling with all its weight upon the head Of my
darling child. 7y,lrf.
then succeeded in getting on Top OF the paddle
bOSi cOmpanywith eleven Others. One, how
ever, soon lett for another piece and others re-
manned until relieved by death. We stood in The
water npto our knees The sen frequently break.
ing over u.s. We separated iIOn our friends Of
the wreck, and passed Tie night, each expecting
every hour 10 he his last. u
The morning came but not living soul could
be seen but OUT own patty, consisting Of seven
men. About noon, BIT, $. NJ. Woodruff, Of New
York, was relieved by death, and oil The others
now began 10 suffer severely from the want Of
water except George L. Allen aud myself Night
OF last came on, thick and dreary, with our minds
pode Up that neither Of uswOuld see the light Of
another DAY. Very sooh three more Of our suffer
ing party were relieved by death, and MF. Allen,
o young man, and myself weIe all that were now
len, aud we we've much exhausted. We slept for
awhile during the night and become somewhat
refreshed.
About an hour before daylight OH Friday, the
29th we saw a vessels light neaI us, We all ex.
erted ourselves 10 the utmost Of ouI abilities in
b. illng but the light disappeared TO the eastward
OF US, Soon after daylight a bark hove in sight to
The northwest. The fog having ligltened little
W. observed that she was steering apparently for
|u,, tut 10 shpH tln eshe appeared o'have change
ell her course Ogain, and we were doomed TO bitter
disappOinlmenL--yet feel hopes that some Of our
fellow sufferers may have been sten and rescued
by thern
Shohly OtleJ ship was liscOveledt 10 The east.
ward steering directly for US. AS she approached
they fortunately discovered q man on Tafl near
them; bnd succeeded in saving him. This man
saved Is Flenohnon, who wgs passenger on
board the oleameT with hiOh we came in collision.
lie informed the Captain thai Others were ON
pieces Of the wteok, end he proceeded TO cruise
aronnd In search OF theme v e were taken on
board about O'clock, r. ~, after an exposure
Of as hours in d most exhausted cordition. "a
Shortly amer Mr., james Smith, Of mississippi,