The Grange advance. [volume] (Red Wing, Minn.) 1873-1877, 1876-01-05
The Deutschland Wrcck--Iucidents.
[Harwich dec. 8th) Telegram to the London
News

Weaving together the various personal
narratives which have taken down from
the lips of the passengers, the following
is the story they have to tell: They
were all IN bed when the ship struck, and
were reused first by the humping Of the
ship, and next by the cry that rang
fore ard aft for every man and woman to
put on life belts, of which there was
plentiful store in hand. The women
Jumped up and swarmed in the compan-
ion-way Of the saloon, making for the
deck, where they we're met by the stew
ardcss, who stood in the way and half
forced, half persuaded them to 20 back,
telling them there was no danger. After
the screw had broken, the engines also
failed, and the sails proved useless the
male passengers then cheerfully formed
themselves into gangs and worked at the
pumps, but, as one said, they ':were
pumping at the North Sea-" and as it was
obviously impossible to make clear.
ance of that, the task was aban.
doned, and the officers, crew and passen-
gers relapsed into state Of passive ex-
peotancy of succor from without. That
this could not long be coming happily
seemed certain. The rockets which had
been sent up had been answered from the
shore. The lightship, which had helped
to mislead the captain, was plainly visi.
bic, and at last two ships sailed by so
near that till they began hopelesslv to
fade away, one to the northward and the
other to the southwark, the passengers
we're sure those on board had seen the
wreck and were coming to their assist
ance. ~.
Perhaps 1t was this certainty Of the
nearncss OF succor that kept off either
the shrieking or the stupor of despair.
However that may be, it is one of the
most notable features about this fearful
scene, that with few exceptions after
the first shock everybody was. through.
out the first day, wonderfully cool,
patient and sclf-possessed. There was no
regular meal on Monday, but there was
plenty to eat and drink, and the opportu.
nifty seems to have been generally, though
moderately, improved. The women kept
below all day, and, while the fires were
going, were served with hot soup, meat.
bread and wine, and seemed to have been
inclined to make the best Of bad job.
But toward night the horror Of the situa-
ton increased in a measure far beyond
that marked by the darkness. All day
long the sea had been washing over the
ship, but by taking refuge in the berths
and on the tables and benches in the sa-
loon it had been possible to keep compar-
atiyely dry. AS night fell, however, the
tide rose, and at midnight the water
came rushing over the deck in huge vol
umes, filling the saloons and making the
cabins floating collins.
Then the women were ordered up and
instructed to take to the rigging, but
many of them, cowed by the wilduess Of
the sea that now swept the deck fore and
aft, and shuddering before the fu. y Of the
pitiless, sleet-laden gale, refused to leave
the saloon. Then happened horrible
scenes which the pen refuses to portray
in their fuliness. One woman, driven
mad with fear and despair, deliberately
hung herself from the roof of the saloon.
A man, taking out his pen-knile, dug it
into his wrist and worked it about as long
as he had strength, dying where he fell.
Another man, incoherently calling on
the wife and child he had left in Germa-
ny, rushed about with a bottle III his
hand frantically shouting for paper and
pencil. Some body gave him both, and,
scribb|ing note, he corked it down in
bottle and three it overheard, following
it himself a moment later as great wave
came and swept him overheard.
There were five nuns en- board, who, BY
their terror stricken conduct, seemed to
have added greatly to the wierdness Of
the scene. They were deaf to all en-.
treaties to leave the saloon, and when. al
most by main force, the stewardess,
Whose conduct throughout was plucky
in the extreme,) managed to get them on
the companion ladder, they sank down on
the steps and stubbornly refused to go
another step. They seemed to have re-
turned to the saloon again shortly, for
somewhere in the dead Of the night, when
the greater part of the passengers and
crew were in the rigging. one was seen
with her body half through the skylight,
crying aloud in voice heard above the
storm: 80, my God, make it quick :!
makeit quick!'' At daylight yesterday
morning, when the tide had ebbed, and
leaving the deck clear, some on the rig
ging went down, and, looking into the
cabin saw the nuns floating about, face
upward, all dead. It was not so dark but
that those in the rigging could distinguish
each Others features, and thus have the
comfort of mpanionship.
There seems to have been4,a wonderful
amount of urselfshness displayed; every.
body cheering and trying to help every.
body else. One Of the passengers-a
CHEEKY Teuton, named Adolph Hermann
took a young American lady under his
special charge, and had the satisfaction Of
seeing her off to London this afternoon.
I4o took hor ~, +ho r;rr;ror op1 bold hor