The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1878-02-08
Au Ocean Horror.
ToTAI''wRECK OF THE STEAMSHIP METRoP-
OILS, CHARTERED BY MEssRs- p q i.
COLLINS AND EN- ROUTE FOR BRA
zL-FRoM EIGHTY TO oNR
HUNDRED LIVES LOST.

The steamer Metropolis, the second YES
sci sent out from Philadelphia to the rapids
of the Madeira river, Brazil, by our Will
ON townsmen, Messrs. 2. d +. Collins,
laden with railroad iron and provisions,
and having over 200 men on board who
were to be employed as laborers on the
extensive railroad contract of those gentle
men in that country, besides the officers
and crew of the vessel and few other
passengers, was totally wrecked on the
! northeastern coast of North Carolina, on
Yesterday week, involving with Its destruc-
/ ton the loss Of so TO 100 human lives. The
Metropolis sailed from Philadelphia on last
! Tuesday week, and met with tie terrible
! gale which proved SO disastrous on the
second day after leaving port.
! The statement of Captain Ankers, who
! vas in command of the ill-s.arred vessel,
/ gives a succiuc. account of the stormy voy-
| age and fearful wreck. He says that the
| Metropiis encountered her first bad weather
on the evening of Wednesday, the day
/ after she sailed, the wind increasing very
Iapidly and the sea rising to d fearful extent.
The vessel was very deeply laden, as in All
dition to her cargo of iron and machinery
she of course had an extra quantity of coal
to supply her furnaces for SO extended "a
passage. The wind being from the east
ward, the sea was upon her beam and
caused her TO roll feariully. 1t was soon
/ IOuuu IndL sue udu spiuiiS SOHC-
where in the region of the stern-post. For
time the water was kept down by the
steam-pumps, but towards midnight of
I Wednesday the engineer reported to me
that the water was gaining i'll the hold, aud
at once determined to bear up and run for
Hampton Roads. The weather, however,
grew thicker and worse, and the vessel
ran past Cape Henry light without seeing
it. The sea continued to increase, and at
nlatalv the
which was now rapidly becoming water
logged. At o'clock a tremendous sea
broke over her, making her complete
wreck. The smoke-stack was carried away
and nearly every boat was washed from the
davits with the immense weight of the
water. All the side Of the house was
crushed III and the eugine-room was half
filled with water, which now poured into
the hold in torrents. The Gil cuating pump
bad given ont hours before, and the other
pumps were well-nigh useless. The water
rose to the furnace fires and put them out,
and all hope of saving the ship was at once
abandoned. All that could be done was
done the head sails were set aud her head
was kept off from the beach as the only
means left of preventing her from sinking
with all hands to the bottom. There was
risk among the breakers, bus there was also
some small chance of safety, while if she
sank there was no hope of preserving a
single life.
At O'Clock the word was passed for all
hands to provide themselves with life-pTe-
servers. At G. As A. NJ. the day just dawn
ing, the ship struck the beach At II A.
NJ. a man on horseback made his appear
ance on shore, waving his hat and promis-
ing assistance. At Il 30 p. N. the Life
Saving Service men made their appearance
from the station some miles away, but came
poorly provided TO save life. All the as
sstance they could render to the passen-
gers was to get them out Of .he surf as. they
came ashore. Had the Life Saving men
come to The scene of the wreck during the
forenoon nearly every one on board could
have been saved. At O'Clock p. NJ. the
ship broke up completely. throwing into
the sea all who we've then left on board.
1t does not appear that any of those on
board jnmped overheard. They were
washed of by the dozen at every sea.
Some reached tue shore and many were
drowned. The only help from those on
shore was ia pulling the halfdro Sned men
from the surf when near the beach. Some
were swept overheard by the great sea that
wrecked The vessel and many more before
daylight came. The night was not very
cold, but the storm was pitiless, and those
on board were SD exhausted before attempt
ing to make the shore that they were i'll
prepared for tue terrible fight with the sea.
There was no chance of saving the two
women ON board, aud both of their hus-
bands were among the lost.
Rich'd w. Brooks, of Germantown, Pa,
one of he first survivors to- reach the shore,
makes the following statement regarding
the disaster:
We hH, only three women on board, of
whom wHs tho wife or the chief engineer and
another the wife of Mr.. Harrison, the steward.
The name of the third one was not known. L
6nd a crew or twenty seven men, all told, left
Philadelphia about y. IN. ON Monday. January
-, ana lay in the Delaware river until a. m.
Tuesday, January 2e. At the Breakwater we
left the pilot and Mr. Conley, clerk to Mr.. Col
Inns, who both wished Us bon voyage. We then
proceeded to sea, and all was joyful. When
about two hundred and fifty miles out from he
Breakwater, at about > O'Clock p. M, the frst
mate found the ship had sprung a leak, and the
men were Immediately put TO work throwing
out coal to tighten the ship. After getting rid
of from fifty 10 seventy five tons, and then De-
ing unable TO find the leak Captain Ankers or
the ship was making water very fast and ex-
tinguishing the fires. On Thursday morning,
sail. and the ship was headed directly for the
lighthouse, which was supposed TO be 81. Charles
from the shore, the ship struck. The waves
Immediately commenced washing the deck
from stem to stern. breaking in the weather
when one man, a foreman, started to swim
ashore also the first mate, after whom fol low
ed. we managed to get ashore after u hard
swim. landing about half mi lie above the place
where the ship struck. We found no one on
i
three men reached the shore all were so weak
as to be hardly able to move. A boat with six
men then put Off from the ship and succeeded
/ in reaching the shore with all on board. All
| nine of us then started up the beach. following
the telegraph poles in search of any one to rem
! der us aid. The only living thing we was
u COW, and she Immediately ran away. We,
/ however, follow ed her up till VIC got on a sand
! hill, from which saw the lighthouse, and
after running II mile through brush and briers,
| in our bare feet, with nothing on but shirt and
| drawers, came to the CurrituCk Lighthouse
/ club house, and Mr., William Jones. one of the
employ ees. received us, and told us to take of
/ our wet clio; hes, aud he would give us dry ones
after doing which he Immediately started a boy
on horseback to the lighthouse to inform the
! keeper of the wreck, and to send the life saving
apparatus to the scene After getting on dry
| clothes we all proceeded to the wreck, accom-
panied by Mr.. Jones and four mer belonging
to the life saving station, who carried am IN n.
ition and a mortar. We followed the beach,
and found it covered with bodies and portions
OF the wreck. Upon getting opposite the shi r
the mortar was placed in position and line
was thrown over the topsail of the vessel. The
undercurrent was so strong. however. that ii
snapped the lines. They again fred two more
lines towards the shin, but failed to hit it,
These three shots exhausted all the arumuni-
ton. and the men on board. finding it useless
To expect any help commenced ing to swim
10 land. We fouri cen men on shore then form
ed 4 chain. and advanced in the water to aid
our unfortunate shipmates, OF the first five