The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1879-11-12
Capt. Lockwood's Story.
THE COMMANDER OF THE CHAM.
PION HEARD FROM At LAST.
He Claims that the Collision was In.
eyitable...He Apprises the Ladies of
their Danger, but they are too Bad.
ly Frightened to Escape...He Goes
Down with the Ship and is Rescued
by the Sailors on q Life Raft.
Menus and CbuTier.)

NEW YORK, November 9.-The following Is
the full statement OF Capt. LOCKWOOD, win
regard to the disaster TO the steamer CHam,
up to the time OF the accident When we left
New York the weather was foggy, but TINS
cleared ava before we were ten hours oot.
On the morning OF the COLLISION leit my
room about five minutes past 3 and returned
to the pilot-house for q few seconds. l haI
hardly got back to my room again when !
heard some one sing out, Sail ahead!" and
lizard by" l jumped into the piiot,touse,
back at full speed. I saw that q ship was
coming down upon US and that g. collision
was inevitable. She was steering east north
east. We were going south southwest hal,
west. The ship had full sail on and headed
right at US. We were going Under steam, and
had just set foretop sail. She struck us right
on the bows and cathead on starboard SIDE,
and me- crushed San right mt into nts. a. , STAYING my IN nss 9aT
would sink In almost an instant and at once
ordered the first mate to go forwarG and see
what water, If any,, the Champion was making
ship wns fast sinking. I then ordered the
second mate to get the boats In readiness, that
is to cut them loose from my ship, as 1t was
fast going down. I also ordered him 10 nave
dered useful 10 case the steamer went down
un0er foot, as I was afraid she would give US
no warming. My next work was to warn tne
lady passengers OF their great danger; ar l rusl,-
Gu lNtol Xix Sdolii NV ~ iNN0
ship Is going down, you have not o
to spare! Never mind you clothing, but
out Mt once 7" / believe there were but
three ladies there, but OF this / am not sure.
None of them came out, and the only re,
Spouse I received was loud screaming ana
halloing. They could have come out very
easily If they wished, but I suppose they pc
came panie.stricken; NY daty Ca. faii Son, me
had obeyed my summons, but u~nfortunately
I found afterwards they had not. l oeleve
they were all lost. There has been outone re-
male saved. and that is Stewardess Catnerlne
Cross.
When the ship went down I was standing
by the main rigging, INT near me STOOD q
number OF the crew. l said, Boys, save YOUR
selves and don't mind me- Each OF them
determination to stand by me. After q few
seconds I said, Throw a life raft overheard;
ri come afterwards. Jump for your lives.
This tWHaas rapidly = iH gone done' ta asG ye .ney i and we Went
down with her. I soon came to the surface
again. This may seem strange, put itis new
ertheless the fact. 1 kept near the surface OF
the water, and SO suppose did not expert
ence the suction OF the vessel while she was
going Town, When I came to the top OF the
water I found myself close TO the iife,,rait, on
which I was pulled by those already there. l
have been commander OF the Champion, for
the past thirteen years. Leonard, the first Of
ficer. was in charge when the collision look
place. He ran forward the momen the crash
occurred, and that was the last l saw OF MIN:
He was q tried and experienced seanan and
had sailed with me for over fourteen years.
He was q maj about 48 years of age. a resi-
lent of Brooklyn, and leaves a wife and two
children. We were about thirty miles from
land from Cape Henlopen, which bore fifteen
or sixteen miles E. n. Z. Of Five Fathom
Bank light.
NV room where I went just before the COL
lision adjolned the pilot house, In fact you
almost step from one to the other. Inc
Champion carried about five life boats and q
life raft. understand that four passengers
and two seamen were picked up by q bark
that came along some time after the collision.
I have heard since that she was q Norwegian,
but that was oil. None Of us knew her name
or anything about her beyond the fact that
she was evidently bound North. The Lazy
Octavia. the ship that ran into us. saved nine
lives. We saved the rest on the IRE raft. eX.
cept, of course, those who were picked up by
the unknown bark. The night was o beauti.
full starlight one with q little moonlight.
The captain says the ship was in about IA
fathoms OF water at the time. The last saw
OF the Champions wreck the topmasts were
about two feet out Of the water. l would
rather not, just at present, say anything about
who was to blame for the collision, but l
think that the ship could AVE avoided 1t.