Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1880-07-24
THE DErDOlr D1sAsrER.


AAO NAsAsOo O00 70 Go1os0oeuofs.
Regarding the sinking Of the steam
yacht Mamie ae Detroit, with church ex-
cursion party on II, BY the Garland, report
ed by telegraph yesterday Father Blyen-
burg stated that just prior to the collision
most of the boys were in the cabin. He
was sitting with the older members of the
party, and they noticed the steamer COM
ing down the river. The Garland and the
fortune, another steamer, seemed to him
not very far apart and coming very rapidly.
- do not KNOW" he said 4: "I hardly
dare assert it, and yet it seemed to me-"
And the father made significant pause,
as though he thought they were racing.
tie went ON to say that he did not dream
OF a collision; in fact, had just said to
Miss Dusseau, who was sitting beside him,
that it was picturesque and exhilarating
sight to see steamer plOw through the
water on such bright moonlight night.
when he saw the Garland suddenly loom
up larger, and instantly OWNED with
horror that a collision was imminent.
The Mamie whistled, and soon after
the Garland replied, but bore down
directly On the fragile yacht. crush
ing it as if it had been an eSg-shell, fairly
cutting it in two amidships. At the moment
he saw that a collision was unavoidable he
shouted to his friends and the children to
come to the front, and some of them did
so. Miss Desseau followed him and ut the
same time he felt the boat give way be-
meath him, and caught hold OF Il rope on
the Garland. The young lady did the
same. Somebody on board the steamer
pulled her aboard and he climbed the rope
ho had hold of unaitled.
The four boys who were saved crawled
out of the cabin window Of tho yacht and
threw themselves in the water. They
were picked up by the lifeboat Of the Gar
land, which was Immediately lowered, but
some who might have been saved were, he
fears, drowned by the swell or run down
by the Fortune which plouSled along
very soon after This was not the
fault of the Fortune, as they seemed
to suppose that the Garland peO-
pie, who hailed them in alarm and
anxiety, were cheering them. The father
did not know how the accident could have
occurred at all, as it was such brilliant
moonlight night that the smallest object
could be disccrned at great distance. In
addition to the names Of the lost already
sent it has bean asceJtained that another
boy, named John Grensel, was drowned.
Search fails to find the wreck of the
sunken yacht. No bodies have yet been
recovered. An investigation has been Or
dered by the local board of steamboat in
spectOrs.
Story Of = Passenger.
passenger on the Garland says: '1'he
m"On was shining clearly, and it was
amost as light as day. l saw the Mamie
coming long before We met. The two
steamers came closer and closer until we
began to get uneasy. The Mamie gave
one short, shrill whistle which was an
swered few seconds later by the Garland
bya similar signal. Then l heard the
bell ring to stop the Garland's engines.
The Mamie kept straight ahead, until she
appeared to be only fifty or sixty feet
away, when heard some one on board of
her shout "H Hard a port, and then, instead
OF passing by on our starbOard side, the
Mamie suddenly swerved directly across out
bow. There was a terrible crunching,
grinding sound as the bow of the Garland
struck the Mamie just back of the wheel
house and rode right over her amidships.
In second the wreck was half Obscured.
Her bow was pressed down under the
water and her stern tilted up above the
surface. We threw life-preservers, tables,
chairs and everything we could overheard
to the people of the Mamie. Their cries
were awful. Some of them must have
been crushed or killed by the Garland's
bow. The others gathered ON the stern
of the Mamie after the Garland had
swung clear of her and screamed piteously
for help.
The excitement on the Garland was
greatly increased by some one shouting she
had burst her boiler and was sinking.
Ladies tainted, and there was a rush for
the lower deck which was only prevented
by the utmost exertiOns of the committee
in charge of the excursion. The life-boat
rigging was not in order, and it took a
long while to launch the boat. By this
time the Mamie suddenly sank. There
was one last shout of agony, and all was
quiet long search for survivors was
made in vain''