The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1875-05-15
Terrible Disaster ut Sea.

Disasters at sea are always fearful To be
wrecked at midnight in fog, with raging tide,
bowling storm and no means Of succor appals the
stOutest heart. 1t unnerves the bravest soul and
sends shudder of terror and despair through
the entire being.
The steamship Schiller" of the Eagle Line Of
steamers plying between New York and Ham
burg, left the former city, April 2Sth, and on
Friday night of last week was entering the Eng
fish Channel As night closed in there arose
fog so dense that light could not be seen at the
shortest distance. She neared the rock hid just
below the water in the vicinity of Scilly Isles,
about thirty miles from Lands End, the most
southwesternmost point of England. Captain
Thomas was on deck, and had been for four days,
watching with anxious mind every movement of
the steamer and doing all in his power to keep
her clear Of the treacherous shoals that lurked be-
meath the ocean pillows. A light that is station
ed upon one of these Isles can be seen on ordina-
ry occasions far at sea, and fog horn that can
be heard considerable distance to warn vessels
of danger, both proved unavailing in keeping
this Inflated steamer from wrecking cargo Of
human freight on Friday night. The fog was SO
dense the light could not be seen and the bowling
storm was so fierce that the blowing of the fog
horn gave no warning. Tossed on the tempestu-
Gus pillows of raging ocean, at ten o'clock at
night, the ill-omened ship struck four times upon
the rocks, then careened. Out of three hundred
and ffty-six passengers three hundred and eleven
persisted in the billows+ Only one woman was
saved Cowardly men seized some of the boats and
occupied them while the brave captain used his
to surrender the boats to the women. Some of
the boats were disabled in the lowering and sank
with their loads, or were capsized before proceed
ing far. Men and women assembled the main
mast and fore mast. After clinging to these sew
eral hours they both fell consigning those who
had taken refuge in them to watery grave
Cannon were fired, rockets sent up, signals dis
played, but there was no eye to behold the awful
distress that wrung the hearts of the passengers.
In moment at midnight the fog lifted and re-
veaed the light house short distance away
The captain who after exhausting all his resources
to render assistance had taken refuge on the
bridge descended to give some aid to passen-
ger when he was swept away by billow. The
tide rose rapidly. Every fresh breaker came
with swifter current, a stronger sweep and
more terrific rush carrying away new victims
The awful solemnity of the occasion is past anal
ysis There the help of man was vain. Nothing
but a simple and strong trust in God could give
consolation in that terrible hour of despair. Out
of one hundred and three women on board only
one was saved. Yet the anguish that wrung the
hearts Of those whom the lost left behind could
only be exceeded by the terrors of the scene oil
the ship wrecked at midnight.
The Office of the Eagle Line in New York was
crowded with the friends and relatives of passen-
gers on Saturday, most Of whom broke into sad
lamentations on learning the terrible intelligence
Mourning parents, weeping children, sad relatives
who visited the Office made it a house of mourn
ing for their lost loved ones. No succor was
rendered until after eight clock in the morning,
when boats were sent to take off and pick up the
living.