The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1860-12-20
Loss OF THE PROrELLER JERSEY
ClTYs.A TERNlBl.E WAY TO MEET
DEA CHs.CAPT. MONROE A TRUE
lrron the Cleveland Herald Of tn. .,h.l

lFron the Cleveland Herald Of the a.h.l
The sad details Of the loss of Of tn,
propeller Jersey City on the afternoon O
Saturday, the 24sh Of November, have a,
leagth been received Rarely have ther.
bscn scenes Of suffering and acts of true
heroism tha. could equal the tragedy en-
acted on Long Point beach. The story
as narrated BY the survivors to one Of ou,
citizens, y substantially as follows:
Tho propeller Jersey City, Captain
Monroe, from Toledo, bound for Buffalo,
vas out in the great gale Of Friday and
Saturday, tho o3d aud oath Of November.
fFioding il impossible to reach Buffalo in
the storm, Captain Monroe headed the
steamer for Long Point, Canada, intend.
ing to take shelter behind it. Every
Que in this latitude will remember the
terrible morning Of Saturday, the 24th OF
November. The wind blew with resist
less force. and the snow swept through
the air with such violence that it cut
! like sharp hail, aud was so thick that Oh.
Jects at short distance were invisible.
About eleven O'clock 10 the morning
during momentary rift in the snow
cloud, Long Point was seen ahead, and
Capt Monroe discovered that he had been
driven too far in to weather the point
without great difficulty The steamers S
course was changed and an attempt made
to get around the Point. The ordinary
tres we're found unequal to getting up
the great pressure of steam necessary,
and Kegs of lard and butter were rapidly
thrown in to feed the flames. But evcry
effort was vain A sudden shock-a dull
grating sound that was felt above the
howi'ng of the tempest, and the Jersey
City was hopeless wreck. She had
grounded on the shoal about two miles
distant from the Point.
Capt. Monroe Immediately ordered ev-
cry one to the hurricane deck as the only
chance of safety. A number, needless
of his warnings, jumped into the life boat
and made for the shore. They were all
lost among the breakers that hissed across
the intervening waste of water.
Soon after grounding the propeller
hceled over, broadside to the seas. and
with her deck exposed to the action of
the waves. Her deck load was at once
washed off, and the repeated blows of the
huge waves stove iu her decks and dash
ed her sides into pieces. The hurricane
deck with its load of half frozen sufferers
floated towards the shore. About three
o'clock in the afternoon the hurricane
deck grounded within a short distance
from the shore in shallow water. At this
moment boy who was on the wreck was
washed off by the waves, but was rescued
by Capt Monroe. After this the boy
became f,gatensa s for the nst time spa
Monroe fastened plsnk life-preserver to
his body, and taking the boy into his
arms leaped into the water and waded
ashore. As the boy landed, his suspen-
ders broke and his pantaloons fell about
his ancles, here they froze in solid mass
claiming him to the spo. whore he stood.
ln few moments the half-nsked boy WAS
dead.
Capt Monroe walked back to the piece
Of wreck and directed his comrades where
to leap so as to strike in the shallowest
": ter. Que by one thau|esp was made in
safety, until but one was left on board,
and that one was Mr.. A. H. Derby, the
clerk Of the propeller. He was seen sit.
ting on the wreck with his head bent
down as if in despair. Capt Monroe
called him by name, but he did not an.
swer, although his mouth opened. To
second hail, he again opened his mouth
without giving an articulate sound Capt.
Monroe and engineers Manchester and
Cummings went to the wreck, and after
considerable difficulty got of the helpless
man. Capt. Monroe took Derby on his
back, whilst the two engineers steadicd
his legs so rs to prevent the waves wash.
ing him off. In tins way the party wad
ed through the water, ice making on
them at every step, the surf dashiny
around them, the bitter wind freezing
their hands and faces, and the binding
snow obscuriug their view,
On reaching the shore, Capt. Monroe
to lower Derby to his feet, but
found i. impossible to let him go. The
living bearer had frozen fast to his dead
burden.
The Capt; ms arms were frozen stiff.
and clasped around the arms Of the dead
man. The two engineers were also SO fro
zen about the hands that they could rem
der no assistance. Finding it impossible
to rid himself of his terrible burden in
any other way, Capt Monroe flung him
self on she ground, head foremost, and
thus "spilled' the dead man from his
shoulders. But he had escaped one hor-
rible dilemma only to find himself in an
other. His trowsers were frozen SO stiff
up to his hips that he was as much una
BILE to rise as if his legs had been encased
iu lengths of stove pipe, ard his compan.
ions could render him no assistance At
q short distance was the body of a man,
frozen in sitting position. Capt. Mon
roe managed to roll himself to the body,
and by it climbed to his feet.
The little party of survivors now set !
out upon their painful march towards the
lighthouse, which was at no great dis
tance. They had got safely along until
within about three hundred yards Of the
house, when small creek impeded their
progress. First Engineer Manchester
attempted to cross the creek, but aban-
doncd i and returned to the shore, where
re sat down, exhausted aud despairing.
Second Engineer Cummings came up and
eodeavored to encourage him to farther
efforts, but in vain Capt. Monroe beg