Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1874-01-01


with more quiet hearts than we had
known since we started in the Vile du
Havre. A little after 2 we were arous-
ed by terrific crash, fierce sound of
the whistle, and human shrieks; rush.
ed into tho hall. The staterooms were
dark. I met first steward, who an
swered me nothing; then the surgeon of
the ship, who said, 'rien du TUT How
ever, I called out to Helen and Lallie
to dress themselves at once then went
again to: the hall, and met Mr.. Bel
KNAPP, who told me to get upon deck as
quickly as possible. Then heard that
there had been collision. Ny idea
was at once that we must get ready for
the lifeboats, so I told the children to
put on their warmest clothes, and take
their satchels with their valuables. We
were dressed in q moment. Could not
pass the staircase. 1t was just there
the collision had taken place. I did
not know this at the time, but seeing q
crowd there, I felt there was not a mo-
ment to lose, so hurried back with the
children and rushed up the steerage
stairs. On deck all was confusion and
darkness, great flames bursting out of
the yentilator, the life-boats filled with
sailors yelling and screaming. We
walked down the deck to the front of
the saloon cabin, just where we bid you
all "good-by." On the right I saw
life boat black with sailors. I at once
said to myself there is no hope for us
here, these men will swamp the boat.
I was desperately calm, knew
We were in peril, yet never dreamed
that We could be sinking. A great ship
doomed up before us al short dis
lance, and then I thought there must
be help. Miss Murray and her brother
and Mrs. Platt, (Mrs. Sturgis' friends),
all stood by us also Judge Peckham
and his wife, from Albany; Mr.. and
Mrs. Montague, with their young
daughter. We were all perfectly calm.
A young man named Mr.. Wait, son of
the proprietor of the -Brevoort
House, came up and told
me he was going to try, with several
gentlemen, to cut away q life. boat for
us. Poor fellows! Had they found
an Ak or knife five minutes sooner.
they might have succeeded, but in an
other moment the mast fell, with an
awful crash, just by us. "Good God,
weare shipwrecked, cried Mrs. Plat;
but still hoping that there might be
some organized system of rescue 90
ing on which We did not see, I replied:
"Perhaps it has been cut away on
purpose. We could hear nothing of
what the danger was. Mrs. Platt burst
out in an eloquent song of prayer.
Lallie and I, with Helen, chung to each
other. A beautiful young creole girl,
Miss Tourcal, joined us, aud with
pleading voice said, " May stay with
you2" So we stood together
y another instant and the
water rushed over the deck, reaching
the spot where we stood.
+ We heard Mr.. Waits voice
crying to us, Crush to the other
side )" we started together, and the
next second we had gone down with the
vessel.
As the waters washed over us, some
tremendous force parted Lallie from
me; desperately I chung to her dress,
but this, too, slipped from my fingers,
and was alone with my God. I knew
that was drowning all the sufferings
of strangulation were on me, and 7
had not the faintest hope of fe; vet
my consciousness never deserted me,
and when I found my head rising
above water I was almost hor1if;e:1
with surprise-my hand struck h; NJ
substance, and I clutched an iron CHI. ~
suspended from a boat it was upset.
but sailors were clinging to the up.
raised Notwithstanding felt there
could be no help from them, so spoke
not q word; in q few moments the
boat was broken to pieces the men
chung to the fragments, and friendly
plank struck me on the cheek. recoi-
lected that in this position person
could be sustained some time. 80 I
rested lightly upon it; one by one all
these men disappeared from around
me; barrels and floating timbers then
one woman foated near me and disan.
peared; again 1 was alone with nv
plank upon the mighty ocean. 1 was
not struggling for life, ouly passively
resting on my frail support. I was
conscious that I was drifting off from
the ship, and had not the faintest
thought of succor, for 1 had not seen
life-boat, nor knew that one person
from the steamer had been rescued.
Suddenly I felt triangular piece OF
timber float under my feet, and found
that I could rest upon it. Again
foated with the plank under nv chest.
and the timber at my feet Ibegan to
feel benumbed and coda death-like
faintness seemed to come upon me-.
and as raised my eyes for the last
time, as 1 thought, to heaven, a large
white beat was coming near me. I
had barely time to cry "Helpl a |
woman =: and in another instant strong
arms were about me. ''Who are
you 2" cried. A voice replied, Gan
English sailor, who has come to save
you" They drew me in, helpless and
cold, and laid me in the boat ; rowed
off again, and in few moments
picked up Miss Edgar, of New York.
We had been three'quarters of an hour
in the water, and were the last ones
saved. The boat belonged to the ship
Loeb Earn, which had run into the
steamer, and, when picked up, we
were a mile away. We were taken to
the ship, drawn up w1thropes on deck,
and then, one by one, recognized the
passengers rescued as we had been.
The boats cruised around for hours af-
terward, but we were the last found.
Nobly did the English Captain res
cue us all from death, took us on his
ship, gave all warm fannels to put on,
and, wrapped in blankets, had the elcv.
en- ladies' laid in his cabin. His own
bow was SO much injured that when |
this ship, the Trimountaip, of New
York, came up few hours atterward,
the gentleman desired that We should |
come on board. Captain Surmont
gave the necessary orders, and the
twenty-six passengers and tifty-nine
officers and crew of the Vile lu Havre
we're transferred here. We have been
on board five days, and hope to reach
Cardiff next Monday. Captain UrQu.
hart, of this vessel, is q noble-hearted
man from Essex, Conn, and is as kind
and generous as possible to Ill.,. We
arc destitute--h:lvr neither clothes nor
all tile gentlemen passen-
gers net rs if they were our natu-
raj protectors, and our common suffer.