The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1880-01-24
Picked Up at Sea.


The story of the loss of the Borussia,
as related by six members of the crew
and five passengers, is thrilling in the
extreme. Gerrity, the boatswain' mate,
says when it became evident that the
steamer must 60 down Captain Roberts
collected the crew, and, after warning
passengers against rushing for the
boats, ordered all seven lowered. The
high sea made the operation very haz-
ardous. The first that reached the
water was Immediately dashed to pieces
against the side of the steamer. ALI
the boats were damaged, but were re-
paired with canvas. Mr.. Gerrity and
Quarterm&ster Lorsen were ordered to
take charge of boat No. 8, metallic
life-boat capable of holding eleven peo-
pie. After stocking her with crackers,
canned meats, and water, they went
aboard. Members of the crew also
dropped over the ships side, and he
pushed off to keep her from being
swamped by overlooking. The Captain
ordered him to again come alongside,
which was done, and Frenchman
named Duniot Fance jumped into the
water and was pulled into the boat.
Others jumped in, and Gerrity, stand
ing up in the boat, grasped one of the
French female passengers and endeav-
ored to pull her off the steamer, to which
she was clinging fairly frantic with fear.
The woman's husband urged her to let
go the rail and go into the boat,
but amid her wailings and rawlings
she apparently remembered her three
children who were on the steamer,
and shrieking out that she would not be
separated from them she fought the
boatswain off and climbed over the rail
back to the steamers deck. AS the
boat was full, Gerrity pulled off and
was soon some distance away. When
he last saw the steamer her deck APP
peared to be covered with water and
fast sinking. The passengers were
crowded together amidship, and the
rigging appeared black with specks of
human life. High above the roar of
the storm the despairing shrieks of the
twenty-five women and children on the
steamer could be distinctly heard. From
the manageable panic that existed
before the boats pulled off Gerrity is
certain that the scenes of woe and ago
gers on the doomed steamer as she
went down must have been heartrend-
ing. The scenes at the loading of the
other small boats was the same as with
boat No. San intense struggle on the
part of the Captain to maintain order,
and on the part of the crew and passen-
gers to secure the last chance OF life,
while many of them had near ties, as
did the French woman, to keep them on
the steamer to die with those they
loved. The storm in which the Borus-
STA was wrecked was the severest the
crew ever experienced. 1t began when
two days out of Corunna, increased in
violence, and Dec. l the fireman dis
covered a leak in the compartment be-
tween the midship bulkheads in which
the boiler and engines were located.
Upon investigation it was found that
the water was already up to within
three feet of the lower fires, and rising
rapidly. Shortly after noon the stokers
were compelled to leave the boiler
room, and few minutes later column
of steam came up through the stoke
holes, and it became known that TIE
fires had been put out. The vessel cut
her steerage way and swung around
into the trough of the sea. The pas
sengers were at once pressed into serv-
ice at the pumps and at bailing, while
the crew endeavored to get sufficient
sail on the vessel to put her about for
the nearest port, Corunna, 450 miles.
On account of the topsails having blown
away, and the impossibility of bending
new ones to the masts, all efforts were
unsuccessful, and the vessel refused to
mind her helm. All hands then took
turns at the pumps, which were kept
steadily in operation for thirty-slx
hours, when the Captain ordered the
boats lowered, as he saw there was no
hope. BoItimOre telegram, Jan. 3.
WHEN life insurance agent comes
in and tells us that only last week
man insured with him for 100000 and
paid one premium, and to-day he is
dead and his family has the money, it
doesn't make us any more anxious to
insure, though it may be convincing
argument in favor of the beauties of the
system. -BoSton Post.
A PEORIA woman sneezed her jaw
out of place lately, and the married
men of fireplace have been buying snuff
ever since.-BoStO1s Commercial BuL-
Ietin.
DooR-BELLs are not favored in Lead