Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1872-09-02
THE METIs DISASTER.
Further Particulars Of the Recent Hor.
ribIe Disaster on Long Island Sound
Partial List OF Survivors.

4 Thrilling Narrative Of the scenes and
Incidents as Related by survivors
4 Story too Horrible to Contem-
plate.
NEW YORK, September 1.-The fol-
lowing are additional details Of the dis
aster to the steamer Metis, on Long Is
land Sound Among the missing Is the
wife Of VIM. +. Sheridan, Of the Globe
Theater, Boston. Sheridan, who is st
the Ocean House, Watchhill, says he
knew nothing Of the disaster which had
overtaken the vessel until there was
great rumpus outside of his staterOom.
He rushed out TO find the steamer sink
ing, aud hurried his wife into the life
boat. There were too many Of US on the
boat. We had proceeded nearly TO land
when the rough sea caused our boat to
tip over, and we were all thrown into
water. II was terrible moment. There
were but few Of US who could swim, and
only eight or ten succeeded in laying
hold Of the boat. My poor wife was not
among them. Sheridan here became very
much agitated, and hid bis face In his
hands. In a moment he resumed witha q
my grief Is elsewhere. ] have tele
graphed to Providence to learn II my
poor girl was among those who were
taken there by the cutter. Among the
pathetic incidents Of the disaster, ] re-
member well the death Of two little chill
dren. All evening they played about
the saloon, prattling gaily with the pas
sengers, and seemingly wrapped up IN
each other. When bedtime came, one
Of them said: "Tiss me, mamma; tiss
me; for I am going to sleep.n | saw
them no more alive. This morning
their bodies were washed ashore on the !
beach, clasOed in each others arms. /
They were a. beautiful as In life, and |
their eountenances bore placid smile, |
as iftheir death had been painless. One |
boat capsized close TO the shore, and Ii /
was a sad sight TO US who had saved our |
lives, when We witnessed the struggles of
those who, unable 10 Withstand the ter |
rible under-tOw, were drowned in our /
faces, the upturned faces and despairing /
looks viii haunt me to my dying day. /
Dir. Sheridan is much prostrated by /
the shock be has received. Another
passenger states that be asked the pur-
ser il any damage was done by the col
lision, to which the purser replied, "Of 1
course not; ft is OF no use for these small |
craft to run into Us, for they can't hurt /
rs auy way.n | went back TO nv state
room and laid down, but had scarcely
closed my eyes when ] felt the ship set
ting under me, and l aroused my wife
at once. This was about twenty-five
minutes after first heard the crash. l
opened my stateroOm door and found
the saloon full Of people, many not
dressed All were in a state Of feverish
anxiety. They were breaking up furni-
ture and trying, in wild way, 20 build
RATS. All the hfe-preseryers had been
taken down and one man had three
buckled about his body. Cork mattress
Is were strewn about the saloon gener-
ally. Some two OF three dropped on
their knees and commenced to pray,
and one woman shrieked violently.
There were quite a number be-
side themselves and jumped Overboard d
in delirium, but most Of Us kept our wits
about Us. We launched and loaded our
boats, threw over bales Of cotton, 10
which we had previously lashed women
aud children, and tried in a short time
to build RATS. Our time was limited,
however. We felt the vessel sinking
slowly and surely beneath US, and all :
hands made s. rush for the deck. The :
boat seemed 10 sink beneath the deck, :
for when il had reached the level of the :
water il foated away, forming a raft Of
itself As We drifted toward land, the :
water seemed full OF human bodies. :
They drifted about, some one way and :
some another, the most going toward :
land. Our raft proceeded steadily on :
this way till We got close TO the shore, =
when q big breaker threw US sill into the :
water, and l was one of the few who :
were saved. Captain Richie, Of the !
l2evene Cutter, Moccasin, which saved .
forsy-One lives, and took them, together
with sevenfy-seven bodies picked up
near the wreck, 10 Huntington, late last
night. states thRt the scene was awful :
and heart-rending to those engaged In :
saving the perishing, and can only be I
realized by experience. Fathers looking :
for their children, and husbands for their :
wives, a mother for her child, son for his :
father, anda sister for brother, it beggars !,
description. n
But the saddest thing of all was :
N the saloon Of the Narragsn- !,
EFT, where sat a young woman, poorly n
,ut neatly dressed, who was praying =
.iIantSy near the spot where the dead !.
,ody os her husband lay. She was y
llecD when the collision occurred, but =
was awakened by the shock, and told Z
ler husband TO get up and see what was .
.be matter He did 80, and soon re- >
turned, saving that the captain had told 4
lim there was no danger. He got into :
ned again. bat his wife could not sleep, I
and was soon again alarmed by the i
,auud of many feet running TO and fro. :
a moment later the steward, q brave :,
nan of whom all spoke well, rushed :
nto the statenoOm, and told them to 4
out on life-preservers, ~ the ship was
sinking. This was a terrible shock, but =
.hev hastened to obey the order. The !,
two children Of the young couple lay :
isIeep-one, a baby six weeks old, the E
lther q boy of three years. The father 4
.0ok the biggest child in his arms, and
he mother clutehed her infant and the n
.wo struggled to the deck, The saloon !
vas knee-deep I'm water by this time, !.
tud in less than five minutes, man =
md wife were in water The waves ran :,
nigh, and soon man and wife were :
,wept asunder The former lost his 4
strength, relaxed his hold on the child, -
and both were drowned. The mother :
leld her babe above the hungry waters n
Intil her strength, too, was exhausted, 4
md then wave larger than a
he rest dashed il from her arms and she :,
.aw il sink slowly to depths below. Just !,
!. she was exhausted, and after the life =
1reserver had slipppd from beneath her \
rms, the Maccasin came up, and she =
vas. recalled % life which for the pres :,
"A at least is bitter indeed. have my p
,usband here, she said, but thsy can 4,
,ever find my babies in 80 large a sea. :,
The poor woman goes TO Philadelphia :,
bfs afternoon, where her parentsi i
i've. and where her husband viii
. hurled. Some days, perhaps
raalrs must eIapse before a correct
ist of the dead can be made out. Ali
,auers ygere lost with the ship. Already
.uxjous friends are beginning 70 visit =
he offices OF the company, asking
whether such OF such 4 one was saved
n the ill-fated steamer, but TO all such
INQUIRIES unsatisfactory answers are
Prom an interview with 4. U
5orrey, Pilot of the Metis, Il appears
Lat his first consideration, after
he collision, was for his own
afetv. On ascertaining that there
vas danger Of the steamer sinking,
,e Immediately went into bis room and
,rocured two cork mattresses which be
.ad stored away, one Of them he gave CT
q "A friend, and the other he attached TO OF
h own person, and fioated OF from the Oh
bip without making any particular ef- al
,f 10 aid any Of the passengers. His 50
ouduct is In great contrast TO that Of u
b, captain and others who exerted ps
WY nerve 10 save life. FOrnley was %
ighi hours floating about on his mat ta
:, ,eS before he was picked up. He 10
..,.I- tilat when the collision occurred A
'tat it was utterly impossible TO see 81
lor+ than a few ysuds ahead in conse- Va
ueuce of the fog and drifting sieet: The ~
blowing statement is mace by the Of "
cials Of the Neptune Steamship Com 9e
any: A full list of the passengers, Of gl ai
eials and crew, of the steamer Nets, ~
lows that one hundred and sixty-thTee va
arsons were ON board, one hundred and GO
,rtv-One of whom are alive, and the lc
1dies of twenty-five Others have been - -
und, and many have been re- ..
Drted to-day from various sec Al Al
ons who were thought to be lost. az