The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1872-09-03

Sounding the Alarm-How tho SesseA
was Discovered to be
gineers and Flremen In Water up 10
their waasts.-Fifty-three Passengers
Dashed About on a Portion OF the
Wreck. 3aIa
The Northern papers of Saturday come laden
with the narrowing details of the loss OF the
steamer Metis, In Long Island Sound. on
Thursday night, the main facts of which have
been reported by telegraph. We lake the fol-
lowing account from the New York World
Not usually carrying a large number of pas.
sengers the Metis was exceptionally crowded
on thursday night. ALL the, state-rooms were
occupied, and arrangements were made to &C:
commodate sleeper5 In the saloon. There
were on board one hundred and four passen-
gers, DIX or seven children, whose lame were
not registered, and the usual crew OF forty-
five officers and men, making the total num-
Der on the boat one hundred and ftty-fVe or
one hundred and flty-slx. Though the wealth
er was Of the most threatening character the
Metis held her course as usual; tii at tnree
O'Clock Friday morning she sighted and pass
ed GHl Island light, ten miles south ofNew
London. The wind, which had been heavy
all the evening, had now
INCREASED TO A GALE
from the southeast and the air was filled with
driving rain and spray. It was impossible for
the. eye to- penetrate a ships length Into the
Almost palpable darkness which surrounded
her, and, taking every precautlon against acci-
dent, the engines were slowed down, and the
boat kept slowly on her way, bufretlng the
heavy seas which rolled on by Montauk In the
7eryfeeth Of the gale. At 9 lf-pass three the
Meiis was, IN the opinion of her captain, four
miles south Of Watch Hill. Ten minutes later
the lights Of asohooner under easy sal, stand
iDgst9 the eastward, were seen ahead. The
Hetiss: held her way, steering to clear the
stranger, vyhenjust before they met he lufed
up, apparently to Cross her bow, and
THE VESSELS CAME TOGETHER, :
the aohooner's bowsprlt striking the propeller
on the port quarter forty feet sbafL the stern,
and swapping like q pipe stem. The vessels
hung together q moment and then surged
apart ali the schooner'5 head gear hanging
from the bow Captain Burton at once sent
the mate and engineer to ascertain the extent
Of the propeler's injury, but In the intense
darkness the external damage was Invisible,
and having satisfied themselves that she was
making no water, they reported that the In
Jury was uncomfortable, and the Metls kept
on her war, the schooner having already dis
appeared; but In fifteen minutes the engineer
rushed Into the %pilot-hOuse and announced the
terrible fact that the vessel was leaking badly.
IH6 CapLhlu Oh VuSC OkuOASA y
HEADED FOB 81 RHODE IsLAND sHoRE,
then FIVE miles or more away, and, sounding
ageneral alarm In the saloons, apprlsed all the
passengers Of their danger. There was little
confusion, most of those on board having been
awakened by the shock of the collision, and
many of them being already dressed. There
was an unusually large number OF lfe-pre-
servers on board, and the liie-saving appa-
ratus Of the propeller seems to have been Re:
narkably, complete: Every one was invested
wltffHpreserver, and the anxious throDg then
waited for the end. 1t was not long coming.
Twenty minutes after the leak was discovered
the water had reached the englne-room and
40 - s DROWNED THE FIRES,
coming In beneath the engines In q way, that
indicated. tnRr the Injection. pipe had been
broken In the collision. The fremen and en-
gfneer stayed at their posts till the water had
reached1their waists, and then joined the crew
and PASSENGERS. who, ,. as -.. the TafsF at s!saoIInn
the meantime, the pr0peller's fonr boats were
safely launched and were speedily filled, many
cinging to their sides by the life-lines, but by
far the majority OF the passengers were on tne
upper deck. In o few minutes more and The
huh Of the vessel, weighed dow by thsheavy
machinery, was submerged and sunk; but as
it did 30, the buoyant freight on the main
deck. principally cotton, aided by the heavy
sea running, lifted the hurricane deck COM
pletely of, and, wonderful 10 relate, left 1t
hoastng almost intact. On this were gathered
PTfTY-rHREE PEOPLE, HUDDLED TOGETHER
knee deep In the water in the vain attempt to
protect themselves from O peltlng rain and 8
sea which repeatedly swept the hall-suomerged
the waves Increased, and several were swept
nom the deck, two Of whom were lost. Men
vOluble at first In their terror were gradually
chilled Into despair. The
- FRENZY OF THE
subsidized with exhaustion, and when the
sombre light of morning dawned 1t was upon
q pitiabls sight. But II brought cheer 10 those
lust Bnatched from death, for not two miles
away was the gray beach of Watch Hill, and
on it evidences that the disaster was known
and aid was coming. But between the raft
an6thes shore, which was that sweeping east
from the lighthouse aud at the foot OF the
hills on which the hotels stand, o tremendous
sea was rolling, taking the bottom q quarter
Of mile from the beach, and rushing IN I'M
mense breakers one hundred feet above Its
usual limit. Here, halt a mile from land, the
sea-golng qualities Of the raft received a
severer TEST than any 1t had yet experienced,
and It yielded. Scarcely had it got within the
limit Of the boiling maelstrom, which ragged
and foarned along the entire shore, than 1t
shivered and shook, and In a moment was in
pieces. Two waves swept over II, and those
-HHO LOU AoAhA ~ AASNAS ~ AAS btAAo 4"4
were
STRUGGLING IN TIE SURF.
All had preservers, and some were expert
swimmers, and these struck out boldly for the
shora.GI1 the meantime the place was alive,
and the beach was lined with the guests OF
the numerous hotels Had residents, most or
the latter old fishermen and wreckers; they
knew what to do, and did It.; and as those but.
feting the winds were swept in on the crest OF
q bilow, strong hands were stretched TO them,
and before the treacherous undertoW could
suck them back, they were pulled high and
dry on the sand. The scenes here were IS
thtillingas any ever llmned 10 history or fc-
tion, and to all but the helpless crowd on
shore heartrending. Cyrus Butler, OF ProVl-
dence, when swept from the deck was
SUPPORTING HIS WIFE AND TWO CHILDREN
in tho surf. They were torn from him, aud he
was thrown upon the shore to see them wrest-
ling helpless in the turmoil behind him. Mrs.
Girrard, passenger, belted a preseryer
~aronpt-her two children, and fastened 1t TO
her. own, a plunged ,bravely In and was
saved. 1t was q time that demanded all the
heroism OF mans nature, and to the credit of
our race he 1t said 1t was nobly displayed.
One gentleman bore an elderly lady safely to
land, dashed in to rescue another, was caught
by the undertow, and recovered only at the
point of death. Other scenes there were
where men we're swept within reach of the
hands outstretched to save them, and were
hurried away by the receding wave I'LL when
at length they were secured 1t was with the