The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1877-01-11
AN AWFUL WRECK.
PARTICULARS OF THE Loss OF THE SHIP
CIRcAssIAN ON THE LONG ISLAND
COAST.

sian is tie most disastrous which has oc-
Cured on the Long Island coast since
the wreck Of the John Milton, fifleen'
years ago. She ran anhore in binding
snow storm, and aii Oh board, thirty per-
sons, were lost. The crew OF the Milton
were frozen stiff in the rigging. their
arms standing straight out in front Of
them. The men on board the Circasaian
had finiahed on Friday night ell the
necessary preliminares for attaching ..
hawser. with which she was to be drawn
of. During the early hnura Of the night
the wind frcs!iened little, and the sea
began to run very high, until Mt about
six O'CLOCK it began to break clear over
her. The men, experimenting danger.
went into the f"rc-rigging, where they
were ordered for greater safety AL! on
board, tbirty-.wo souls all told, remained
thu= exposed ur.;! early in the morning,
when il was deemed adviaable to shift the
quarters, IS the falling of the top hamper,
caused by the rolling Of the vessel, .nado
it difficult to hold on. The crew was
safely transferred 70 the miKzen rigging,
where signals of distress were showH.
All this time the shore was plain in
sight. The moon WAS shining brightly,
and the fires built by the crew Of the
life saving station showed plainly the fig
urea Of the crowd on the beach hurrying
to and fro in the vain endcavor to aid the
men in the rigging. It was an pwfui
suspense for the poor fellows dashed to
the mast and yards Of the ship. They
saw attempt after attempt made to estab-
lish communication with them fail, and
each failure secmed to measure their pur-
chase upon life.
Every effort to get boat of shore
proved futile. As often Ms it was at
tempted the sea drove IL high and dry on
the beach. Captain Henry Hunting, oe
the life.snving station No. 10, now
brought mortar into service, and several
balls with rope attached were thrown
out 70 the ship. But one Of the cords
reached the uhip Its hold was not yerv
secure, aud it presently fell of, and the
human lives depended was snapped for
ever.
The station-men, all the while these
endeavors were being made, could see the
men in the rigging quite plainly, and
hesr their cries for help. Many of the
wcathcr-beaten heroes on ahore. who
have been wrecking vessels and eaving
lives since boyhood, were moved to tears
by the piteous opportunities OF the
wretched men of shore. The violence Of
their efforts to save mitigated the sus.
pense they would otherwise have felt du-
ring the early houro, but when the last
charge was shot of, and nothing else pos-
sible to human effort or bravery remained
to be done, they became unnamed. and
many of them wept.
The nervous excitement and sudden
inactivity utterly incapacitated them for
any duty. They could not leave the spot.
and 1t only remained for them to remain
inactive and see their fellows perish be-
fore their eyes. To leave the beach
would only add to the terrors of the death
that stared its victims in the face, and to
remain inactive, would probably give
cause for unjust reproach from the poor,
helpleSs walters on the wreck. Superin.
tendent Hunting and his men remained.
and tried to anawer the calls from the
wreck, but nothing that was ssiG on
shore Was heard on the ship, on account
of the direction Of the wind.
In terror and suspense the morning
wore on the wind having veered around
IN the meantime to west southwest. Dp.
ring the early part of the night, before
the mrn went into the rigging, the cables
were Stacked, but the ship moved only n
snort distance. and continued through
h. night to strike the bottom. Every
:;a!. ahe strnck the men thought she
would lose her mast, to which they had
l:sshed themselves while conscious Of the
great danger, and the utter impossibili.y
Of saving themselves if the mast should
go by the board, it being uf iron, they
were unable to alacken the lashine.
Some Of them, with more self-possession
than Others, had taken this contingency
into their calculations aud hnd not se-
cureiy lashed themselves, and among
these were the only four saved from the
wreck. AT 4S0 o. M, the lepg-dreaded
crisis came, and .he mizeeE,n.ss Een. b.
the board with o cra.h, carFyinp-t the
mainmast with it.
A tremendous swell had struck the
Circassian aft and raised her very high
When it receded, che thumped heaeslv.
and the terrific jar threw tie mast over
the side. The masts, being iron. went to
the bottom Immediately, carving with
them twenty-eight soHls.
STATEMENT OF THE cUsToMHoUsE OF
FICER.
The customhouse officer detailed to
ouperintend the landing OF the cargo, in
his description of the terrible Scene.
says:
Thia ship waa lying about six hundred
! feet OF slore. Amid the howling Of the
tempest and the .oe- cf the wsss, ts.sFs
was bosne to our oH.A ; the voices of our
poor fellows in the rigging, singing
hymns and praying in chofua TO God.
There was hardly o dry eye On shore.
among us, as we heard theae thrilling
and supreme appeals made to God
Among those on the wreck were ten
Shennec Indiana, who, as o rule. are verv
good men. During this agonizing acene,
| which lasted for hours, ne heard theae
men praying. The beach was lined with
hundreds Of people, many OF, them uo-
fjmen, oobbing piteously. Some of them
liwere wives of che doomed men. The
wind on shore ragged with terrible vic.
lence, driving the people hither and
| thither.
The life-saying crewa of Southampton.
| distant five aud half miles. and East
hampton, about the came distance, ar.
rived, bringing their mor,ars with fhem..
but did not attempt to use their life line
when firing, for nothing could be done.
They, however, fred number Of blank
shots to try and reanimate tho courage OF
those on board. 0