Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1875-05-11
Fearful Scenes Of Frenzy and
COnfusiOn-NOble and Brave
Conduct Of the Captain
Dastardly Sailors.
Names Of Some Of the Lost and
SaYed-MRils Secured-A Wa
terry Grave in Sight of
ShOre-Etc., Etc.
g2 THE SAD STORY CONTINUED.

/ tuINlNOIB Oi lub Gre" aDu DAs56H-
gers Of the steamer Schiller have arriv-
ed at Pessnce, Of these thiTty-three have
gone to Plymouth, while the remaining
ten are too i'll to be moved. The follow
ing additional particulars Of the disaster
are received: A heavy fog prevented
observations on board the Schiller since
Tuesday. In consequence Of the fog the
engines were put At half speed and sail
reduced at nine o'clock Friday night !;
at ten o'clock the same night the ship
struck the ledge and a great panic pre-
vailed. Captain Thomas is highly
! praised fJr his conduct during the terri
! bic scenes which followed. Two boats
were filled with men who refused TO come
| out, the captain fired his revolver over
| their hesd to drive them out, and then
/ fred at them without effect; afterward
| the ship was washed with her broad
side to the sea, and all on board these
boats perished. The tackle at the stern
vas released too soon, leaving the boats
suspended by the bows. Three boats
| then got away; one q life-boat, was so
badly injured that she sunk and
eleven Of the people on board were res.
! cued by other boats. The fog lifted an
hour after the steamer struck, and the
| lights were plainly visible. Two of the
boats on the steamer were crushed by
the falling funnel. Rockets and guns
were fred frem the stssmer until the
powder became wet. The deckhouse,
crowded with people, was swept away at
two o'clock in the morning. The cap
tain gathered some of the survivors on
the bridge, but all were gradu-
ally swept away by the flood tide,
which took the doctor and captain. The
last rigging which remained above wa
ter was crowded with passengers and
the crew all night. The mainmast fell
at hSlf-pAst seven o'clock this morning,
and, being of iron, sunk with all who
had taken refuge on it. The fOremast
gave away soon afterward. The life
boats and wreck stuff saved the lives Of
some who drifted miles away. One man
was rescued after being in the water ten
hours. Two boats from st. Agnes ar
rived short time before the masts fell,
but they were unable to approach the
steamer on account of the shoals, but
picked up strsggleTs in the water. The
passengers say that Captain Thomas left
the bridge at three O'Clock in the morn.
ing to assist those on deck, and when he
reached the deck he was swept away by
a heavy sea. All concur in saying that
he exercised the greatest care and was
not in bed for five nights previous to
the disaster. The sea began to break
over the vessel half an hour after she
struck, and the tide rose twenty-five feet
before dsybreak. The survivors who
were landed at TTecO escaped in the
Schiller's own boats.
All day long details of the Schiller dis
sster have been coming to the London
office from the HerdLd's correspondent
at Penzsnee, the courteous American
consular agent at the Scilly island, Mr..
Baxter and from ordinary London
sources. Unfortunately, no more persons
are reported TO be saved. Bodies are
constantly being picked up. Among
the recovered are those of George Leon
Hsrdt, Carl Schmidt, Mrs. Reiderer and
child, Mrs. Becker, Mrs. Ridgewsy, and
Mrs. Hermine West, and five men, five
women, and two children. Altogether
twenty-four bodies have been found.
The total number OF lives lost is
THREE HUNDRED AND ELEVEN.
The HeraLd's correspondents sue
ceeded in interviewing Mr.. Pale
man, the second officer of the
Schiller, and Henry Stern and Mr..
Frahm, first class passengers. From
this narrative we gather that the voyage
was moderately good until May 4th.
The last three days it was impossible to
take observations; the ship was out of
her course half mile at the time of the
catastrophe. Captain Thomas was
on deck night and day for four en-
tire days. At seven o'clock in the |
evening OF the seventh there was dense |
fog, and the sails were taken in, the en-
gines put on half speed and the fog bells
used. Bishops light was unseen, though |
only half mile distant. At ten o'clock
we struck on the reef, snd after four
bumps the steamer settled down. There
was q violent sea and the tide was
rising. The darkness was intense. Most
Of the male passengers were awake and
there was the usual rush for the boats.
Nearly all the boats were STAYED. One
boat with a few sailors left the ship,
cOwardly refusing to aid. Two boats |
were saved. The captain endeavOred to !
compel obedience by firing q revolver |
over their heads. During the two hours |
six canon shots were fired, when the pow
der dampened, and the distress signal |
rockets and blue lights were unanswered. |
At midnight the fog lifted in a minute, |
revealing the lighthouse; the waves |
were sweeping the decks and carrying |
away victims. At two o'clock the deck |
house, in which were women and chill |
dren, was swept away.
THE CRIES AND sHRIEKs OF TEE VIC |
TINS
were heartIending. There followed |
chastity scene after the smoke
stack fell, crushing some Of the boats,
and two Others were carried away; |
the remainder followed the captain to |
the forward bridge. Each succeeding |
wave took fresh victims. Some persons |
sought refuge on the mainmast aud |
some on the fOremast. tits not probable |
that the boats could have lived even il |
they had been successfully filed. The |
whole number saved is forty-four. Thirty |
bodies have been recovered. The guns /
and rockets fired from the Schiller were /
thought to be merely ordinary signals /
Of arrivals, which had frequently been |
the cause of false alarms. Among the |
bodies recovered and already identified |
are Rowne, Lurchne and Andre Peter !
son.
LATER.
LONDON, May 10, 4 am.-Fifty-six |
msil-bRgs, including tweuty-seven from |
New Zealand, were saved from the Schii /.
Ter. The steamer POmerania sailed from |
Plymouth during the night for Ham
burg without taking any survivors of |
the officers of the Schiller add nothing /
TO the particulars already telegraphed. |
All accounts agree that the panic which .
followed the striking Of the ship was
hesrtreRding and terrible beyond de-
scriptiOn. Fifty corpses from the Schll- I
Ter have come ashore or been landed at .
st. Mary's alone. The dead are much .
mutilated. Mr.. DOrrier Smith, OF Scilly .
island, writes to the Times that many
additional lives were lost. The captain .
and other officers were on the bridge. I
The captain descended for a moment to .
render assistance, and was swept away. /
Thus perished brave man. Says Mr.. /
Stern: About this time about ten per- /
sons were cliDging to the rigging Of the /
mainmast and thirty to the foremast. /
The ship had careened, her yards teuch- |
ing the water, and the tide was rising. |
At Ave O'Clock the fog lifted. The sur