Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1868-09-17
sEEEPwRECK.
Particulars of the Loss of the
HippOcamPus.
statement of one of the Survivors
on the Cinclnnati Commerclal. lsth.l

From the Cincinnati Commercial, 13th-l
CHICAGO, September 12.-The follow
ing is the statement Of Chas. Rittenhouse,
steward Of the Hippocsmpus
As soon as we left ST. Joseph, on Mon
day evening, September ], turne1 into
my berth and knew nothing Of what
transpired till about two and half min
utes before we went down. The listing
OF the boat and shifting of freigh. woke
me up. rushed out of the room, hsv-
ing nothing on but psntsloOns, shirt and
vest. When came out OF the csoin she
was going down, stern foremost, partly
on her side. The passengers were scream
ing, "Oh, my God T! What shall do {?
What shslI do?" By this time the
ezbin had struck the water and broke
loose from the boat; 80 1 sprsng into the
water. l made for door aud went un-
der, but turned up and caught the door.
A passenger jast then came on my back
and caught me by the throat and ehoked
me OR the door. I said "Oh, my God,
If you won't choke me, you can have
the door," He let me 90 and went
down. As i came up got entangled in
some floating twine, and went down
again, and on coming up caught hold Of
the side OF the cabin, on which was John
Bloom, clerk, and cOlored man named
johnson. l orept on that, and finding
1t would not sustain sll OF as, jumped
on and swan TO the hurricane deck,
about fifteen feet off. think there were
three men on il. One Of them drew me
on it. l had been on the deck but short
time until saw Captain Brown and
Wheelsman Morrison on the side Of the
cabin. They foated to Us and we helped
them on to our raft, putting their raft
into ours. Immediately several others
got on to our raft, increasing our num-
bers. l saw no one else, but could hear
cries for help ali around Us. 1t soon be-
came very fcggy. About O'Clock the
fog raised and we saw g vessel about five
miles of. We signaled her with table
cloth that the Captain hsd got hold OF
before he came to Us. We hallooed and
those WHO had hats waved them. The
schooner coon got cut OF sight, The
wind was now blowing hard and the sea
rolling high, SO that at times We could
hardly keep on the raft. We all felt
greatly discouraged. Capt. Brown and
Capt. TTimble told US to cheer up, there
was still hope. told them we must
have faith and all would come out right.
Capt. Brown several tunes asked us how
We felt. l said that was sure we would
be saved, but some thought We could not.
About or O'Clock in the afternoon we
saw the steamer Dunbar, which came 50
near US that we could distinctly see the
people aboard of her. We hoisted the
tsble-spread upon a pole about ten feet
long, snd waved it for te1 or fifteen mip-
utes, bat she did not see us, and with that
disappointment we gave up all hopes for
that night, and Mr.. RifOrd, at the re-
quest of Capt. Brown, offered Gp fer
vent prayer in our behalf, to which we
all responded vita hearty amen. Dark
ness soon set in, and 1t thundered and
lightened, with slight rain, until 10
O'Clock. 1 said, my boys, think we
will all have to put the night through
the best we can, and in the merning /
think we will be saved" Just before
dark Bloom and johnson padded their
raft with pieces of board, to oGFs, and got
On7Tith US, putting their raft into ours.
We saw light, which proved to be on 8
vessel, which we hailed, but could not
make her hear. About an hour later We
saw another vessel, which appeared to
be coming for US. We hailed her, and In
few minutes were over j0yed to find her
steering toward Us. We were soon picked
up and taken to Ssugatuck. The vessel
that saved Us was the seoW True.