The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1875-05-14
WRECK OF THE STEAMSHIP
SCHILLER.
81 Lives LOst-Frightful Panic
Among PaSsengers-COwardly
Conduct of the Crew.

II Lives AOSt-L
Among -COwardly
Conduct of the Crew.
The Eagle Line steamship, Schiller,
from New York, for Hamburg, was
wrecked off the Scilly Islands, in fog
Friday night. She sailed from New
York with I49 cabin and 120 steerage
passengers. Her crew numbered 120.
The total number of lives lost is 3ll.
One hundred bodies have been recover
ed. The New York Herald cable spe-
cial oil the 9th inst gives the following
particulars of the disaster:
The Herald correspondent succeeded
in interviewing Mr.. Poleman, the sec
ond officer of the Schiller, and Henry
Stern and Mr.. Frohm; frst-class passen-
gers. From their narratives we gather
that the voyage was moderately good
until May 4. 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 entire days. At O'Clock
in the evening of the 9TH there was
dense fog. The sails were taken in, the
engines put on half speed and the fog
bell used, Bishops Ligh was unseen.
though only a half mile distant. At
10 o'clock We struck on the reef, and af-
ter four bumps the steamer settled down.
There was a 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, but nearly all the boats were
STAYED. One boat with few sailors. left
the ship, cowardly refusing aid. Two
boats were saved. The captain endeav-
ored to compel obedience by firing a re-
volver over their heads. During two
hours six cannon shots were fired, when
the powder dampened. Distress signals
rockets and blue lights were unanswer-
ed.
At midnight the fog lifted in a minute
revealing the lighthouse, the waves
sweeping the decks and carrying away
victims At 2 o'clocl. the deck-house,
in which were the women and children,
was swept away.
The cries and shrieks of the victims
were heartrending. There followed a
ghostly silence aft. The smoke-stack
fell. crashing some of the boats, and two
others were carried away. The remand
er followed the Captain to the forward
bridge. where each succeeding wave took
fresh victims. Some persons sought re-
fuge on the mainmast and some on the
| foremast. I.
At 8 o'clock the Captain and two 9th =
er officers were on the bridge. The
Captain descended for a moment to rem
der assistance, and was swept away
Thus perished brave man, says Mr..
Stern
At this time about ten persons were
clinging to thesrigging of the mainmast
and thirty to that of the foremast. The
ship had careened, her yards touching
the water, and the tide was rising. At
3 o'clock the fog lifted, the survivors
shouted, but their cries were unavailing.
At Z o'clock the mainmast, and at quar-
ter TO the foremast, both of iron, fell
Then two of the Saint Agnes boats
| came and rescued the few who had
managed to keep afioat.
1t was reported yesterday that there
were 103 women on board. The surviv-
ors were taken to-day from Penzance to
Plymouth, whence they will be sent
forward to Hamburg, where the greatest
excitement exists. 1t is asserted that
life-saving belts were issued to the wo-
men. 1t is certain that most of the pass
engers found none. An order was given
that the first boat should take the wo-
men and children. This boat capsized
Mr.. POLICEMAN says seven boats were
launched and only two lived. The 9TH
ers were stove and swamped Immediate
ly. The cries for help lasted until three
o'clock The last voice heard was that
of little chilli in the cabin. 1t is nos
| probable the boats could have lived ev-
en- if they had been successfully filled.
The whole number saved is forty-four.
Thirty bodies have been recovered.
LONDON, May 10-5:3O A. Nifty
corpses from the Schiller have come
ashore, or beer landed at St. Mary's
alone. The dead are much mutilated.
LONDON, May 10, 6 A. NM. Dor
rien Smith, of the Scilly Islands, writes
to the Times that many additional lives
were lost because the guns r d rockets
fired from the Schiller were thought
merely ordinary signals of arrival, which
frequently have been the cause of false
| alarms