The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1869-11-05

clear OF everything AMI struck out for the
shore. l reached the shore exhausted, and
only for the aid of the people upon shore
would have perished. l understand there
were $50 souls on board. and when we left
there were about thirty saved.
STATEMENT OF CHARLES WILLIAMS, DECK HAND
and John Ohurcbman are the only deck
hands saved, l believe, 1 looked around
and could find no more. The cook had Just
called me for supper, and I got up, put on
my shoes, and then heard the women On
deck holler ''the boats on fire." 1 seen a
fire blazju up between the hay and the after
hatch. climb on the top of the hay. 1
tried to smother it with blankets and quilts.
! The deck hands tried TO train the hose upon
the fire, but couldn't. The boat had been
rounded TO, and the flames were driven for
ward, and prevented US from doing anything
Then l ran forward. I saw Captain Scott
on the hurricane roof, a nd he hollered to the
pilot, "Ed, will she come in any Closer" l
did not hear the answer, he being so far cff
1 began to think of going off, and took
bale of hay, threw it over, stripped myself,
jumped over aud drifted to the stern. The
yawl was in the water and six or seven men
in it, without oars, hlving cut the yawl loose
huniedly. They pulled me in. We broke
the fore and aft pieces aud used the pieces
for oars. The current was 50 strong. How
ever, l got ashore, snd the yawl went out
again and drifed down and saw it no more
The yawl contained six or seven mon and
one woman, but the woman was left on shore
with me. They were deck passengers.
I'll tell you how 1 think so many lives
we're lost. They all rushed on the forecastle
and appeared afraid to jump in the water,
and at last those behind pushed the others
in, and it was pell NELL and no chance to
escape. There was skff came down from
Neeley's and made five or six trips and
didn't leave until she had done all she could.
She probably saved fifteen or twenty per-
sons. l don't know the owner of the skiff.
Pilot Fulkerson told me if he knew the fire
was in the stern, he would have landed the
boat at Tea Table, and that would probably
have resulted in the safety of nearly every
body. st. Louis is my home, but formerly
lived in Cincinnati. didn't see any of the
officers at all except the captain. L did not
see the Submarine No. 70, nor any other
boat passing, John Bernethy and Wash.
Martin are the deck hands missing. There
were thirty daIkies, six iremen and four
deck hands.
OF 25S persons on board the Stonewall, in
cluding The crew, only 80 are known to have
been saved.
HOW THE PEOPLE ON Score BEHAVED.
No sooner was the news known that q
boat was on fse than far and near, from
hamlet and wood, house and barn, every one
flew to the waters edge There was only
one skiff on shore, and was speedily brought
into service, and nearly all who were saved
were indebted for their lives to the good man
who ran his ikif out. All of the fifteen
people on the staging and the engineer, Mr..
Fulton, were taken ashore by this skif:
Many Of the victims were so weak that they
fell faint from exhaustion, and fain would
die when life was 50 riskily saved to them.
They laid upon the bank in their wet cloth.
ing, and the landsmen and laudswomen ran
to their homes and brought out clothes and
quilts and blankets, and coffee, and cordials,
anything aud everything that would bring
cheer and be of comfort. One man went
four miles for gallon of whisky, good old
Kentucky wine, and never was saints
pilgrimage better appreciated. The faint and
sick were strengthened and DO doubt many
lives ready to drop into the grave by ex-
haustion were thereby saved.
One old man of sixty years, took eff his
coat and went and put it on one of the suffer
ers, who was drenched throughto the skin. |
and whose life preserver was iced to his per-
son.
THE BELLE OF MEDpuTS