Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1873-04-05

the United States of America were huddied
together, talking, laughing, crying, praying
and Thanksgiving, producing CONFUSION q
tongues of the most confused character.
Scarcely one half of them had complete
and respectable looking suit OF clothes. The
wealthy merchant OF London and New ork, |
the high toned professional gentleman and
the lowest of the foreign emigrants appeared
in clothing, much of which had been given
them by the good people of Prospect. Some
were without coats, many without hats, 9TH
ers without boots, and all had to mourn the !
absence of some comfort in the clothing line.
Expensive broadcloth blended with the rough !
Guernsey jacket on the one person. Here !
was an aristocratc looking man striving to
make himself at home under dilapidated |
looking overcoat that had probably done duty |
in the days of yore On the back OF more than
one hardy fisherman Of the place, while at
the same time he made desperate efforts to
get on to his benumbed hands a pair of law
ender kid gloves. He had preference for
kid rule, no doubt, bat at that particular
moment he was gazing enviously on halt /
frightened to death Dutchman, who sported
prodigious pair cf wool mitts. which did
great credit to the skill and sense Of the fish
erman's pretty daughter, who had given them
| TO him.
The Goliath returned to the shore and was
soon back again with just such crowd as
the previous one. There were several af
| fectng scenes on the Delta as the passengers
we're collecting in her from the different
points where they had been stopping. Friends
who had separated from each other after the
Atlantic struck and never expected to meet
again in this world, were brought face to face
in the Deltas cabin, where they grasped
hands and wept for JOY, and returned thanks
to Him who had spared them. while so many
Of their fellows had been sent into eternity.
By twelve O'Clock all those who had reached
the shore safely, were, excepting an officer
and four men who remained, and those who
walked inland, taken on board the steamers
Delta and Lady Head, the former having
about SEQ the latter -.
SToRY OF \ PASSENGER
One OF the passengers makes the following
statement IL was a passenger on board the
Atlantic, and was on deck at three o'clock.
heard the sailor on dnty call out. ''Aii's we'll
Three o'clock" After hearing the sailor
saying 'Alls we'll went to the forward
steerage and got into bed. About five or ten
minutes afterwards heard the watchwen cry
out, Breakers ahead! and almost instantly
heard a tremendous crash, and the air
f rushed in and blew out the lights. 1t was my
impression that the boiler had bursted.
called up some of the boys that were sleeping
E near me. told them to rush en- deck, and
, that the boiler had exploded. Some Of then,
I refused to 60 and said that it mattered little
thinking the steamer was out to sea-and
said that it was just as well to meet death be-
: low as on deck but and Pat. Leahy, my
chum, determined to save our lives if posi-
BILE, and as all was confusion below l really
: cannot tell how we got on deck. The orders
=. were given, as is a common thing in steam
: ships with sailors, that the matches should be
clc sod nd Ip mo- IN IN
: the deck. Thinking that our lives were in
/, imminent danger We forced the matches up
q and assembled to the deck. AS soon az we
went on deck we rushed to the side of the
vessel, and saw the rock, as / supposed,
about three hundred yards distant. though.
at first it was an iceberg we had struck, but
Immediately afterwards we noticed that the
ship commenced to heaye and plunge, and af-
ter three or four plunges she settled and the
. water seemed to be rushing in. l surmised
that our safety depended in our being ON the
the side of the vessel nearest to land. l
rushed tn that side and caught hold of the
rigging, when the ship commenced to turn
over gradually on her side. l sat on the side
Of the ship and caught hold of rope. I then
: heard dismal wall, which was fearful to lis
a ten to. 1t proceeded from the s.eerage pas.
sengers, who were below, and were then
Ii smothering. 1t did not last more than two
minutes, NNen all WAS sui as death. Inc
/ Captain then shouted out that the last chance
the survivors had was to get on the rigging.
u Several Of them did so. / afterwards heard
I the first officer shout out that the only chance
to those who could swim was to jump over
board and endeavor to reach the rock. Dur
ing that time several OF the passengers were
} being conveyed to the rock, which, as near
as can Judge, was about thirty feet from the
vessel; there were three ropes from the rock
to the island, which was about one hundred
and fifty feet distant. The passengers by
means of these ropes saved themselves and
got on the rock, where they remained about
an hour, very few of them venturing to wade
ashore with the assistance of the single line
to the island. At six o'clock small boat or
skiff came to our assistance, but the sea was
so heavy that they could not rescue any of
those who were On either the rock or the ship.
A quarter of an hour afterwards man on
shore wrote on a black board, "Cheer up !;
the boats are coming to your assistance"
which ELECTED hearty cheers from the unfor-
tunate beings, who thought that every min
ute they would find a watery grave. About
half an hour afterwards we saw some men
carrying boat over the rocks on the island,
and in few minutes thereafter they launched
it and went TO the rock, and rescued in this
way three loads Of passengers, or about
thirty-six persons. During the time they
were rescuing these men from the rock the
Captain and the passengers on the ship called
loudly to those in the boat to come TO the ship
and take them o Il first as they were in most
imminent danger. The boat commenced taking
men from the ship and rescued two boat loads,
and in half an hour afterwards another boat
came to their assistance and took off those
who were clingng to the rigging. A third
boat came off with the third officer, Brady,
who had succeeded in getting to the shore
previously by the aid of ropes. / got into
this with several others and landed in safety.
= When left about eighty persons still remained
on the side OF the vessel and the rigging.
Those remaining when | left seemed quite
= cool and confident of being rescued. being
e wet through to the skin and much exhausted
:, from the cold, crawled, as / could scarcely
: walk, to the nearest house, where there were
great many persons before me. We were
treated with the greatest kindness In about
y an hour after getting warmed went down to
the wreck and it was a fearful sight to behold.
Some were still remaining on the vessel:
s others had been washed up on the beach,
s which was strewn around in all directions