The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1880-09-17

The Story Of the Wrecklng Of the Vera
Cruz-Thriilfn& Incidents.
A. R. Owen, Chief Engineer of the
steamer Vera Cruz, destroyed in hur-
ricane off the coast OF Florida, ana VINO
was one of the few survivors. has made
q graphic statement OF the disaster
which has been published in the D. I.
Herald, and from which we take the fol-
lowing extracts:
1.-THE real blast Of the cyclone struck us on On
port osx At about and the ship
ON her beam-ends From this time it became
next to impossible to walk about without
clinging to chairs. tables, and other stadona% i
objects in the saloon were quickly thrown
from port to starboard, walking was exceed
ingy dangerous Inc vino was a. ta o,,. s,n h1
!" During the evening three skyliehts in the
poured a, s Considerable water into the saloon and
staterooms. setting all adrift. BY midnight
the passengers were generally sitting upon or
snd assIstins each other Yet good cheer
was the rule, and many were the exchanges OF
Wit and humor between them all. The serv-
ants as they passed around men, rt ~
States army, had been washed out OF his state
room NO. s., which was the first on the port
earl. he sad
thrown against q table In the afternoon and
had cut his right cheek, which troubled him
SonsdsraDl Is Il 6lsd freely but he was cssdr IN
ing word here, assisting man there, and at
tending to the women and children every.
ere as lay on sse aod 1or
came and laid with me, bringing his water
proof, which We threw over 70 to protect US
from the water dripping in from the top and
sides. At one O'Clock p. m. the eng1ne-rOOm
was dry. The drag was put on, but 1t reversed
and was useless. 1t was not gotten ready I'M
til this time and was too small Tor service,
ship took heavy sea and the water put the
fires out. Immediately stopping the engines.
1.-THE dOnkey-engine then started, and was
going when the ship sank. The Purser came
6urriedy below. calling for General Torbert:
and said that the Captain had sent him to tell
the passengers to come and assist the crew or
the vessel would go down. We Immediately
got up. went to the deck and to the floor Of
the engine-roOm. where assisted to pass the
buckets for an hour. Captain Van Slice was In
there s It was 81 no use. The sea was con
tinually breaking over the vessel and coming
down in large quantities between decks. The
purpose. After this went to the saloon and
told General Torbert that we were going to
pieces and fast filling. and nothing remained
women. General Torbert's face hurt him SO
that he did not 20 to pass buckets.
"The passengers now crowded into the
Social hall, which was at the top of the saloon
steps. Here they said farewell to each other.
We adjusted their hfe-preservers, and extend
ed sympathy one to the other. Never before,
and unexcited under circumstances so appall-
ing. Mr.. Alexander Wallendge brought his
little boy to me and said, Mr.. Owen. L will give
get him to land said no; did not expect
to live five minutes after the ship went down.
l told him it would be mercy to himself and
him could see nothing to hope for in a storm
like this. L said, Let us look at it rs if our
characters on the worlds stage were about
ended
Miss Sadie Fay asked me in her sweetest
manner to take care of her, but said to her
and the others that there was nothing to be
washed from her and then to cling to the frag-
ments as long as possible, and this plan was
carried out by every passenger. The Captain
port side of the upper decks, at twelve MN
utes past four a. m, but whether he got ex-
cited and jumped overheard or was swept
'Mr. Paris the First Oficer, the Second
Mate, and one or two more Of the crew took
to the starboard-bow boat and were killed be-
stood sS By the ship sSe
sunk. The Quartermaster, William ONeaI,
and a sailor, name unknown, stood at the
wheel until the snip sunk. The Captain never
came near the passengers during the storm,
nor did he send to inquire into their condition,
and it may be sincerely hoped that no other
indifferent man. It was six a. M. when the
ship went down, breaking in the middle, and
filing the sea with fragments Of stores,
ITO say there were ten million pieces Of
wrecked stores all clashing together five min
utes after the ship went TO pieces would be
Statement no idea could be conceived as to
the state of the case. Men, women, children,
horses, cats and rats mixed in and went in,
through and over this mass. The waves were
fifty feet high, not in swells and ridges, but
In peaks like sugar-lOayes. Four peaks beat
ing like surf tore into each other. When we
sse Sns to turned over at tSe toe
and sent rolling through the air at the OBJ
posite one, and 50 back and forth. This lasted
waves took a more natural character, and
came in swelling ridges, and we whiried down
and over them to the opposite side.
Smith. one Of the crew, about fifteen minutes
after the ship sunk. He was then weak, and
could crawl on the FRAGMENTS Of tine wreck
only with assistance. When the fragment on
later, Mr.. Smith came up on another
piece, and never saw The General again alive.
raft box or tr~nS would reach the aop az
wave it was wniried through the air with q
force terrible TO behold. Among the living
and dying 1 never passed q person who was
not bleeding from some wound inflicted by
passing fragments, and half Of them were
dead or dying within fifteen minutes after
they took tn the waves. This was most ap-
paling; and sad, indeed, was it to see those
heroic women struggling against timbers,
waves and fate. passed ulr. Wallendge and
son ten minutes after the sinking. They were
about ten yards apart, clinglng to different
pieces Of the wreck, and the little fellow
looked as calm and handsome as when playing