The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1878-02-14

JOHN : Jenkins tell. q story n the
metropolis disaster free from the hack
neyei generaiitles and full Of int@res-
ting details. Although ! locomotive
engineer prior - i going away lie
has all the mystic nautical phrases 1t
his tongues end. for during the rebel
non lie sailed the seas over a. = mid
shlpnan III the Confederate Nav. He
i biue-eyed and lght-halred and broad
shoulderri. AMI tells his tale graph
caiIy
IT siN o'clock ia Wednesday even
ing the captain expressed hinl--l. a.
delighted with the breeze. At eight
ocloek the engineer said 10 me Come
with me | have time now to show vou
the engine. st that time there vas.
only 2 stiff breeze. went down into
the engIne-room and word was then
passed 70 oil the shafting the oiler
ran back and cried out There are
four feet Of water in the shaft-aliey
mat was the first We knew OF the leak
and the storm did not become a gale
untll -four hours later. More interest
ing incidents happened during the time
we We're ~ the wreck than would fill
a big book. After the mainmast had
49, -, 1tAla AAA' " &IO4t EI0t vi
the ship fell ont. up 10 twenty feet
forward of the boiler. came forward
on the hurricane deck. between the
stack and the boiler-house. and saw
Alexander Barclay and his son hang
ing on the forward rigging, and when
asked the lad. who was only eight
years old. TO allow me to lash him to a
boarding vessel. he turned around and
sand Papa a no board dashed TO
NM. n | don't a to get ashore
unless papa does. He would not allow
me TO assist him. Shortly afterwards
the father, with his boy in his arms.
jumped overheard and both were
drowned. When the vessel first struck
h shore First Officer Dickman said
that he would not allow two hundred
souls to perish, and asked permission
from Captain Ankers to take a line
ashore. The second mate said that
he couldn't make it. Dickman re-
piled, i can try You can't live"
said the second mate. Well. if |
don't will have done my duty. |
must obey the orders of my superior
officers, but | can stay here and see
these people drowned Mr.. Cozzens.
II second mate, carried the ladies
from the cabin to the deck on his back.
Mrs. Myers. struck by a wave, was "
ing almost Senseless on the deck. with
a life preserver around her. | saw one
OF the passengers leaning over her,
and trying to take the preserver from
her. told him to stop. but he said
Every man for himself | snapped
my revolver at him four times. but the
caps We're damp and would not ex-
plode. Finding he did not desist, |
struck him with my fist and almost
knocked him overheard. Mrs. Ny
ers was shortly afterwards drown
ed, and her husband know
ing of her death, slipped through
his life preserver, and, | am posi-
tive, held his head under water.
while with n hand he held on to the
rail. One man swan ashore with a
Free MasOn's badge between his teeth.
He said it was a gift from his father.
Mrs. w. @. Harri on formerly Helen
T. Snyder was washed forward almost
senSeless. She was the last victim
among the cabin passengers, as her
brains were shortly afterwards dashed
out, when the third wave struck the
vessel. After Captain Harrison vas
washed ashore he worked like a trooper
for the relief of the survivors, and it
was not until he discovered that the
negroes or ghOuls of the coast had
stripped the body Of his wife of all her
clothing and left a sand-saturated
blanket covering the naked corpse.
that he gave way and dropped on his
knees in despair. He is now again at
the seem of the wreck, with ten cof-
fins, in which to bring back the bodies
of friends, and he has vowed that if he
meets any one with any article that
belonged to his wife in his possession,
he will shoot him on the spot. OF the
eleven mail bags that We're shipped on
the Metropolis only II came ashore,
and it is charged by some of the sur
vivors that Richard w. Brooks, the
first man to reach Norfolk, and the
first to leave it, cut two or three of the
others and distracted their contents
Two of the men say that they caught
Brooks in the act, and when upbrald-
ing him he replied that all things that
came ashore were common plumber.
The post Office authorities al Norfolk
are investigating the matter.