Saint Mary's beacon., 1878-02-15

neer on the wrecked Metropolis. makes
the following Statement /: issa
IT. We made pleasant rBn from Phila-
deIghia until We Feached distance q
| fo6 miles frpm the Breakwater. running
TO The eastward. The ship then COM
menced to labor very heavily and sprung
aIeak around the radder post. About :
s'eiuck there were two feet of wafer In
the shaft alley. and The crew and pas
sengprs were put 20 work empkymg
about fEfay tons cf coal overheard. We
] % The wafer doHn and tize <hzfz &IieT
clear about . o'cIock. al 90 ciock the
circulating pamp broke down. end We
then ran the high pressure until half
past 6 .. m. AZ This hour tremen-
deus sea struck the ship and carried
away the smoke-stack. sesen boats, the
steam whistle, the sentilators ofthe en-
gine-room, sky-light, after mainsail, star
board saloon gangway The whole way
along. and about twenty tons Of water
went below, pattiug cut the fires In tine
engine-room. s,gsy i8 ges esi
Att o'clock I went up and reported
| to the captsin the fires were out. He
replied, "We are ih the breakers" At
II o'clock saw the pilot house swept
away, and the captain. second mate and
two lady passengers and their husbands.
who were in the house, were dashed TO
the deck. One Of the ladies', Mrs.
Meyers, vas drowned IN the arms Of
her husband on deck. l then jumped
overheard and swan ashore with con-
siderable difficulty, but reached the
beach without assistance. | went to
| Captain Brooks house Immediately, got
Q bat, coat and q pair Of boots, and re-
turned to the beach and rendered all
the assistance I could in rescuing the
survivors. While going up the beach
TO hurry the life crew down; ] met
Captain Chappell, trying to resuscitate
Mrs. Harrison, one OF the female pas
sengers, by rolling her on barrel, as
she gave signs of life. He failed in his
efforts, and the body was left on the
sand, and Captain Chappell and myself
returned 10 the wreck.
/ found the liieboat Of the Metropolis
on the beach, and myself and seven
others carried the boat to point oppo-
site the wreck, and called for volunteers
to launch il. No one responded, and |
abandoned the lifeboat and went up the
beach, and pulled the survivors ashore
as fast as could get hold of them. I res
cued about thirty men in this way. At
five o'clock the ioremast Of the Metrop-
oils went overheard on the starboard
side, and the whole ship broke up with
a crashing force. All hands on shore
then jumped into the water and saved
those who got in close enough. All
saved were in q perfectly exhausted
condition, and destitute Of clothing and
everything else. ] spent the night al
Mr.. Brooks house, and the next day
spent the entire day on the beach ex-
amining the dead and looking for the
men OF my department, but found none
| knew but the steward and engineer
mess boy.
One Of The chiefinstanees of heroism,
well worthy of record, was that mani
tested throughout the entire day Of the
wreck by Mrs. Anne Huet. who being
early assisted from dangerous position
on the main deck TO one comparatively
secure 10 the starboard iorerigging, re.
NAMED there until the closing scene q
spectator Of the principal horrors, YET
calmly awaiting whatever fate Heaven
might have in store for her without Q
murmuf. And surely her experience
during the trying day was of kind sell
dom encountered by her sex. Scarce
ly secure in her new position she wit
messed the death Of Mrs. Harrison, who,
i when washed from the pilot house, was
grasped by QuarteTmaster Poland and
almost Immediately torn from bis arms
i by q ruthless breaker, which drowned
her there and then, at the same time
washing her husband from the wreck 10
safety. . strange ruling Of Providence,
the same wave proving the .harbinger. of
death 10 one and Of lifo to the other OF
this welded pair.
The foremost had fallen, and che deck
beams, torn from their fastenings, had
permitted the sides Of the shIp to sep
arate. the, stsrboard side going deeper
aad deeper down as each successive
surge passed over until all that clinging
group of over forty were forced into
their battle with the waves. Then my
informant. who had been throughout
most deeply interested in the lady's
fate, saw her husband submerged BY
three heavy seas in rapid succession,
the last one washing them clear OF the
iorechains among small mass Of wreck.
Amid the smothering foam he managed
10 bre=the again the advice he had so
often uttered dering the day, "Trnst in
God and your life preservers," !" and re-
linqaishing his last hold on the wreck,
now entirely engulfed, joined them In
their battle for life. A few minutes
later he saw that husband and wife To-
gether, yet separate. both evidently the
| playthings OF the surge, and despalring
Of their safety. was borne on toward the
shore. Again he saw her when strug-
Cling IN the undertow, distant some ten
yards iron himself and without her hus-
band, and, though almost in the laws of
death himself. could not repress The fer
vent Thank God thank God 70 that
spluttefed from hiz lips through the
breaking foam. A few minutes later
the friendly hands Of Timothy O'Brien
aided others IN placing him In safety.
and . few minutes later bore the form
Of the heroic woman from the surf In
sensible. but alive.
Promsnent among the heroes Of the
Metropolis tragedy stands this hurable
! and unpretentious locking Trishman.