Morning journal and courier., 1880-06-14
The Narragansett Disaster.

Survivors of the Wreck Passing Through
 Story of One of the Rescued-Purser
 WaIdrOn - Reported Loss of William
 NOyes-FOrmer Disasters.
 The scene of the terrible catastrophe on the Sound Friday night was about midway between Westbrook and Clinton. The two boats crashed into each other about three miles from the Connecticut shore. Fishing smacks belonging to the Luce Brothers, of Mantle, brought to that place Saturday six bodies that were picked up while the vessels were engaged in taking white fish One of the bodies was that of E. J. Horton a promi nent man of Attleboro, Mass, who while in the water and met by P. M. Carpenter, one of the rescued, said that he must soon sink as he was so exhausted, the two men shaking hands and drifting away from each other Another of the bodies is supposed to be that of Mrs. Wm. Stevens, of Hoboken, N. J. Mrs. J. K. Little's body is supposed to be another, judging from marks on the clothing and there were two children, aged about and years of age, and two men, who were about 35 or 40. The crew of the supply boat from New London picked up ten bodies dur ing the day and took them to New London to await their Identification and shipment to friends. Also the tug Burnside brought in three unknown bodies to Stonington Satur- day afternoon They were transferred to the U. S. steamer Cactus, which was helping in the search for bodies. Full details of the disaster are given in our telegraphic columns. The scene of the wreck is about twenty-five miles from New Haven.
 
 ence on the water, arrived from the wreck, at the residence of his brother, W. L. Gushing, No. 46 Elm street, Saturday. He was lying awake in his berth on the ill- fated Narragansett, the staterooms being all filled, when the crash came. His watch had stopped, but he was told afterward that it was quarter of twelve when the affair happened. The whistles of both boats had been sounded short and sharp-meaning danger. He dressed himself took a life preserver and went to the saloon deck. As he reached the saloon door the lights went out. Very soon the water began to pour into the cabins. Soon a cry 'sWe are sinking !'' arose. Officers and deck hands ran through the saloon, breaking open the stateroom doors and shouting to cupants to dress themselves and come on deck. Avery of Fire Fire!" then arose, and the forlzed flames arose from near the smoke stacks. In ten minutes the passage to the cabin was blocked by the fire. The boat listed to one side and gave passengers the idea that the boat was sinking. Horror was depicted on the faces of many. Boats were launched. Each of the boats carried from twenty-five to thirty people. Iremained for ward until after the first boat went off, They were manned by strangers and not by the crew. The three first loads in these were mostly women and children. Some of the pas sengers got a raft that was at the pilot house twenty-five or thirty got upon that. Then rafts were made of chairs, pieces of railing that were torn off, matches and anything movable. Some seized chairs and were buoyed up by these. The whole time consumed from the time of | the collision to the time jumped off was, l should think, half an hour. I plainly heard l the reports of pistols, but did not see them 1 fired. I saw man, however, who told me | he saw two men shoot themselves. I can 1 give you no idea of the scene. The outlines | of shrieking women and imploring men could l be seen, with the lllrid background lending l additional effect. have travelled the world l over in my ship, but I never was horror | struck before. Women and men were pray 1 ing; were pleading; were running here and l there. The scene was just indescribable it | was horrible. I shall hear those shrieks to | my dying day; never heard such appalling | sounds. Women jumped overheard when l the flames were well forward; I was some l what scorched myself. I remember one wo- man shrieking 1.-The Fire The Fire!" and I shall never forget it. She started to jump l off, when man grasped her around the waist and tried to prevent her. But all she | said was ''The Fire! The Fire!" and jumped off, despite his efforts to restrain her Her shrieks still ring in my ears When I saw the number of unattended wives and children there were present I thanked God my wife and child were absent-that l was one of my leading impressions. I must say that the women showed more courage than the men. They were resigned to the inevitable and when you put them in the boats they sat there. There was no difficulty in transferring them from the wreck, for the water was up to the saloon deck or nearly so. had my life preserver buckled on when an old woman, apparently sixty-fve years of age, approached me with what appeared to be her grandchild-six or eight months or a year old perhaps. She had but one preserver and that was saround herself She desired me to remove it and put it on the child. I unfast- ened the one I wore and it served instead. I saw them in New York afterward and they spoke kindly of the fact. I suppose they will remember it as long as they live I " it be fact that they are upholstered over cork, it is true that they are exceedingly buoyant. I remained in the water from an hour to an hour and half. I could not see much, although 1t was light owing to the flames, for the fog was too dense. I saw no body floating but that of a baby who had been drowned by the displacement of it's preserver which had fallen to it's middle. When the boats from the City of New York arrived there was quick work done A man in charge of a boat would shout 'Hello !' or ''Hurrah! land the shipwreckedwould respond and be taken off. Two of the deceased died from sheer fright. They had been in the water but very short time. I was taken to the City of New York where theTrescued were kindly treated. There was much vail ing there over separated families and friends. remember one poor woman who thought boat came in, but he was not in any of them. At length when passengers from the Stonington were taken of he was found. She shouted his name when she spied him, and Oh, what a reunion there was One strange thing was that everybody was com blaming of having lost considerable money $500, $400 or S1OOO.
 Samuel c. Waldron, brigade commissary on Gen. s. R. Smiths staff, and brother of Mr. Waldron, clerk of the Board of Road Con- missioners, is clerk of the Stonington The Stonington was not much damaged and was
 
 of the collision, was in the pilot house rest ing. MT. Waldron was in this city Saturday afternoon, having in charge party of the passengers whom he was taking to New York He arrived on the 1:40 train The first I knew, he said, the other boat crashed into us. 1 never saw a more orderly set of people than those on our boat. I have often seen more confusion in getting ashore a lot of passengers at a landing. In four minutes I had one of our boats launched and at once began the work of saving people. I picked up thirty-four people. Two of them were dead. One was the Rev. E. B. Lock wood, of New York city was in the water with life preserver around him and his hands held high above his head When first touched him he was dead I don't think he was drowned it looked to me as if he had been struck'by something while in the water. The other dead person was a awoman, whose name I could not ascertain She had in her arms her babe and strangely enough it was alive while she was dead The body of the mother and the child are both at my house at Stonington waiting for some one to claim them. The body of Mr. Lockwood I brought in with me on the Shore Line train. and shall go down with it to New York. The Stonington stayed around doing all she could and at about a. m. returned to Ston-