Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1873-04-03


swept over the Slips quarter The meu cling
Ing to the rigging heard two heartrending
shrcks and when they looked again the women
had disappeared. These are only few Of the
terrible incidents of that fearful wreck
Young men, as well as old, became parazed,
and as they chung to the rigging or to the side:
of the vessel, they seemed be:eft OF all reason,
and when spoken to By other, TO make some
effort to reach the boat and save themselves
they would roll their eyes, and stare iycdly al
| The speaker and ask in whining tone, what
boat?
Many a-aia. who were reused ont Of their
barths hal scarcely time TO put her q ,thcs on
and rush on deck ere they persisted. One
c=hIn passenger, young mar, came up with
only vest on. H. ciung 10 the ships side for
time aud finally rolled off into the sea AID
was lost One man mad just secured -four
barrel on deck wien lie was washed overheard,
but not before he had obtained hold; grasp
ing the other end, tie bottom being out the
barrel f ON its build would be prccipitatcd by the
| sea some distance and then fall back, one more
than usually heavy sea sent the barrel and man
| ut least six feet high. He had lost his hold be-
fore he came down. falling in the trough OF the
sea, but though Oh top OF the wave which 70 c
little further Oh, tie barrel rode buoyanlly.
The mau did not come to hight.
We saw very little Of the women and chill
.lrcn, saws another informant. Everything
happened SO quick that even before those
who were strongest had got out OF the
checked passage way, the females were SO
bewildcred, Or the water had SO lGlpedc1
their progress that Very few came on deck.
Those that did were swept away before they
could f;lsten themselves Or be secured By others,
Il H., tba, II
three children, Just as they were washed over
board, Two i'll her arms, one an infant, and the
other with its arms about her neck. They
went down almost instantly.
VIM Hogan, OF Waterford, tells the fellow
ing: 'WaS on deck at ) O'Clock heard Il
sailor on duty caIou 'all's well, three clock.
After hearing the sailor say "ali's we'll | went
to the forward Storage and got into bed.
About five or ten nInu'cs afterwards | heard
the watchman cry 0ut 'brc: k@rs ahead, and
almost instantly heard tremendous cra-i
aud the air rushed Ia and blew out the lights
Ii was NY Impression that the boiler had burst;
called up some of the boys that wcr2
siecpng near mc; | told them to rush on deck
and that the boiler had exploded Some Of
them refused To go and said thct it ma.tcrcI
little, thinking the steamer was out at sea, and
said it was Just as we'll to meet death below as
% deck: but aud Pat ]I.ahy, my cAum, de-
tcrmn@d to save our lives il possible and as all
was confusion below really canuot tell how We
got on deck Orders were given, as is 4 com
mon thing in steamships, thai the hatchc.
Should b" closed and no one would be permitted
to ascend t, the deck. Thinking our lives
were in imrlinynt danger, we forced the
hatches up and as-culrd to the deck A.,
soon as We went on deck we rushed to
the SIDE of the vessel, ami saw the rocks as |
supposed, aiou: three hundred yards distant.
| thought at first it was an ice berga W. had
struck III; quickly afterwards We noticed that
the ship had commenced to hcavc and plunge
After three or four purges she settled and the
water seemed to be rushing in. | surml,ei
that our safety depended in our being on the
side Of the vessel nearest laud. | rushed t.
that .iic and caught hold Of The rigging when
the ship connchcci to turn over gradually on
her side | got % the side of the ship and
caught hold of II rope. then heard a dismal
wall which was fearful to listen to- Ii proceed
Cd from the eteerage passengers who We're be-
low and We're theu slnothcrng. 1t did not last
more than two minutes when all was still as
DEATH