The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1876-01-22
Resoued from q Wreck.
THE STORY TOLD By A PASSENGER OF
THE BALTIC.

An interesting story of noble work
of humanity performed by the officerS
and seamen of the White Star steamer
Baltic, on late trip from New York, is
told in private letter from passenger
of the Baltic to friend, written on board
the steamer, off Queenstown, November
Odd:
On the night of the 18th. when we
were rolling and tumbling about in
heavy sea, some signals were seen to the
northward that our first officer ut first
mistook for steamer, but being unde-
cided rs to what the signals meant. he
called the captain by that time the
Baltic had got out of sight of the sup
posed steamer. Captain Glcadell, fear
ing it might he wreck, Mt once turned
the ship out of her course and made for
the lights. 1t was no steamer, but the
ship Oriental, of North Shields. from
London, bound for st. John, dismasted
and in a sinking condition. The crew
were making signals by burning tar in IA
barrel on her deck This gave her some
what the appearance of n steamer in the
distance. The lifeboat was launched.
/ and Chief Officer Irving took command,
and notwithstanding the wreck was roll
ing and plunging in u frightful manner,
the sixteen men on her deck were taken
off in two trips without the slightest ac-
ci,lent. The management of the boat
was perfect mystery to us landsmen.
dashed to pieces at any moment. When
Al .,,1,..,1,
about 3 A. NJ, the steamer then having
been waiting for three hours, the res
cued captain told Captain Gleadell that
ten men had deserted the ship in two
boats the day previous ut noon. Their
leaving their comrades without boats
was most dastardly act of seltishness.
The weather had been SO bad the whole
day and night that there seemed no
chance of finding these poor wretches
alive. However. when Captain Gleadell
heard this story he said he would stay
by the wreck till daylight, and not give
them up till thorough search was
made. The night was clear, and we had
the light of the moon and the light from
tho wreck, which had caught fire from
the tar barrel after the crew left, and
was now IL mass of flames We should
have thought it was beautiful sight,
from an artistic point of view, had not
the peril of those ten men been in our
thoughts. The Baltic kept slow steam
M. and went round and round the
wreck in gradually increasing circles till
daylight, hoping to find the missing
boats. At daylight the Baltic was
pointed to the southwest, the direction
the captain of the Oriental last saw the
boats steering, and about $50 Il tiny lit
tie flag was seen occasionally jumping
up from behind a large wave. In few =
minutes the boat WAS alongside, and by
careful management her crew got out,
and she taken up on the davits forward,
where she now is. Il relic of the good
ship Oriental. 1t seems the men left
the ship in two boats, but one of them
became disabled, and they all got into
one. Had it not been that we were
blown few miles out of our course by
the gale of the day before we saw the
wreck during which we lost five sails,
blown to ribbons by the gale) we never
should have seen it at all, and the
twenty-siX men saved--herenti ire crew.
would have been lost in a day, ut the
most. Such acts of kindness and hui
manitv. think. should be noticed. rs it
is no small matter to stopa great steamer
in heavy sea for eight or ten hours
and alter her course for the almost hope
less chance of picking up Il small boat
that had left nearly day ahead There
was very little chance of the boat being
on top of the water anywhere, rs the
weather had been SO bad that no one
would have thought n small boat could
possibly have survived the night.