Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1878-02-02
THE METROPOLIS D,-AsrER.

THE METROPOLIS DisAsrER.
During the storm OF Thursday the
steamer Metropolis. bound from Phila-
dslphia to Brazil. with 26o passenger,
went down of tho coast OF Virginia,
and ieO Of tho persons on board were
swallowed up by the raging ocean. The
greater number Of these lost ones were
laboring men. who had lett wives and
children behind them, and started for
| Brazil under n contract to build q rail.
road. Their object was to earn the
means Of supplying their poverty
stricken families with food and rainsnt.
They had been engaged by the Collins
Brothers. the wealthy contractors OF
Philadelphia. at starvation wages. and
then placed at the mercy Of the winds
and the waves. in a crazy old tub. which
was liable to fall to pieces even in the
calmsst and most pleasant Of voyages.
The result might have been anticipated,
and the awful consequences foresssn.
The ship sprung q leak In the very
beginning Of the storm. and became
unmanagsabls. The Captain did all in
his power to force her to the beach.
which was his only chance Of saving his
precious human freight. He failed. and
to-day there is mourning in one hundred
and sixty Philadelphia families.
II 10 . terrible scene to contemplate,
this struggling Of frantic men with the
omnipotsnt rage OF an angry ocean; the
prayers and the curses caught up by
the bowling wind. and waited on its
swift wings far away into msasurelsss
space. The few who were saved "
their lives moro to chance than TO their
svn feeble efforts. They were merci.
fully cast upon tho beach by the same
ssething waves that engulfed their COM
panions. Human aid there was none,
and had there been 1t would have availsd
nought. To successfully fight against
that raging ocean was an i~mpossibility.
The great monster ship could not resist
il. and what could be expected Of poor,
weak men in a struggle against so tsrfi-
bio An opponent. The rotten hulk
which bore them to their doom went
down. and they went down in her CON-
pany. to rise again and strew the
beach with a CHASTITY array OF dead
bodies.
And now. Is there no redress for the
wrongs Of these bereaved families Of
Philadelphia AMI New York. Are the
Collins Brothers to pay no penalty for
this crime that they have committed
against humanity. for the sake Of add
ing q few dollars to their already plstho-
rio coifeni Arc they to be allowed
to mako widows and orphans by the
hundreds. to deprive families OF their
natural protectors. and still walk erect
in society. aud buy honor and respect
by means Of their money. while their
souls arc black with the awful crime Of
murder For this disaster Is n whole
sale murder. which is justly chargeabls
to them. They knew that the Mstrop-
oils was trustworthy. and unfit to be
trusted with q cargo OF human life. She
was rated by the Underwriters at 2H,
just barely escaping condemnation.
These men would never have dreamed
OF trusting their own families, or the
families Of their fashionable friends. on
such q vessel. But they had no scru.
plea in sending an army OF poor work
ingmen into the jaws OF death. There
was money in it. and the risk was worth
taking-for them
Unfortunately there is no law making
il a criminal otfsnss to sacrifice human
life in this reckless manner ; but the
pockets Of these men may be reached.
as the pocket Of Vanderbilt was reached
when the westheld was blown up at her
pier in New York some years ago. The
families Of these workingmen al make
the voyage Of the Metropolis IN sIpsn.
siys experiment for the Collins Broth.
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