The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1879-11-10

Our boats were In the water before th
' steamer cleared US, The vessel got some
what entangled fora moment, aud Will
3 they were In this condition two person
from the Champion jumped aboard on
vessel aud were saved. There was ierribl
panic on the Champion, All tn
others that were rescued wero brough
I alongside by our crew. Nobody ol
the Champion seemed 10 try to say
anybody else, and that was no wonder
for such Of them as had time to get abov
deck saw that they had enough to do Il
save themselves. think about thirty per
sons were lost, twelve passenges, including
i've women and eighteen Of the crew
Among the victims was the first mate.
do not know the names OF any who wer,
lost, and the only names Of the saved tina
have an account OF are those 0l the eigh
teen Of the crew that we have Just landed
here, and the two seamen that we trans
ierred with four men passengers to the
unknown bark bound for New York
Those four are the only passengers res
cued. did not take their names, and
although read the name ol the bark al
the time, l have forgotten 1t, and can moi
get It for you. The 0ctavia was not char,
tered, but was merely going in ballast to
New York for orders. Peter Wright 4
Sons, OF this cltv, are her agents.
THE ocrAvlA's DoArswAIN's STORY.
The story OF the boatswain Of the Lady
0CtaVia differs materially from the Can.
tain's in regard to tli1 relative positions Of
the vessels before the collision. about
$3.50 O'Clock Friday morning l was on the
poop deck, on watch, and saw the steamer
coming south on our wake. The night
was clear and bright. We kept on our
course, as 1t was our place to do, being a
sailing ship. looked at the steamer but
saw no one on deck, not even at tho wheel.
The only man visible on board was in the
sails doing some work. While watching
the steamer | saw her take sheer over
to the port, but / didn't see man on the
deck, even at this time. The Lady Octa.
via was sailing at the rate Of three knots
an hour; the steamer was at full sail,
making about eleven and half knots. |
called out to go about and keep clear OF us,
but then 1t was too late, as she struck US
forward, the conclusion being so great as to
knock ma of the poop.deCk. AS soon as we
struck myself and three OF the crew OF our
vessel lowered boat and picked up nine
persons who wero struggling in the water,
whom we conveyed to our own vessel. We
made a second trip and picked up a life.
boat and this with another boat, twenty
persons, besides a small dog, It became
somewhat dark by the time We started
from the vessel on tho second trip, and
then We could find no trace OF the vessel
at all, she having gone down. When our
bow was stovein the forward compartment
filled with water to about twelve feet, We
sounded the pumps, but found no water
in the rest Of the vessel, owing to the
water.tight bulkhead. After we got all
the persons on board We could find we
made our life-raft ready in case OF emer.
gence. Among those lost, as far as can be
ascertained, was the mate, named Leon.
ard, belonging to New York City, and
three ladies and two children. The stew
ardess was saved, but could not get her
name. l CoAld not ascertain the names OF
the lost passengers"
Other men OF the Lady 0ctavia crew
say that the boatswain was the first per-
son to discover the steamer, and that when
first seen the Champion was in the wake
OF the Octavia.
In this they do not agree with the Cap
tain and the officer in charge, Ferguson,
who say that the Champion, when first
discovered, was ahead, and this was ten
minutes before the collision occurred,
Although in the wake at that time these
seamen, four or five Of them, say by fast
sailing the Champion got ahead, and yeer-
ing on her course was in such a position
that the Octavia struck her "bow on" The
captain when questioned as 10 the man.
ner OF striking insisted it was the Cham.
pion struck the 0ctavia, and not the Octa.
via that struck the Champion. In des-
crlbing the scene aboard the Champion
Immediately after the crash, the seamen
say that panic reigned everywhere. Most
OF the crew were on deck, but very
lew Of the passengers could be seen.
The latter had scarcely time to
spring from their beds and recall their
senses before the steamer went down:
possibly some may not have awakened al
all, but it would have taken on extremely
sound sleeper to pass undisturbed Though
such shock as that. A moment after the
collision heavy cloud obsCured the moon
and 1t became so much darker that the
crew OF the Octavia could only Judge of
the terror aboard the Champion by the
cries Of the women aud children and the
wild shouting and wilder leaping and run.
ming OF dozens Of men. The rushing
sound OF the water, as 1t forced itself in
and was rapidly weighing down the doom.
ed vessel, whenever 1t could be heard
above the din upon the deck, served TO
increase the awful excitement. Just as
the last boat load got alongside the Octa.
via, there was n despairing cry, rs il from
below deck on the doomed vessel, and the
nextinstant, when tho rescuers turned to
look, the waters had engulied the Cham.
pion,
FIRST Mates ACCOUNT.
First Mate Ferguson, who had the deck
OF the Octavia at the time Of the collision,
says:
The steamer took sheer and showed
me her red light for few seconds, and
Immediately following the red light disap.
peared from my vision and the green
came in view. Then l saw that a collision
was inevitable. l sung out ut the ton OF
my voice, and l heard sculEling on the
steamers deck, as II o number OF people
were running along it. heard tho order
given on board the steamer Of "Hard
a., and that was all could distinguish !;
whether it was "hard port" or ID ard a
starboard," ;" do not know. Just afterward
the steamer struck us abaft the stem
on the port side, smashing her bows and
cutting her three feet under water, almost
Instantly filling the fore compartment.
Only the water tight bulkhead prevented
the ship from laundering. l went for
ward on the forecastlehead and saw the
steamship under our bow backing astern,
and confused mass OF casks and wood
floating about US. gave orders to lower
the boat in the davit to save life, and told
the rest OF the crew to back the yards
which was quickly done. Before the
beat reached the steamer 1t sank out OF
sight: The boat picked up nine
people, returned and saved eleven
more. Two persons, who were in
3 large boat belonging to the III.
| fakhH tyanaal TuaHa oI,n