Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1873-04-11
The ATLANTIC HORROR.
A WALK AMONG. THE-D f. AaD---
HEA seen Esq
THE GHOCLS AT WORK.

f1EA RTRENDING seen Esq
THE GHOULS AT WORK.
III ,lifax (April 81 aiDesE'atcts % tie New
York Herald.
The scene at Meagher's Island to-day
was very sad. At 6 o'clock this evening
bodies that had been recovered, were
laid in rows along the slopfng ledge,
and it required a strong nerve to walk
among them and not succu.nb TO tears.
There were mothers@and little children,
strong men staring sightless, their
eyes protruding and froth Issuing from
their mouths Little children were
there, bruised and bloody, but with
that sweet expression which, strange
as it may seem, usually comes of vio-
lent deaths. The body of Mr. Hewitt,
of the firm of Best 4 Co., of New York,
was recognized among tho recovered.
It is very sad to say that the bodies
were pillaged after they washed ashore,
and we've then turned adrift again. An
emigrant with thirty sovereigns sewed
in his vest was found, and all of them
cut out The robber of the dead was
apprehended by the magistrate. A
large trench Is being dug, in which the
bodies of the poor underlined Will be
put to rest. -......- -..: 80.
49,. APPEARANCE OF THE DEAD.
A feeling deeper than reverentiaI
awe, a sensation as might be expert
enced by one standing on the threshold
of death, CHILLED to the very marrow
the bones of the looker-on, and-it was
with slow step and half-averted glance
that the cleaner of news approached
this solemn assembly. Then what a
sight met the eye ! There, on the
brow of that rocky island, partly on
the stone, partly on the grassy earth,
wet with last nights rain and cut up
brown patches of moss, lay the aged
and the young, the strong and the
feeble, equalized at last by the blow
that fell so suddenly on them. Ay!
man, woman and child had been alike
swallowed up by the greedy deep
Side by side lay they, some of whose
faces bore the imprint of that peace SO
much spoken of; others were set reso-
lutely, as if the last thought of the
living creature had been duty; and
others again revealed nothing of the
final emotions that must have crowded
the few fast passing minutes that
elapsed ere eternity opened up before
them.
PICTURE OF THE CORPSES.
Tho dead lay il all positions, too
half recumbent. stiffened by death,
and icy cold; wildly agitated, rs if the
struggle had been long and bitter; easy
and natural, making one almost be-
lieve that no agony had been suffered
by the departed; defensive, as ii re-
sisting the buffeting of the naddened
waves ON the horrid still night on the
bare cliffs; in all stages of dress, from
the well-to-do emigrant with his
clothes all on, evidencing his habits,
to the weary sailor just relieved from
his watch, who had turned in, clad III
wet garments; women, whose dresses
had been torn to rags by the action OF
the breakers, children as they might
have been in their beds-but one and
all carefully and reverentially covered
where mutations disfsHred the form,
for, alas! the work of rescue needs a
bold and INSCRIPTIONS hand. and the
floating body must be GATED as il
washes by, and, no matter where the
sharp hook strikes, whether on face
or neck or body, it cuts and tears
frightfully. Some corpses had been
SO terribly lacerated that sail cloth
had been used to cover their features
and limbs which love itself could no
longer recognize. Hands, arms, feet
and legs that were bare were seen
around, and all were bleached and
shrunken horribly.
POSITION or THE WRECK.
Leaving this grievous sight and
taking boat once more, the visitor was
landed on the narrow neck of Meagher's
Island, and traversine rapidly came
full in sight of the wreck Itself, nearly
covered by the breaking seas that
washed constantly over it. On Golden
Rule Rock itself portion of the bows
of the Inflated steamer still showed
above the surf, and directly in front of
the spectator the masts projected from
that portion of the hull which has APP
parently slid back from the rock. At
Golden Rule Rock, on which the ship
struck, boats immune fable were cruis-
ing around the fallen monster, not
daring, however. to approach too
closely, for fear Of the rush of the
waters. The shore was thicklY strewi;
with debris-planks, masts, beams,
yards, slaves, boxes, broken boats,
oars, ropes, skvlight frames and all
the strange objects cast NJ from the
Man of the Ocean. The rock was
crowded by men anxious to secure
share of the huge quantity of lumber
that was being continually washed mp.
United with Swedish and Danish let
ters were young fruit sapplinSs, de-
faced photographs, iron bolts and fray
ments of books in different languages
But the sea ran too high to permit the
employment of divers or the approach
to the sunken hull, and the various
crafts busted themselves scourging
the heaving main in search of bodies
and floating cargo. AS soon as the
weather nloderates steps will be taken
to save what can be saved of the cargo.
QUARTERaAsrER THOMAS STORY.
Robert Thomas, the Quartermaster,
says: At o'clock l went upon the
bridge with the second officer, Mr.
MetcaE, and told him not to stand into
the land SO, as the ship had run her
distance to make the Sambro light from
my calculations. He told me that l
was neither captain nor mate. [ then
went to the fourth officer Brown and
asked him if should go on the main
yards, as he would not see land until
he struck on it. He told me that it
was no use for me to go up. ] then
the man at the wheel, and ut
80 o'clock the second officer told the
who was reposing in the chart
room, that the weather was getting
thick. The second officer went outside
Of the chart-room. The man on the
lookout called out, "Ice ahead" They
were among the ice. and shortly after
the ship struck. The time was 3:15
o'clock. l put the helm starboard and
reversed the engines full speed astern.
I left the wheel-honse and went to the
after wheel-house and got the axes out
and distributed them, for the purpose
Of cutting away the gear about tho
boats.
MOTHER AND HER BOY LOST.
4 little boy and his mother, named
M1lnney, both steerage passengers,
with her brother, Alfred Munney, all
from London, were lost. She called
TO me after she came out of the after
Storage, and said to me, Robert,
where ara you - I said, 81 am here"