The Portland daily press., 1877-10-09
The Wreck of the Massachusetts.

To the Editor of the Press
1 see in the PRESS of this morning an item
to the effect that the passengersaon that splen-
did and unfortunate ship passed resolutions
complimentary to the officers and crew for
their skill and bravery. No such resolutions
were passed. A young man had drawn up q
paper in that strain and presented it to me for
my signature, which l declined to give. The
paper expressed sympathy with the captain
and complimented him for his good conduct
and good management.
told the young man would readily express
my sympathy with the captain, but 1 had seen
no specimen of good management. The paper
had been drawn up and presented for sigma
ture very early in the morning, and some pres
ent entirely unacquainted with sailor craft had
signed it, some of whom expressed to me their
regret for having, done $50, and some of the
signers erased their names afterwards.
There was not a man on board the ship, SO
far as saw, who seemed to have the slightest
acquaintance with the management of boat.
saw no danger to life whatever in the situa-
tion after daylight until preparations were
made to get out a boat, and when saw the
awkward, "gawky" manner in which the
hands went to work and in which the whole
thing was done, thought the prospect was
grave. The whole thing was done as if the
hands had never seen boat lowered away, and
when the men entered the boat it seemed to be
for the first time in their lives.
The unsuccessful attempts to carry line on
shore indicated an entire ignorance of boat
craft. Under the circumstances it was the
simplest thing In the world to do, but after
two failures passenger from the upper deck
cried out, being quite out of patience, Turn
your boat about and row her ashore bead FIRST"
which was done with difficulty, because not
man in the boat knew how to handle an oar.
One of the men was backing water with all
his might, the officer in the boat not seeming
to know but that was the proper way to do it,
when passenger cried out, "pull, you lubber,
what are you backing water for?" But the
poor fellow-a mere deck haUd-didn't know
what backing water was, and kept on pushing
all the same, when some of the passengers
burst out into laugh-rather a grim laugh to
be sure-but yet sort of laugh.
1t would have been a serious affair for the
passengers, but for the shore people who came to
on board to show the lubbers how to do it; real
web-footed fellows, brave, quick, strong, as
much at home In boat as loafers in grog
shop; as much at home in the water as ducks
in puddle. These sound and river steamers
ought to have on board at least sailors or fish
ermen enough to man two boats.
The Island people were very active, and ear
nest in helping the passengers to land. They
rushed into the water to meet the incoming
boats, held them on an even keel as they struck
the shore and with the next wave run them far
up the beach, when others who, had kept them-
selves dry for the purpose came promptly and
took the passengers in their arms and carried
them high and dry upon the. sand. Without
the brave Islanders, some of the passengers
might have failed to reach the shore, and none
would have escaped drenching in salt water
on that cold autumnal morning which must
have been dangerous to the health of many Of
them. The Islanders worked actively, skillful-
ly aud unselfshly, as il we were all fellow
townsmen, and declined to receive any pay to
help fellow men in peril was reward enough
for them All thanks and honor to the noble
fellows of Greenport. N. d.
Portland,sOct.,