The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1873-04-12
MONROE LOUISIANA, SATURDAY, APRIL H. 1873.

The second officer was lost with No. &c
lifeboat.
The wreck remained in the same po-
sition as before reported, the bow and
masts only above water, and the sea
breaking SO rough that the boats could
not approach with safety. She was
broken ut some places and Il few pack
ages had washed out and drifted to sea,
but the bulk of the cargo appeared to
| be undisturhcd.
! J. w. Firth, chief, in reply TO the
reporters, made statement in sub
stance, as follows:
My watch ended at twelve O'Clock on
Monday night. The second and fourth
officers took charge, and l went TO my
berth. Was aroused by Il shock of the
vcsselstriking. The second officer came
down to my room; said the ship was
ashore, and that he WAS afraid she was
gone. 1put on 4 few ariiC.@s Of tcfothinG,
got an axe and went on deck to clear
the boats.
The ship had carcenCl ov2r before !
reached the deck. Icivarv,l the star
board boats; just then /, heavy se:, swept
the boats away. l was holding fast to
the mizzen rigging, and now climbed
higher. Thc night was SO dark and
the spray blew SO thicl>ly that we could
not Wct} see what was going on around
us. l saw men on the rocks, but did
not know how they got there. All
who We're alive on board were in the
rigging. When daylight came I count
ed thirty-tWo persons in the miz"cn
rigging with me including one woman.
When these saw that thcre wcrc lines
between tho ship and the shore, many
of them attempted to go forward to the
lines and on doing so were washed
over and drowned. Many reached
shore by the aid of the lines, and the
tishcrman's boats rescued many more.
At last all had either been washed
away or rescued, except myself, the
woman and Il boy. Theses had become
so rough that boats could not venture
near us.
Soon the boy was washed OF; but he
SWAN gallant!y and reached one of the
boats in safety. l ~oi 4 firm hold Of the
woman and secured her in the rigging.
l could see the people on shore and in
boats and could hail them, but thcy
were unable to help Us.
At two O'Clock in the afternoon after
we had been in the rigging ton hours,
Rev. Mr.. Ancient, whocs noble con-
duct l can never forget while 1 live,
got 4 crew of four men to row him out
to the wreck. lie got in the main rig
ging and procured the line then advnnc-
cd us far rs he could toward me and
threw it to me.
L caught it, made it fast around my
body land then jumptcu clear into the
sea. But for the c!crgyman'; gallant
conduct ! must have porishcd soon.
was so much exhausted and bcnumbcd
that l was hardly able to do anything
for myself.
The Womon, after bcali ing up with
remarkable strength Under her great
trials, had died two hour, before Mr..
Ancient arrived. Her scni-nu.!c body
was still fast i'll the rigging, her cycs
protruding, her mouth toaning-a
CHASTITY spectacle, rendered still more
so by the contrast with the numerous
jewels which sparl>lcd on her hands
We were forced to leave her body there.
and it is probably there yet.
Tho scene OF the wreck WAS III awful
one, such rs i have never before Wit
messed ano; hope never to witness again.
Comparatively few bodies driftrd
ashore, the greater portion of them,
with such articles as came out Of the
ship while was on her, were carried
to sea.