The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1877-01-01
MARINE DISASTER.
Wreck Of the Ship Circas-
sian on Long Island
Coast.
Twenty-Five Lives Lost.


NEW YORK, December S0.-A special
dispatch from BridgehAmton, Long L.
land, says that at four o'clock this morn
ing the ship Circassisn is ashore On the
bar of Bridgehamton on the south shore
Of Long Island. She was entirely broken
up BY the gale and lost. together with 296
lives. The Circsssisn went ashore in .
storm on the night Of the llth inst At
that time the crew and officers were
saved. The storm OF yesterday caught
"a men, employees Of the coast wrecking
company on board, and . short time
after midnight the ship went to pieces
with an awful crash According 10 the
account of tour survivors, who were
washed ashore this morning, there are
more dead than alive on the fragments ut
the wreck Not one Of the remaining
twenty. nine men have been seen or
heard from up to the present time, and
there is but little doubt that all have per.
isheG.
NEW YORK, December 3l.-Ths sec-
or d wreck OF the ship Circassian Is the
most disastrous which has occurred ON
the bong Island coast since the wrecl ot
the John Milton, d teen years ago. She
ran on shore in binding snow storm,
and all on board, thirty persons, were
lost. The crew OF the Millon wero
frozen stiff in the rigging, their arms
standing straight out .,n front Of them.
The men on board the Chr
cassian had finished on Friday
night all the necessary prelinlnaries
for a,tsching A. Hawser, which she was
To- be drawn of. During the early hours
Of night the WIND freshened
little. and the sea began Ia run very high
until nj about six o'clock IL began 10
break clear over her. The men sppre-
hending the danger went into the lore
rigging, where they were ordered tor
greater safety. All On board, thlrty.two
souls Nil told, remained thus exposed II
esrly in the morning, when It was deem
ed advisable to shift quarters, as falling
OF the top hamper, caused by rolling
OF the vessel made II difficult
TO hold on. The crew were safely
transferred to the mizzon, where signals
of distress were shown. All tss time
the snore WAS plain IN view. the moon
was shining brightly, and hres built a.
the life saving station showed plainly
the figures Of the crowd on the beach.
hurrying To and fro IN vain endeavors
to aid the men IN the rigging. II wss
an awful suspense 10 the poor fellows
lashed 10 the migZen mas, and yards al
the ship They saw attempt after at
tempt made 10 establish com nunicAtioD
With them fail, and each failure seemed
to measure their purchase on lie. Every
effort to get boat of sbere proved IA.
tile As often as il was attempted tho
sea drove il high and dry on the beach.
Captain Henry Hunting, oil Life Saving
Station No. 10, nov brought mortar
into service and several balls with - rope
attached, were thrown out TO the ship.
ard one Of the cords reached ths
ship, but It's hDld was not very secars
ana il presently ell of. and the slender
thread upon which thirty.two human
lives depended was snspped forever.
The station men, all the while tbsss
trisls were being made could see the men
in the rigging quite plainly and Gould
hear their cries for help. Many oil tho
weather beaten heroes, who have been
wrecking vessels and saving lives since
boyhood were moved 10 Tears by tho
piteous impor,unitits Of the wre,ehed men
off shore. The violence OF their eterts
TO save them mitigated the suspense they
would otherwise have .elt during the
early hours, but when the last charge
Wa. shot Of and nothing else possible
10 human effort or bravery remained
to be done, they became unnamed and
many OF them wept. The nervous
excitement, and the sudden Inactivity
utterly incapacitsted them for any DUTY.
They could not leave the spot, and II
ONLY remained for them 10 remain mac
tive and sec their fellows perish before
their eyes. 10 leave tho beach would
only sdd 10 the terrors Of the death that
stared the victims In the face. To re-
main inactive would probably give cause
for unjust reproacb from the poor, help
less waters on the wreck. The supsrin-
tendent, Hunting, and his men rsmsined
and tried 10 answer calls from tbs wreck,
but nothing that was said on shore wss
heard on the ship on accooht VI the
blowing of the wind. ln terro: and
suspense the morning wore on the
wind having veered around 10 the mead
time TO the west and southwest. During
the early part OF the night and before
the men went into the rigging the
cable. were s.scksned, but the ship
moved only . short distance and COZ
tisued through the night 10 strike the
| bottom, and every time she struck ths
men thought she would lose her masis, Ia
whIca they mad lashed themselves while
conscious Of the great danger and the
utter impJssib,llty Of saving themselves
If the msst should go BY ths bosrd, and
It being Of iron they we're unable to
slscken the lAshing. Soms ef them With
more self possession tbanA o.hess hsd
taken this continse9ey IN their
calculations and had so{1csre.y Isshsd
themselves. Among tbsF were The
onlr tour saved from tEsr wreck. AZ
half pa,t A. ~, the long dreaded crash
came and the mizzen mast went by the
b ard carry ing the main mast wish IL.
A tremendous swell struck the sbY
AFT and raised her very ~
when i, receded. She thumPsd bs1y1xl
and the terrific jas threw tbs mas&S gs(
the side. The masu being ifos usd{ e
the bottom Immediately, carrying w
them twenty eight soak. The cuee6U
house officer detailed 70 sopssistsed ~
landing Of the cargo. 10 M dsgiptos
Of the terrible scess. ssys: -Sbs sajp
vas living siI hundred LED Of tbs 49,
Amid i6s hoviiag of W. tsmpse -
roar OF the waves, Ihsss eaule - 90 -
the voices Oi the poor fstIesss 10 thS ~
ging. singing hymns and prsying s1ee-
res 70 God. There sss hardly s3y
eve on shore soOeg ~ - W
hear! the thrilling, and supreme sRcegk
nsds 10 God. Anoag thcss 20 the wfe1k
we're ten shinnecoek fndisaA ~ ~