Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1879-11-12
The Chief Engineers Story about
the Sinking of the Steamer
Champion.

Wesley Reeve, chief engineer, tells the
following story IL had just got asleep, when
| was aroused by great noise and crash. |
at once jumped out of bed, threw open my
door, and looked out My room was situated
midway between the upper and lower engine
rooms and in full view of both. Charles T..
Bunce, first assistant engineer was at the en-
gines. ! saw him at his post and put on my
pantaloons and shoes and went down to the
lower engine-room. Bunce ordered the Oler
to see if any water was coming into the ship.
The oiler replied, eyes; very bad" Bunce
then ordered the large dOnkey-pump at work,
and il was started by the oiler and Caspar
Foberg, second assistant engineer. | then
went back and put on my coat and hat. In
the meantime the signal to back the engines
was given, and the ship was being backed.
In two minutes from the time | was first
aroused, the water drove us out. 1t was
our duty to stay at the engines as long as we
could, and we did stay. When the signal is
given to stop the engines, as it was given at
the time of this crash, the first thing the fire.
men do is to throw open the furnace doors.
There were six furnaces down there. The
water rushed in so fast that it flowed up into
the red-hot furnaces and came up in dense
| and fatal volumes of steam. The steam
drove us off. We were on the main deck.
When we had to leave, the ship was going
down bow first. and was then standing at an
angle of As degrees. We all rushed aft on
the main deck, and when we reached the
quarter deck ascended to the hurricane or
top deck When | reached the hurricane
deck all was confusion. The vessel was set
| Ting so fast that there was already water.
grabbed lounge, and | had no sooner got
! hold of it than the water fioated it and me
off. The ship went down almost straight,
and all the loose freight came shooting up
along the main deck with fearful velocity
When was floating the stewardess, Cathe-
rine Cross, of Charleston, S. c., stood upon
the deck and she cried out, What shall
do?' Some one shouted to her, Jump for
your life, Kate She jumped into the sea-
caught hold of box, and floated until she
was picked up. Three lady saloon passen-
gers were drowned. They never got even to
the surface. The Captain aroused them and
told them for Gods sake not to wait to dress
But they did wait and were drowned. Cath
crime Cross says she saw one of them leave
her room dressed in night-gown and shawl
and then after walking few steps in the cor
ridor, return to her room for more clothes
That was the last of her.
The boats were all loose, but could not be
handled owing to the inclination of the ship
The life-raft was loose, and it fioated off all
right with many people clinging to it. On
the hurricane deck was spare small boat,
which hoated off bottom side up. 1t had a
pair of oars fastened in it. This boat hoated
past me, and | mounted it. 1t was pretty
dark, and among the many dark objects that
were just visible in the water you couldn't
tell a mans head from one of the thousands
of cabbagcs that were floating around. But
YOU could hear men and women crying for
holm nm all sides and all wnra ..linu;nn IN
life-preservcrs or floating parcels. While on
the upiurned boat, | saw something floating
| soon fonnd it was a human being, and made
for il. 1t was Bunce. pulled him out The
life-raft was near and it came toward us. At
this time the second mate and the chief cook
were the only occupants of it. They soon
afterward found the Captain floating around
and picked him up. He had gone down with
the ship, remaining by the main rigging Civ
ing orders until the last moment. When the
life-rait came alongside the boat. Bunce and
| got off and righted her. We then got into
her and put of. We picked up Frederick
Mackman, Luke Kelly, and William Farrell
who were floating around with nothing on
but their shirts. Weput them on the life
raft, and went out second time and picked
up George Holland, John Thompson. and
! Alexander Rose. The water was so cold that
Rose was already insensible. After putting
| them on the raft we went out again. We
heard some poor fellow cry out loudly for
help. His voice came from afar. We looked
for him for over an hour, but could find no
trace of him. In the meantime the Octavia's
1 boats had been working bravcly. When we
gave up finding any more persons we all went
aboard the Octavia, except four passengers
and two sailors, who went aboard an unknown
passing bark ON its way to New York. We