The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1878-02-01
TERRIBLE sHIPWRECK.
Down with Her Cargo of living
Freight, and No Help from
the Life.savers,
LATEST. Drowned 0ut Of a Total Of
260 On Board.

NORFOLK, VA, req. l,-DuFlnR tne
southeast gale yesterday afternoon the
steamship Metropolis, Of New York,
from Philadelphia for Para, South Amer
ica, with stores aud laborers on board, !,
grounded on the outer bar OF Curriluck |
Beach, about three miles south OF the
light ana ten miles north OF Kitty Hawk |
Signal Station. She at once bilged and
foated broadside 10 the sea.
Fifty OF the passengers and crow got
on shore, and the rest-abOut one hum
dred and fifty in number-were lost, no
assistance being rendered from the
shore, from the life-stations or the fsh-
ermeD. Captain Truxton, OF the Navy.
yard here, and Captain Pickup, OF the
Towing Company, received information
Of the disaster, whereupon the tug
for the wreck via Albermarle Sound.
The scene Of the wreck is about twenty
miles north OF where the Huron WAS
lost.
George DofY, Of the firm Of Lunt Bros,
part owners Of the vessel, received the
following dispatch from Cnas. B. Dy cke-
man. First Mate:
"The steamship Metropolis stranded
on Currituok Beach, three miles south
of Currituck Lighthouse. Total loss.
Two hundred and tfty-eight persons on
anee from the Station. Others are being
saved. The Captain has not been on
| Shore"
were as follows: Captain, P. Il. Ankers;
first mate, Charles B. Dyckeman; sec.
ond mate, Cozzens; fret engineer, Tor.
rell; second assistant engineer, Mitta-
gar; third assistant engineer, Frank
Adams; purser, F. B. Bartlett. The
officers and crew numbered twenty-eight
souls.
The Metropolis was a wooden ship
OF eight hundred anu seventy-nine tons,
rebuilt In 1871, and her timbsrs were be-
lieved to be stanoh aud strong. She had
one propeller, was fitted with double
engine, and was brig rigged. There was
a partial insurance on the vessel In New
York, and the cargo was insured in Phil
adelphia. Her owners are w. H. Simp-
son OF Boston, and q. W. Copeland and
Lunt Brothers of this city. She was
formerly employed in the West India
trade, and was chartered specially to
transport the laborers and material for
the railroad above referred to. Messrs.
Y. Il b. Collins, Of Philadelphia, were
the contractors for the railroad, aud
their agent, Mr.. White, was i'll charge Of
the passengers.
| PHILADELPHIA, Feb, 1.-Mr. Philip
lCollins, the contractor who sent the Me.
ltropolis out, says the vessel is seawor-
thy. He placed every reliance In Cap.
tain Ankers as being thorough and COM
petent officer. His brother, Thomas
Cotlina, did not 20 out on this steamer,
as has been reported, nor did some
Twenty who were to have accompanied
him. The cargo was principally railroad
supplies.
The largest number OF laborers came
from THE State, and were selected on
account OF their familiarity with the
work. The Collins are large contractors
for the Pennsylvania Railroad Company
under three years. contract with them
to serve in this special branch of service.
The Metropolis was heavily laden, as
much cargo as the law would allow hay
ing been placed in her. She WAS cleared
by II. l.. Gregg s. Co., of this city. She
was built as gun-boat, aud used for
that purpose during the war. A private
dispatch TO MIR. Collins, one OF the con-
tractors. says that there were two hun.
dred and ten men on board, and only
tfly-:our saved.
| NORFOLK, VA, Feb. lone Of the sur.
vivors Of the Metropolis states that all
Wednesday night the vessel encountered
heavy weather, with strong gale from
the southeast. About $50 last evening
jthe ship struck, when all was confusion
on board, the sea making complete
breach over the vessel, washing passen =
|. gers and crew into the seething deep.
Amid the hUwling Of the tempest and
the roaring Of the surf the orders OF the
officers could not be heard. When the
vessel struck several OF her boats were
swept from the deck. Those who reached
lshore managed to do so by holding on Lo
lpieces of the wreck. Efforts are being
made by the Signal Observer to get the
names of the survivors. The tug
Croatan, Captain Pickup, left here for
the scene at II O'Clock last night.
l 1t 10 learned from another source that
when the vessel struck she was heading
southeast. The wind was blowing a
perfect hurricane, and she using all the
power her machinery afforded to keep
her head 10 the winds. No assistance
was given to the wreck by the sigual
stations OF by life-saving Grew in the
vicinity.
! WASHINGTON, Feb. 1.-The signal ser.
vice station at the wreck of the steamer
Metropolis, reports to the Chief Signal
Officer, at "A. M, as follows:
"The steamer Metropolis sailed frem
Philadelphia on the morning Of the 20
OF January, bound for Madeira, Brazil,
South America, Captain Ankers. Total
number Of passengers was 260. About
l60 were drowned, about 100 saved.
"rhe steamer 10 a total wreck, and
nothing is left above water. There are
ino bodies aboard the steamer. Tie
wreck was caused by her being an un-
lseawOrtny vessel
"She sprans leak about u, midnight,
and stranded at 7o'clock on the morn
ling OF January 81. The only way Of
lsaving life was by running ashore, as
the vessel was in a sinking condition.
''rhis is u statcme ut OF Ian. McQuiIlan,
one of the saved,
| (Signed) "kILBOURNE."
4 AT A. ii. the operator at Tie wreck
ireports as follows:
''Fhe state OF affairs this morning is
terrible. Dead bodies are lying along
tthe beach Tor u distance OF two miles.
"rhey are all being placed in proper
tplaces back from the beach, aud tho liv-
ling are being cared for. About 0ne-thlrd
OF the bodies are dead.
"rhe two saloon women are known 10
be dead, with their husbands. Eight