Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1873-04-10
General News.
The following are the accounts given Of this
| sad and terrible disaster:

Saws there Is no language that can describe the
feelings Of man holding on for dear life TO a
bit OF rigging and watching his friends and
companions struggling. clutching, sinking. DIV
ing. The weakest, Of course, went first One
poor fellow had managed 10 get himself i'm po-
sition where he was hemmed in by pieces of
timber, which could not very well be affected
by the action Of the waves His body was
nearly entirely protected. From my position
in the rigging | could see the expression of his
couutenance. from time 10 time he took his
hands from his face. gazed about rs il not dar-
Ing TO lii his head, and then again hid his sight
In an unucky moment, when a lul came he
lifted up portion Of his BODY TO make himself
more comfortable, when the biggest wave | had
yet seen caught and swept him in a moment out
Of sight.
sTEERAGE PASSENGER
says that Immediately after the shock he went
on deck. Even then the ship had commenced
TO rock over from side TO side. There were but
few Of the officers and crew visible. He saw
several men jump overheard and sink Some
Of them did not make an attempt To see what
the danger was, but as in all cases Of shipwr-ck
became daZed and yentured on the first chance
| of getting out Of the vessel that presented it.
self
When the water commenced To come into the
steerage. the passengers made for the hurricane
deck. The captain shouted for any men who
had life-belfs or buoys TO rush into the sea or
mount the rigging. those Were the only
chances for life. Leahy and his chum immedi-
| ately assembled the rigging after much trouble
and from thence had a good view of what was
| going on. Then" said he, Il saw the first
and an awful sight" IL was Just cleaning ,iay
\ large mass of something drifted past the ship
| ON the top Of wave. As II passed BY moan
| lit must have been shrek, but the tempest
dulled the sound->eemed 10 surge up from the
mass, which extended over fifty yards Of water
| what j. thaty' asked Leahy Of one next him.
''Sca lions,' said the man addressed, probably
foreigner, who did not know that we have
none such on our shores. my God said an
| other ''it's the women" and so II was The
sea swept them out OF the stecragc and with
their children, TO the number Of two or three
hundred, they drifted 10 eternity. Leahy was
in the rigging seven hours, moving up midtown
Ia keep hi, blood in circulation. He saw men
on both sides of him fall from exhaustion
mostly able-bodcd Germans. The only chance
! oil escape was by means OF a rope to the shore
which Mr.. Brady. the third officer swan ashore
With. Nearly half Of those who ran the risk of
crossing on this, lost their lives.
One man had just secured a ilour-barrel ON
| deck when he was washed overheard, but not
before he had obtained hold on either end the
bottom being out The force OF the waves was
such, however. that the barrel was torn from
the mans grasp. and he disappeared. while hi,
quondam support foatcd away on the top OF a
huge bilow.
sCoTCHMAN's STORY.
james MeAllister, native Of Glasgow. SCOT
/ land, SAYS: The three O'Clock bell rang ~.
well. and quarter of an hour afterw ards
when was asleep in my berth in the fOrNv ard
Storage, heard q crash. immediately Jumped
up. put on my clothes and rushed on deck
Nearly all the passengers in that part of the
stecTage. 10 the number OF a hundred and TWEEN
t!-lght, II not NOR, also rushed up ON deck.
Al the same time some Of the passengers who
fr>t succeeded In getting on deck We're told by
some of the officers in command, that nothing
/ wrong. that they hal pItlX lowered sb,s
Choir. The passenger, then went down again
aud Tried Ia persuade the rest 10 that effect.
/ think this was done to prevent confusion on
deck. came up again and had Just time To get
ON the saloon deck, about ten minute. amer the
| ship first struck, when she turned over toward
| the land and sunk. \ number Of persons chung
I Ia the bulwarks, but the sea being high thew
/ were washed oil and many drowned. The 9TH
/ cr-, with myself. who got into the rigging
! >wun. Themselves of by ropes into the water.
/ and swan 10 the rock. Il distance of about INV
/ Har'i>. About 80 who We're Passengers, prin-
! cipallt belonging To thu sieeragc that wa, in.
saved then,rlNe, in this way.
ANOTHER STORY.
W lllam Hogan say | was on deck at three
o'clock. | heard the sailor ON duty cry out
/ AIS well-three O'clock" Af,er hearing the
! sailor say "Alfs weu,' | went la the forward
| -tccragc and got into bed. About Iiyc or ten
/ minute, ait"rw ard, heard the Waterman cry
/ out Breakers ahead" and almost Instantly
/ heard tremendous, crash, and the air rushed
/ in and blew out the lights. II wa. my imprr,.
sion that the boiler had bursiej. | called up
| some Of the boys who were sleeping near and
told them Ia rush deck. for the boiler had rN-
/ plodcd. some Of them refused to 70. and laid
/ that II natierc'i little. thinking the vessel was
/ out 10 sea; and >aid that ii was just n well Il
/ meet death below on deck; but | and Pai
Leahy. my chum, determined TO save our lives
shff,S, thai the matches should b. closed and M
one De permitted TO ascend 10 the deck. Think.
| Ihs tilht our lives werc in imminent danger ",
| forced the matches up and assembled. 4. soon
IL We Were on deck We rushed 10 the side Of Tia,
/ vessel, and saw the rock ~ | supposed about
| three hundred yards distant, | thought AT fir,t
| II wa, an iceberg We had struck. but immc,l.
| ately afterwards We noticed that the shin com.
| Ihehced Ia heaNe or plunge, and after three or
iouf piungcs settled, and the water seemed 10 l.,
| rushing III. We thought that our safety de-
| pended in our being ON the side of III. vessel
nearest 10 the land. and | rushed TO thai ,i,I.
anu caught hold Of the rigging. When the ,hit,
commenced To turn over gradually on her side.
| Sot on the side oi the ship and caught a rope
| l thcn heard a dismal wall, which wa, fearful
10 listen 10, proceeding from the .tecrag,. mas.
/ ,tnSeFs below, " ho wcrr then sInothering IL
/ did not last more than Two minutes when al
| Wa, sun. The captain then shouted ont thar
me last chance that the survivors had wa. 10
/ Srt on The rigging. and several of them lid -
Aftcrward heard the first officer shout thut IN.
I uhly chance for those who could swim was Ia
/ Jump overheard and cndeavor to reach th,.
/ Iorh. One old man held on I. life tenaciou.ly,
1ul he seemed 10 have lost hi, presence OF mind
/ helped him To get nearer to The boat Whcn
,one OF the passengers were being rescued. n.
| eald he would give hundred dollars reward 10
any man who would save him. but nobody
seemed anxious 10 earn it, | gave him all th,.
ASSISTANCE could, under the circumstance, and
| safe on shore.
Al six o'clock small boat or skif came, To
/ our assistance, but the was 20 heavy that
/ iheH could not Rescue any Of us either on the
| rock or ship, which made all OF u, Kind OF
shaky OF saving our lives. \ quarter Of an
hour afterward a man wrote on a bIarkboard
'theer up, the boats are coming to YOUR a..i>-
tauct, winch brought our hearty cheers
About hall an hour afterwards we saw som.
men carrying boat over the rocks on the Isl
anu, anu "A lew minutes AFTER they launched il
ana Went To the rock and rescued in this way
Ilree boat-lo3d> Of Passengers or about thirty
sA persons. During the time they were rescue
ihS These men from the rock. the captain and
me passengers ON the ship called loudly for the
bOat 10 come 10 the ship and take them of first
IL they were i'll the most imminent danger The
captain called out 10 the men in the boat Ia
come 10 The vessel and he would give them five
hundred dollars for every buat-load they would
rescue. The boat commenced taking men from
the ship and rescued two boat loads and hall
an hour afterwards another boat came 10 their
assistance and took the persons who were cling
lng 10 the rigging on shore. After il a third
boat came OF with the third officer. Mr.. Brady.
who had succeeded in getting ashore previously
by the aid OF ropes. and | with several others
got into this boat and landed in safety
THE CHIEF ENGINEERS STORY.
Some OF the passengers got into the life-boats.
The daNlt falls We're cut away TO allow the
boats 10 float clear. in the expectation Of getting
away from the vessel by that means, but sea
broke out on board, washed great portion of
the passengers who were in the boats out. the
boats were stove, and those who were in them
persisted great many OF the people were
drowned while coming from the vessel by the
rope TO the rock. The rock that we were ON
was covered with sea-weed, which made il very
dangerous TO stand upon, and the edges of the
rock were round. All on the rock with our
selves, being soaking wet and cold were unable
to render any assistance TO those who were in
the greatest peril. We could perceive people
falling from the ships side and rigging Several
persons who became completely exhausted. Law
down on the rock and died. Some of the pas
sengers became maniacs, and they were froth.
ing at the mouth and lettering about like chill
dren.