The daily gazette., 1882-02-16
SECOND EDITION
SHIPWRECE AND DEATH
The Bahmma OF tine Quebeo FOum-
dOrs tn q Gale
40 Lives L.ost-is Persons Rescued.

The steamer Bahsma, Captain e.
Field Astwood, belonging TO the Quebec
Steamship Company, Of Que bee, Cana
da, which sailed from ST. John, Porto
Rico, on Saturday, February 4, was lost
at sea In gale early on the morning Of
Saturday last, In about latitude 80 deg.
north and longitude 70 deg. so min.
west. There were four passengers on
board and ships company numbering
tweDty-nine, including the captain.
The seas poured over the decks, carried
away bulwarks and two Of the four life
boats, and fnally swept through the en-
gine room and extinRuished the fires.
When the engines had stopped the ves-
sci became unmanageable, fell into the
trough OF the sea, and soon began to fll
and settle.
As 1t became evident that the steam
er could not keep afOat long the two
remaining liteboats were launched.
That containing the captain and nine
teen others was swamped almest imme-
diately, and ell on board were lost.
Tee other boat, containing thirteen per-
sons managed to keep afoat for twelve
hours and was rescued by the British
ship Glsnmorag, OF Glasgow, Captain
Dawson, which arrived here yesterday,
bringing the sad news Of shipwreck and
the surviving passengers and crew. ~
The crew and passengers with q few
exceptions, belong to Quebec.
TIE STORY OF THE DISASTER.
The British ship GlenmoraR, of
Glasgow, arrived In this port yester-
day bringing the startling news Of the
terrible disaster and thirteen persons
on board, all who were left Of thirty
three passengers aud crew of the
steamer Bahama. II appears from
the narratives of the survivors that
the Bahama left st. John, Porto Rico,
oun the 4th inst, bound for New
York, under command of Captain e.
Field Astwood, and with q comple-
ment of twenty-nine men and four
passengers. All went well until the
night Of Thursday, the 9th inst, when
southwest gale sprang up. The
ship, it appears, did not respond to the
helm, fell into the trough of the sea
and shipped 30 many heavy seas
through the engine room matches that
the fires were speedily extinguished,
the engines stopped and the steamer
became entirely unmanageable. She
drifted helplessly at the mercy Of the
angry ocean until the awful discovery
was made that she Yves rapidly sets
tling down into the relentless and
mercileBs sea. '=l-
The horror and dismay Of the pas
sengers and crew can be imaglned-it
cannot be pictured in cold type. Two
of the four lifeboats had been crushed
to atoms by q sea that beat upon them
with the force of battering ram, but
two boats remained, and to launch
these in furious storm and from q
ship rolling and pitching amid noun
famous waves was feat the success
full accomplishment OF which would be
little short of miracle. After the
utmost difficulty one boat was safely
lowered and Captain Astwood and fif~
teen others succeeded in getting
aboard. Then the other, q smaller
boat was launched, and thirteen per-
sons, by herculean efforts, accom-.
plished the task of embarking in it.
One of the passengers of the second
class, an unknown man from Mona,
Porto Rico, ran below to secure some
clothing, while his companions were
leaving the sinking ship. He was
seen no more aud was undoubtedly
washed overheard. Two men, the
second cook and a seaman, insane
from fright, probably, refused to leave
the ship, and the two small boats were
put.oG without them, leaving them to
their fate.
Scarcely had the captains boat
rowed away twenty yards from the
side Of the sinking ship when q great
wave overwhelmed it. The terror
stricken occupants of the other boat
heard one awful shrek above the
bowling of the gale, and then all was
over. For a. brief moment they saw
the captains boat floating oapsized on
tie crest of wave, here and there a
hand stretched appealingly forth for
help which conld not come. All were
drowned but two. One, q sailor, of
herculeau StrengIh, fought the mur-
derous sea with all the strength of de-
spair until he reached once more the
side of the fast sinking steamer. BE
dragged himself uponlthe deck, then,
with wild glance in the direction Of
the second boat, sprang once more
into the wavcs and swan towards it.
1t was an ins ne attempt, and he was
not seen agaiR. wAnother Of these in
the captains boat also succeeded In
swimming back TO the steamer. He
clung to the shrouds, and his piteous
appeal for help could be heard by his
fast reoeding comrades above the fury
of the storm.
THE SECOND BOATS FORTUNE.
The second boat was In q command of
Second Officer Robert Ross. He is q man
of experience aud nerve, aud all accounts
o. rec that he acted like hero. He is q
New Yorker and was once engaged at q
Iife-saving station on the Atlantic coast.
10 his skill in handling the boat through
a sea which ran mountains high tbs sur
yivors of this awful peril owe their lives.
1t was a small iron csaft, only thirteen
feet in length, and thirteen people were
crowded into her, so that the gun wales
we're scarcely above the water. From
| four o. clock in the morning, when the
steamer was abandoned, until four the
next afternoon; he kept. this cookie she'll
bravely aHoat and courageous words
of hope 10 be of good cheer.
aAt three O'Clock in the afternoon ship
was sighted, by bis signals, we're made,
which at first were not seen, and for an
agonizing space the shipwrecked souls
we're In agony OF suspense. They could
not live another night In such q sea, and
If they were not seen and rescued they