Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1884-01-21
Searching for the Dead.

THE M0CRSFUL ERRAND OF BRREAVED RELATIVES
TO GAY HEAD-FURTHEg DETAILS OF THE FRIGHT
FUL SEA TRAGEDY.
party composed OF friends OF chose on board the
1ll-fated steamer City OF Columbus, which went
ashore OF Gay Head. Massachusetts,. Friday night,
visited the scene OF the wreck yesterday in steam
Tug. The vessel was found with about fifty feet OF
the bow and deck out OF water the bow resting. as
heretofore. upon the rocks Of Devils Bridge while
the stern was Slowed around a point or two into
deep water. From distance it appeared as If
tnree bodies were hanging To the ratlines of the
mlZzen rigging. Owing 10 the wind IL was impos-
stbe TO come near the ureci AT the cav Head
light Ii found that ten persons had and,d from
the wreck, ali OF whom Were alive and well.
PATHETIC SCENES
IN the ''meet1ng-houSe," a dapidated and storm
beaten church in one OF the widest places on the
coast, were found five fCdieS-four men and one
woman. AS the party entered the tumble-down
temple OF worship and beheld the outstretched
forms upon the rioor, Mr.. A. $. Belyea OF LYNN of
the visiting party, cried out .Thats nv dear niece
Alice, and he knelt before the remains. weeping
convulsiyely. Mrs Atk1nson's remains Were horrf-
bly, manged, and Were covered with blood IRON
head TO foot. 7 he top Of her head was crushed in
with the eyes starting out OF the sockets and nose
disnembered. She had on only her underCarments
and was Identified by them. number OF bodies were
lying on the beach. As of the guides lifted tie
tarpaun from the form of one OF the dead REV. Mt
Dunning. or Lawrence. dropped upon his knees and
grasped the frozen handsof the corpse Ing: Ol,
Ia fcfui God, IL is Henry; IL is Henry Bat Iclelder
my poor sisters huSband.' \ walk of three miles
brought the searchers To IA cabin situated on that
part OF the Gay Head hIuff known as LolDS er,llle
Here Mr. Belyea discovered The body OF his sister
Mrs. 4. b. B"lyea OF Lynn Unlike The face of her
niece. that OF Mrs. Beyea Wore calm expression.
The niece. Mrs. Atkinson. had her hands fun OF
hair which lad evidently been tOrn from her head
In the agony of death. There We're IKE other bod
les In the hut. four being ,nen and one lnulatto
woman No one was able 10 identity any or these.
Along the shore. on the way back to Gay Head
light, were found nine corl,seS
CURSES AND GRoANS.
PUrser Spauldng gives the following account of
the scene on board alter the vessel struck and the
Passengers had been aroused: Men and women
some with children in their arms clamDered up 10
the deck clinging franticay To every available
projection that Offered resistance. They crowded
upon each other 50 last that they could hot be
counted as they rushed upon deck. Ouly to be riet
by some monotrOuS wave. and swept off into the
sea. GroanS. yeliS and curses contel.ded with the
fury ofthe gale: women shrisked, ana nen shouted
themselves boarSe. Men and women clutched each
other regardesSly. shouting al the While. and
struggling with each ot ner IN frelzed attempts 10
secure every cOigne OF vantage But this sOul-rend-
ing sight could not last long Sea after sea swept
over the ship, carrying away everything not made
OF iron. sun the moon shone brilliantly and the
land was plainly visible.
THE DEVILS BRIDGE.
The Devils Bridge. the reef upon which tie CITY
OF Columbus was wrecked, is formed like shep-
herds crook. 1t begins near the Shore just north
OF the light, and runs westerly about half q mile
and then extends In a northerly direction a few
hundred yards further. The buoy marking the out
side OF the reef Is distant about quarter OF a mile
from the west end OF the reef, not threequar-
tiers OF mile from the shore II is not usual for
steamers bound from Boston for parts as far south
as savannah 10 take the course pursued 10y the Co
lurnbuS. They generally sail south of Nantucket
giving the dangerous shoals. extending fifty miles
south CT the Island, a wide berth Ia the winter
season they generally enter Vineyard sound, be-
tween Cape Cod anu Nantucket, pass through tie
point. The prescribed chart course from Vineyard
sound to Long Island sound is four Or five miles
north OF Gay Head
THE PASSING STEAMER.
cit was terribly aggravating sight, said one OF
the survivors, "when about O'Clock on that awful
morning, we looked across the stretch OF water for
q few miles and noted the smoke stacks OF a
steamer which passed along and did not come TO
our relief, but suppose they did not see us" And
he was right. The steamer alluded TO was the
GlaucuS, OF the Metropolitan steamship line be-
tween Boston and New York. The captain and his
Officers Spied out the wreck, but they could dis
cover no sign OF life on her, and as they did not
wish to go out OF their course unnecessarily they
kept on. SuppoSing that whatever might have han
pened ii was too late then TO render aid. In this
they were sadly mistaken, for at that hour there
were probably about forty persons clinging to the
rigging:
The fist OF the saved foots up l2 passengers and
II OF the crew. making the total death list 90.
But little credence is placed by seafartng men In
the statement OF a Steerage passenger made Satur-
day that the pilot admitted TO him leaving the
wheel fifteen minutes for the purpose OF warming
himself at the smoke-stack The pilot is dead and
cannot speak for himself
THE LONDON TINES cENsURE
The London Times commenting on the City OF
Columbus disaster says that the story of the wreck
seems incredible, and implies an almost impossible
degree of negligence On the part OF every officer
nd ms