The McArthur enquirer. (M'arthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1873-1884, 1873-02-19

TO- 1orce the men VINO nrsr got
INTO the boat to leave it, that
The women might be saved,
but to no purpose. Even fir
ing, with blank cartridges, it is
at first was unavailing.
About thirty persons having got
into the boat, itput off Not one
ofthe crew was in it. Another
life-boat was laudched' a man
got into it and was ordered to
leave. He refused the captain
shot him in the calf. then cap
tain Knowles placed his wit.' in
the boat, and said to the ! at
swain, who had already go' in:
"Here's a charge for you, j'nat-
swain, take care Of her ant the
rest, and God bless ,u."
Wringing his wife's hand, he
bade her good bye, saying II
shall never see you again 1t
is impossible to describe the
panic that ragged all this time.
Hea'trending scenes were wit
messed onall sides. One Of the
passengers, seeing the capsAn's
wife in the boat threw his own
wife in and threw his baby to
her and then entered the boat
himself. A little girl was
thrown into the boat by her
father, who tried to save the
rest of his family, but the soeth-
ing, maddened crowd pressing
toward theside ofvessel prevent
ed, and with his wife and two
other children, he went down
with the ill-fated vessel. The
engineer made frantic efforts to
save his wife and children, but
was .jammed between the cook
house and gunwale, and receiv-
ed dreadful injuries. Though
after wards rescued he is in a
precarious; state. Only two of
the seven boats aboard were
launched, owing no doubt; to
the panic, and one was serious
ly injured as the tackle was cut
and the boat fell into the sea.
When the second boat had got
off, it seemed to become a ques-
ton of moments.
The quarter deck was crowded
by men, women and children,
some crying, swearing, and
praying. The captain and pi-
lot were together, and the lat
ter was heard saying, eff you
want to save yourselves, make
for the topmasts," to which ma
ny poor people rushed. In a
quarter of an hour, a tug picked
up the second boat with the
thirty occupants, and then
steamed away.
About tnree-quarters of an
hour after being struck the
Moathf2eet went down, head first,
with an awful suddenness, with
three hundred and twenty-sev-
Ell souls on board. At that mo-
ment the first boat was one
hundred yards, and the srcond
twenty or thirty from the yes
sci. The crew of the first boat,
after landing the woman, rowed
around the scene of the wreck
ano saved fi'e men trying to
swim to shore. A lugger took
off the occupants Of the Sc .ond
boat, thirty iow passengers,
and a pilot rutter rescued the
pilot and ten nen, who, having
gone down l'th the vess"i rose
to the surfacr and clung - the
maintopmast igging. Ti:c ves-
sci lies in ell n fathoms ( wa
ter. The sarvivors sa' that
the captain d played the freat-
est herOism. maintained his
presence of / md from tie:,G to
last, strOve I I'd to puj ~. end
to the PAM md did 'is luty
bravely to tbs md. III 3, at
the last mo-! Mt, going 9. ross
the deck, in the hope u ena-
bling some o. the crowd crush
ing around the borts an tnat
side, to get away from the ship.
The survivor, say that the 9TH
er boats got a'rift when tht ship
sunk, and eHpress the belief
that if the passengers Ii / al
lowed them 4 be lowered prop
eny, could. bave saved at least
one hundred aore lives. Un-
fortunately the woman "ould
not climb the masts, although
the men did Ill in their rower
to help thea. Consequently,