The Portland daily press., 1880-06-14

physician was found Having seen not little
of life in hospitals during the war; my services
were rendered, and | was asked to go down to
the lower saloon. where L found seven Or
eight lying senseless upon the dining tables,
three or four men at work, and others standing
round, trying to help in a liberal way. 1t was
but the work of a moment to run knife
through their clothes, and to have the by
ISLANDERS at work with blankets snatched from
the berths. The cook had thoughtfully made
some coffee and one or two gentlemen had
brandy TASKS. Some three or four were in
sensible, but vigorous friction of the limbs re-
vlyed them. Help was wanted in the ladies'
saloon, and l went up and found the floor
covered with mattresses, and women upon
them. Some had been resuscitated and some
were. insensible, with their damp clothing
hanging limp around them. A large number
OF women We're at work, and four or five men,
some blindly, others intelligently, and others
stanalng dazed, not knowing what to do. One
OF the last women brought on board was thin
spare and of middle age. I was at work upon
a woman when man came and said, "Here
SIR, THINK this case needs your attention"
Her eyes were fixed, but 1 could detect a
huttering OF the heart, and dozen women in
an instant were at work upon her. There
were two Sisters of Mercy on board. They had
been untiring from the first. a lads
BREATHED IN HER LUNGS,
and for 10 minutes everything was dcne that
could De done to resusctate her, but in vain.
The heart ceased to beat, and there was no re-
Spouse OF vitality to all our efforts. Sister Of
Mercy closed her eyes, a lady arranged her
dark hair and | crossed her hands upon her
heart and smoothed her limbs. No one knew
her We gave our attention to the Others l
have since learned that child of the lady was
saved.
Before leaving the guards to take part in the
work in the saloon heard whistle and saw
the City of New York come up. It was a
glorious sight to see her boats go down by the
run and put out into the darkness and pull to-
wards the faint glimmer on the water. Our
own boat had drifted so far, and the tide had
borne the struggling victims in so many di-
rections, that their cries came to us from every
hand. 1t was a welcome relief to go down
into the cabin and aid in bringing to life the
perishing. just before going down 1 remem-
Der OF hearing voice close under our bow cal
ling for help. A boat was coming up to the
gangway on the other side at the moment. We
shouted to those in the boat to take stroke
around the ship. They did so, and seized the
almost exhausted man and held him firmly,
not daring to attempt to take him in for fear
fear of capsizing the boat. He was saved 1
took no notice of the time after going into the
cabin till word was given out that all who
wanted to go to New York were to 90 forward.
l looked at my watch and found that it was
nearly B. AT that time the only one who had
died, so far as know, was the lady already
spoken OF. After going aboard the City of
l.
in the lower cabin. All the boats had kept up
the search. No voices could be heard, and all
was still when the flames and the sea had de-
voured their victims.
An examination of the Stonington showed
that about ten feet of the stem had been car
rled away, and it was evident that she would
have great difficulty in making land. All the
Stonington's passengers, all the rescued that
were able to walk, and few that needed car
rrying, were transferred to the City of New
York. The two lower tiers of berths in the
ladies' cabin at that time, and the entire floor,
were occupied by females who had been res.
cued, and who had not any clothing, but who
lay wrapped in blankets. AS there was no
sign OF the Stonington sinking, and the City of
New York was crowded it was not deemed adj
visable to take them.
After getting ON board the City of New
York l found several Bostonians who had
been brought into that boat. Among them E.
Howard and Albert Howard of the Howard
Watch Company. A. V. Lynde of Melrose,
G. Seaver Jr., Of Boston, and others, from
whom, and from some on the Stonngton,
was able to obtain full description of events
DR.. HI. L.. Bowker, State Assayer of Massa-
chusetts was on board the Stonington. He
had not retired. He heard three boats pass a
long distance out of the Stonington's course,
then he heard a whistle dead ahead, when the
wheels stopped he was
ON THE FORWARD DECK.
the Narragansett loom through the fog and
the whole side go in as. she struck. He main
tains that the captains of both vessels were
culpable in running, when they could hear
each others whistle dead ahead. A gentle
man. whose name don't remember, was in
the lower cabin of the Narragansett, and says
that the water came in like flood. In an
instant all was dark; with difficulty he found
the stairs. Several gentlemen say that the
blow was right against the boilers; that in a
moment after the lights went out the boat
was filled with gas, not from the gasometer,
but from the furnaces; that the steam rushed
out at once, forcing the gas up through all the
lowed with terrific rapidity. Certain it is,
that in 10 minutes after this appearance of the
light to us, the whole vessel was mass of
flames. If it had not been for the breaking
out OF the flames, there would have been far
less loss of life, for the Narragansett rests on
the sandy bottom of the shallow approach to
Cornfeld point.