The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1872-09-07
WRECK OF THE METIS.

Il
Of th. george sturges. of Philadelphia, one
Hat, survivors of tho Metis. is now in
wsnt t'olo, visiting Mr.. ]. r. Vail. who
saaro, ~ she scene Of the disaster Friday in
h r"lon Oh the body of his friend. whom he
nS - Jason To suppose was lost. He rives
nar;i IL ioilowIng Interesting account of his
an ui . experience:-I turned in early aft
IN d dp' as 1t was a bad night for being
u 7 n ueck' | heard nothing afterward until
oo m"s awakened by the thumps after the
siJn, when the vessel raked aloum the
t ,;"o vi The steamer. There was commo-
6 f'un among the employees on the boat for
az ~ ~, minutes or so, but then it was announc
W. .naG everything was all right, and we
m;le .olo TO go back to bed. In about twenty
MI | heard chopping going on above
'' ~. oh tile upper deck. This alarmed me
n''ie as an unusual thing, and feeling
s3'.ieWIat anxious, arose and began dres.
t eng Which had nearly completed when
o,'o grand alarm was given by the employ
% Vi The boat. Turn out turn out. get
u ~. your life preservers as quick as possible.
sne ooat Is sinking. No time to lose l
e from the feeling of the boat, and
.io'li the alarm given, that she had settled
III Ine water. This was my impression
any anu l acted accordingly. ! hurriedly pull
ieu out the life preserver, and, without
examining it, l rushed out of the room in
u. 70 The dining hall on the upper deck. All
lhe passengers appeared to be up in great
CONFUSION, putting on their preservers. A
VOICE which seemed to come from some
que 10 authority, overhead, said: " Get out
Vi TINS, the boat is sinking" In putting
on my life preserver found the arm strap
was lost. went Immediately to the front of
the boat, found the sea breaking over
Cne DOW; many people were in the water and
HE boat was near by filled with people. l
made Tor it, but just before reaching it it
eapsl2ed, spilling out the people that had
oeen IN 1t. 1t righted directly, full of water,
and two officers took possession and ordered
these III the water not to attempt to get
into the boat as they would capsize it again,
but to hold to the side of the boat, which
was done. By the time we had all got hold
OF the gunwale of the boat, fifteen or twen-
ty persons in all, the top of the steamer
separated from the hull and remained float
ing, covered with passengers. There is one
very peculiar thing about, that. The
smoke pipe was held in its place by num-
Der OF chains and braces running to it from
the ends of the deck. When the boat
broke up the smoke stack fell through the
deck till it frightened up the braces. Then
the weight of the iron pipe served for a
ballast while the braces held together the
floating deck and that in my opinion is
what made it hold out so well in the water.
We clinging to our boat and those huddled
together on the deck were driven along
toward the shore. After, as it seemed to
me very long time, some one shouted
"land.' and then there was a general
shout from those on the deck, we around
the boat could not however see it at first.
This cry inspired new courage among us.
In time, the boat drifted faster than the
raft, reaching the shore nearly opposite the
Ocean House. l had held on until We
reached the surf, but then the boat rolled
over and over, and in the struggle to regain
my hold lost my consciousness. | knew
nothing for some time. When conscious
ness retained found myself in the hands
of four men who were rubbing me vigorous
ly as lay in the parlor of the Ocean House.
| am informed that l was picked up in the
surf by some one who was in the water
with line about him held by parties on
the shore. AS soon as | was laid on the
shore one of the ladies of the Ocean House
took charge of my body and had four ser
wants carry me to the hotel, where l was
brought to consciousness by the hard work
of the gentlemen and three or four ply
scans who happened to be there. After
the doctors had brought me to conscious
ness the ladies took charge of me, and with
hot bottles, mustard plasters, and vigorous
rubbing, soon got up circulation of the
blood again. They also fed me on beef tea
and other things that gave me strength.
Not only were the guests in every way
kind and attentive. but Captain and Mrs.
Nash, Of the hotel, supplied every want as
soon as it was known, and to them | owe
as much gratitude as to any of the many
that l am indebt to for my life.
The party in charge of the boat to which
I chung was fellow of great bravery and
GOODNESS He gave us his orders and we
had to obey him. He ranged us along the
sides of the boat as we lay in the water and
would not let us get in as it was safer that
way. One man tried to climb in but the
officer forbade him. After we had all got
our places the officer saying he would not
burden the boat threw himself into the
water away from us, and swan to and
climbed upon cotton bale and chung to it
and I think was saved. He was a brave
fellow.
Just after we got into the boat at the
sinking of the hull ofthe Metis, an old man
was driven by the waves right up to our
boat. reach out to him. He said: " Hold
on to me, keep me by the boat" held
him good while as he toated on his mat
tras which was supporting him. At length
| had to let go of it from exhaustion. |
don't know what became of him, but it
seemed to me as if he gave up and don t
think he reached the shore alive.
Mr.. Sturges has crossed the Atlantic
great many times and has been wrecked
twice before. He says this was fearful
storm-one of the worst nights he ever
kuew.-Hartford (Con.) Courant.