Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio) 1856-1865, 1857-10-01
rooms, and the vessel would be so COM
pletely buried that it was dark as Erebus.

| pfCtOl1 tudt IL was a do 4IiSOuS
Owing to the scarcity of food and the
exhaustion consequent on the work of bail.
ing, liquor was freely supplied to all who
wanted it, and of course some took toe
much, and many, in my opinion, lay stupe-
fled with drink in their state-rooms when
the steamer foundered. Before l left the
steamer my husband provided me with a
lfe-preserver, which put on. l went into
my state-room for cloak, followed by Mr..
Birch, and saw my canary bird in its
cage. 1t was singing as merrily as it ever
did. On the spur of the moment took
my little thing from its prison and placed
it in the bosom of my dress. Ny husband
demonstrated with me, hurrying me to leave
the vessel, and telling me not TO waste
time on so trifing an object. When 1 was
lowered into the boat, thought the bird
would have been killed by the rope, or else
drowned by the waves which broke over us,
but he escaped, and when l reached the
Marine, he was placed in cage. The
little fellow bears no marks of his late
hardships, save that his feathers are disar-
ranged from the effects of the bath.
Mrs. Mary E. Swan, whose husband was
lost, says:
When it was my turn to leave the ship,
she said, my husband left his place at the
pumps to assist me into the life-boat.-
The last l saw of my poor husband was
when he helped me into the beat. l
heard of him afterwards when be was still
at the pumps of the steamer. About an
hour before L left, he took mea side and bade
me "Good bye" He said. 81 don't know
that shall ever see you again." He was
very glad to think that could be taken of.
He wanted me to go and said he did not
care about himself if it were possible that
l could be saved and the child. He told
Inc that he would try to save himself if an
honorable opportunity should present itself
after all the women were taken of. He
had been sick for three or four days before
the disaster, but Notwithstanding this, he
persisted in keeping his place at the pumps.
Mrs. Swan having no friends in New
York, was very much affected on the arri-
val of the Empire City yesterday morning.
When word was given to the passengers
to go ashore, she burst into tears, and
wringing her hands said, "Where shall l
60 after l 60 ashore!" And on being ask
ed if she knew no one in the City, she said,
"No, have no friends in New York, nor
in all the world, now that my husband is
lost" She was put into carriage and
driven to a hotel, with other ladies,
Mrs. Hawley, who with her two chill
dren, one of five months and the other
two years was saved, but whose husband
was lost, says:
After the first excitement caused by
the news that the steamer had sprung a
leak, the women were very calm, and did
all they could to encourage the men in
bailing. saw no weeping until next day,
when the cry of "Sail, no." was heard
Our feeling ofjoy at the prospect of deliv-
erance then overcame US, and many wept,
but they were tears of joy. Then, again,
word came that there were no sail in sight,
and that the report WAS only started to
inspire the crew and passengers with new
courage. The men had become much ex-
hausted by constant baillng, and having
very little to eat, many of them gave
over and hid themselves in the state-rooms
and locked the doors. Others got liquor
and drank until stupifed, and all care for
life had vanished.
Just as we were about to leave TO go in
the boat, asked my husband if he would
not 60 with us; had been very i'll for sev
eral days, and told him / should need as
sistance with the children; be went and
took his money out of his trunk, but made
no reply as to whether he would accompany
ME. T..
The last saw of my husband he stood
on the wheel house and kissed his hand
to me as the boat pulled away from the
ship.
The little children were passed down,
the officer lowering them by their arms,
until the boat swung underneath, and they
could be caught hold of by the boatmen.
1t was frightful to see these little ones,
held by their little tiny arms above the
waves. My babe was nearly smothered
by the flying spray, as they were obliged
to hold him loug time before he could
be reached by the boatmen; but when |
pressed him once more to my bosom, and
covered him with my shall, he soon fell
asleep. The children did not cry, except
when the salt water came over us and
flew in their faces. We were all without
clothing or bonnets, except the thin dresses
we had on. l took nothing with me, ex-
cept heavy shall and my watch. Some
of the children also were without clothing
or shoes and stockings.
A Mr.. George, who went under when
the steamer foundered, but rose to the sur
face of the water, says:
When she went down stern foremost,
after giving three lurches that made every
timber qni5er, and which were to every
quaking heart as the throes that instantly
preceded her dissolution, he was dragged
with the rest on board of her some twenty
or twenty-five feet beneath the surface
He heard no shrek, nothing but the
seething rush and hiss of waters that closed
above her as she hurried, almost with the
speed of an arrow, to her ocean bed
When he became conscious, after the lapse
of a minute or two be could distinguish
every object around him for a considerable
distance. The waves, as they rose and
fell, revealed n crowd of human heads
Those unfortunates who had lost their
life-preservers or planks while under wa
ter, owing to the force of the whirlpool,