Delaware gazette and state journal., 1884-01-24
A fsartnl ne.nons1hIlitr.


Nil=ty-ze7sn lives have b-en los. IN
tie wreck Of The steamer City Of CoIum-
: bas ninety msn, women aud
children, many Of them in delicate heslth
aud southwaE5 bound TO mora genial
CLINE in the hope Of strengthening their
hold on iifs, have gone down, uuwarned
and unprspsr7d, into the cold, dark
~aters Of Vineyard sound, or have been
aasI bruised, bleeding, freezing aud dying
| upon the uetghtoripE beach TO perish
tnsie, or have been caught from the 10y
/ Hsvs' only il time TO breathe their last
in Tue presence Of friends who vera help
less to count-ract tbs effects Of the ex-
fosure and suffering they had under
gnns while clinging to the breaking hulk
or bnhetsd hithsr and thitner by the re-
lsutlesu billows
The gloom which rssts over tbs homss
"hjch dssth has thus suddenly entered
IL hisA.sue1 by tus r-hootion that this
terrible disa-l.r mig AZ haze hsen avoided,
II was lot tGs WORK Of tempest or
accident II was the work OF clear,
iliexGnssble, criminal neglect on the part
Of those in charge Of ths boat. Vineyard
~ aud is fully ak miles Wide in the
PORTION where the wreck oocQrEed aud Ia
a. well lighted and as we'll kuown to
uayigstors as the Delaware bay. II was
| hriy MI
only moderately high-there was no gale
Of sufficient strength 10 force such a boat
ont of her oourse had there been, even
tn- most reckiess Of captains would have
,'emaiued on deck a. least mutt the open
iea was reached There was no more
excuse for running into that well known
sidg1 u submerged rocks than there
1olld bs for the captain OF au outgoing
Phi!alslpha steamer TO rua into Cape
lay Point in making his way ont OF the
Jay, under simlar conditions OF moon
.ight aud wave and wind.
1t looks as If there could ba no escap.
tor the pilot from bearing the chic
burden Of responsibility for the wreck
Whether he left his post or not, he cannot
sscaYs. II he were in the pilot houae, al
the aide OF the helmsmhn, he was iucam
prehensibly negligent Of his duty
, allowing the steamer, with ak mies
sea room, to run so perilouBy clio a. !
shore; II he were not IN the pilot lions
he Is even more uulpable. II 4o.a n,
appear that the pilot lashed tbu vbe
=, and abandoned II, as at Il ist raport-d
1t seems probable that the q was helm
. man, who may have X oown nothing
. the navigation Of she .ouud bat who,
auy rat, had no opt ,ou bu, to k.s, OF,
the conrse which U g pilot had given hi
sven though he ssl, eonsa.nt that
d would prove dangerous one. one
the nfS' les7' rs SEAMAN lsarns ia
oD'y orders implictly and leave the
oonHequeh Sss 10 those whose preroga:i
y u IS 10 II tVe them, aud it would be pl
SC sunip'u bss indeed for an undering
y 'ne reel to go contrary to the direotio
- Oh " 3 pilot even IL ou9h hs possess
70 80 ne knowledge Of TIL locality which Il
nelmsrnan In ,his instance may not la
As had.
1' The same miserable ii competency a
negligence seema to have been kept
~ by the captain and his ooadiutors st
"a the steamer struck an wns going
y pieces. No effort was msde 10 save
IN s'omen and children, so far as can
oi CLEANED from the stories OF The survivo
GO the strongest rushed pell NELL 70 laut
ID the bOats and save Themselves, and did
u In such disorderly way that only ,
re OF the boats, va believe, lived to reach
In shore and only one Of them '
Id made use Of at all, the others be-
or swamped at once BY careless handling
OF There are two other things VIII