, 1879-07-26
OAHSalITH'S DAUGHTERS.

u per cont: organic matter, OK; water, ~;
silleae ncId, X; other salts, u per CENT.
OAKSMITH'S DAUGHTERS. !:
Tho Fatl,er'a Narrative Of tho Manner In
Which All Four Woro Drowned.
Ytnbernfan.
DEAR FRIEND: Your letter of yesterday Ia
received, You say truly that "on1y God can
give US strength to bear et1ch calamity" You
inclose me printed report Of tho disaster and
nsk Il II is correct. Ny agony Is too great to
dwell upon the horrible sceno; but Justice to
nv dead daughters compcis NC To mako tho
effort, ard to say that the report you scnd mo
Is entirely erroneous. will state all that 1t ia
essential nos to know. All the facts arc known
only to God and myself. I wns tho only otie in
thc boat who colud swim. OF who bad ever be-
fore confronted pcrit anh death. Henco was
not panEc-strlekcn, aud had q dreadful Eoallza-
ton OF all that was eoln, on.
All the heroisln displayed In the fearful strug-
Elo vas BY nv noble daughters Bessie and CO.
rune who lost thclr lives it,hcartrending II, efforts
to save their two younger sistora.
The accident occurred in th!k way: Iwas
stcnr!ng the boat with yoke, md when ha1f
way across between Fort Macon and Beaufort
shc steoEcd wildly, md iutrusted the main
charging him to keep 1t clear AM, watch tho All.
When VIC got ready to ''tiben charged him ID
Htet fly u tho tnoneut the salt passed tho Wind,
lie hauled tl:e sail att,-my daughters "shtftod
sheet "hung " or caught from whatever cause
AID capstzcd.
It was all In moment As she went over I
each take ono, and cling to the hoat!t' Mylusy
was for all. Bessie took her sister Mildred,
Corinne our beautiful Pauline, and Randolph
us 'tss b5qsr ~ sts Vas az asts,,vs
she began to atnk uuder us. "5tick to tho
boat" cried, "sttek to the boat" Up to tnis
moment mT children wefc not panicstricken,
SHs on sr poll sas sead M oSa
wafer. from causcs now ncedlcas to recount, she
rolled completely over, her mast and sail going
under her. which told mo that the water was
wont out Of the boat on the starboard aide, Tho
two eldest eacl, holding litslo sister. j wont
With tEcm, and helped them to get bold Of tho
boat again. Randolph still holding stanlJ, fell
over on the port side, aud was rolled under tho
boat, which, betDg relieved Of our weight, camo
to the anrlacc, aud hung moment keel 10.
Telling Bessie and Corinne to bold hard on 10
tic g,lnwale, rolled tho boat up BY her keel,
got Randolph out. ind up on T. tho lido Of The
boat, greatly exhausted, hut still holding 8tau-
ly; charged him not to lot 60 OF him, and To
cling TO tho boat. then sram round on the
daughters had all lost their hold, got the two
eldest once more baci, telling ulem that
would 70 for tlc little ones. was clIngIng 10
the stern to get breath for my task when Bes-
tie sisters being swept nway. They uttered ono
shrlrk, mid thrcw themselves cH and struggled
to got to them. At tbls instant realized thas
the hoat's hrchor hau ,eono to tho bottom, and
could get tie boat clear Of her anchor, or as
sfstnrlce soon cn1'c, some would be lost. Igot
two boat Krat!nHs anu two oars to my daughters,
who still heoded my voice. told the llttto
Corinne to put the oars under thctt arms and
..keep heads up and ar1us down., coriune
nn.wercd cheerfully, "All right, papa,n and
caca AZ % out 10 TIC o.hsts keep you, heads up
Then swnin arainst tho current to tho bow
Of the boat, which wns stx feet undor water,
held by her cable, nnd went down alll tried 10
vain ID cast 1t adr!ft. I had thrown on my coat
and vest ear1y III the struggle, and bad no
knife. The weight OF my body on tho bow,
pressed down by the current. bore It further
do.n, and felt tie b'nt again rolling over. !
let 20 my hold and cano to tic surface, atcadicd
to Ills little brother and the boat to the last,
nrl, looking for my daughters, saw them drift
ing away, but apparently safo. At this moment,
while holding on to the boat to recover myself,
apparently fisLlng. rniscd MT voice for ha1p.
l'l'e men appeared to look, but did not como,
Couiu have got the boat clear from her cable
70 time, I believe / could havo saved my
vAin cndoaYor, Ilad I not done 30 l might
possibly hayc got one OF them to the shoro. but
after they drtftcI twenty fcet BY the stern, 1t
was impossible for me to get either buck TO tho
noat. 1t required ali tnY strength to swim 10
the bow against tho current Wneu 1 made my
vaiu effort to act the boat adritt for their res
cue. 'Ay agony WAS 40 great that could not
endure It, attl started to swim to my lauRh-
tcrs,--Where VIC doubtless should have all per-
lshed togethcr, which would have bcon bettor
for mo Wcro # not for tie living, saw
tho boat which rescucu III coming round the
point Of marsh. Ny reason told mo that tho
chauCes for say[nE my daughters wero grGnter
With my hclp In that boat than out of It aud I