Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1872-09-19
TAe Metis niSaster--A Survivors,
Account.
NEW YoRK, August 81.

| THE most graphic and connected state.
mcnt is made by Mr.. q. q, Guild, mer.
chant doing business at No. 81 Reade
street in this city. He says, I'VE left
/ New York shortly after five p. m Thurs.
/ day, and nothing of special note occurred
until the evening had far advanced, when
a violent gale came up aud every person
was forced to leave the deck, The vessel
rocked so heavily that nearly all the pas.
sengcrs became sick. BY midnight it WAS
almost impossible for any person to
stand up and even then many who were
nervous had preseniments OF danger 1t
was very late when | retired, and ii ap.
peared but short time after when | was
suddenly awakened by the halt Of the
steamer My first thought Was that We
were aground, and felt certain, Judging
( from the state Of the weather when had
retired from the deck, that our position
was very precariuuS and Immediately
made preparations to devise some means
/ to save laysclc When reached the
upper deck heard we had coilidrd with
q schooner. and though ! looked in all
I directions for the vessel failed TO see it.
/ The scene on board at this time was heart.
reudiug. Women with children Cluging
to their night-dresseS stood paraly2Cd
with fear, and were scarcely able To move,
/ Others, who were on deck, SwuOnc0 away
and renamed where they had fallen,
while many OF the remaining women and
children ran around the deck screaming
and crying. Husbands were looking for
/ their wives, while httIe children, who, in
the excitement, had become separated
from their parents, ran from room to
room in search of them, and crying as
though their hearts would break. II would
be impossible for me to describe the mi.
mute details of that few minutes; but for
my part, as long as | live, | shall never
forget IT, A number of persons who, |
am sorry to say, call themselves men,
were not only greedy, but heartless,
Needless of the women and children,
who were already panic-stricken, they
thought only of themselves. and took pos.
I session of the two or three life preservers,
together with many other articles which
would help save their lives, The result
was that scarcely any of the females on
board were left any means to keep them
from being lost In less than two minutes
after the collision, the main deck was
crowded, and some of the passen-
gers who imagined the steamer WINS
sinking, were preparing to Jump
wv ''"iN' Hl'''ii'HS " t0" ''''
IlVes IN TINS way IMAM Whlt uh'H ,ht
( vessel was gong down, Inc captain,
however, dld conslaerapIe 10 atIaN the
pane ny assuring the people That no IN
/ Jury was cone to the steamer ana dlfcct'
ca the pilot to 60 IN search al the scho"n-
err. inns was at ten minutes past Tour
O'Clock III inc morning We salied
around IN circle Tor iulS hitech MN
utcs, hut could see nothing thai reFem'
bIed schooner, just men the StohlhE'
ton passed us, but, receiving assurances
That we were all right, continued on her
I Journey. Scarcely had she lett Us when
the cry was raised that we were ming
Wllh water, ana almost simultaneously
with the reI ort the ilres were eA'ln.
gnlshtd. ms Intelligence tehdeu TO ue-
mniaIlle all on BOARD, ana the hfst scenes
were rc.cnacted, but IA a more frlghNul
ana terrible manne'. The women, ana
many OF the men, appeared To have no
control over their movements, and re
fused to make any effort to save them
selves except by crowdlng on the hurr
cane deck. Immediately three boats
were lowered from the daVits, but,
ny some accident, one was sWAmped,
/ 10 be candid, would not ven
arc my life in any OF the boats, and II
was miracle that all were pot sunk as
soon as they touched the water; for when
the second report OF our SINKING was an
nounced, very heavy sea was running,
which threatened destruction even to any
such vessel. Strange as II no" occurs TO
me, never lost my presence o. hiha'