The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1884-01-20

said he was going South for his health
The description given answered TO that o
Mr.. N. J. Morton.
The City Of Columbus had 80 tlrst-clas'
and % Storage passengers and crew oil
~. OF these IS tirst-ciass and ID steeragt
passengers and "a OF the officers and crew
were lost.
my Associatcdd'rcss.I
Statement or Passengcrs--Frirhtfui Experi'
ences--D Dropping from the Ringing One b,
One 20 Death--Thc Cause OF the Disaster.
BosToN, January l9.-The following Is
from the statement OF Mr.. Fairbanks, one
OF the men in the rigging: Before any res
enc was attempted single boat with sew
cral Indians IN II came of from Gay Head
hui they could not approach the wreck
They were engaged In picking up floating
matter. While they were in the rigging
/ torether the pilot told him that he fixed the
/ course OF the vessel and fastened the wheel
and as he was very cold, went to the smoke.
stack 10 warm himself. He remained
there twenty minutes, aud when he
returned 70 his post he found the shiI
had veered around. When he ascer
tanned that the vessel was among ROCK:
and that Il was probably impossi'
BILE 10 save her, he put her right
on shore, and ran her rs high as he could.
Although she drew seventeen feet OF water
her foreioot was in eleven feet. Fairbanks
is of the opinion that many OF the passen'
gers did not leave the cabin until theil
bodies were washed out by the waves
which soon tore off the after part OF the
deck, and carried out bodies, furniture
and baggage before the eyes OF the hor
ritied survivors. lie says Oscar Iaslag
was in the rigging with him. and that he
persisted before aid came TO hand. Not .
woman or child was seen by bin alive after
the vessel went ashore. lie thinks Mr.
Morton, OF the Boston Globe, did not sue.
ceed in gaining the deck.
JOHN L. COOKS STATEMENT.
John l.. Cook. of Portland. Me-. n cabin
passenger. says he felt something was
wrong. He reached the deck, and then
fastened back and informed his state-room
companion that the vessel was aground.
He got into the fore rigging. where were
the captain. man named White. and two
Farnsworth boys, all Of whom were saved.
During the long morning hours this little
company saw others dropping from the
rigging into the sen with little hope but
that their own state was 10 be OF similar
character. The captain maintained a cheer
ful, courageous manner throughout and was
the last beng to leave the wreck. The first
sign OF relief was liie-boat coming from
the station. The point is but mile and q
half away from the wreck, though the con.
ditions rendered II the work OF hours.
Soon after the revenue-cutter's boat ar
rived, by which Mr.. Cook was taken off,
but work was so difficult that is took two
hours to reach the cutter. He says no one
who could not swim lett the wreck alive,
and that the plunge of a swimmer into the
water was appalling, and was almost GER
tainly fatal to those not physically strong.
G.. Il. Hammond, Of HYDE, was among the
lost. His body has been found.
FRIGHTFUL EXPERIENCE.
II. Wiedman, of Lawrence. who was in
his berth in q cabin state-roOm, was
awakened by the first shock. He aroused
his companion, Frederick Sargent, OF Mer-
rimac, who was lost. The vessel then top
pied over. lie reached the main rigging
with great difficulty, from which, after
swimming about 100 feet, he was taken by
a boat from the liie-Station. He, too, tells
of the sweeping away one by one OF those
who were in the rigging, as the cold caused
them TO relax their holds or the influence
OF the waves tore the rigging from their
grasp. When he was leaving the cabin he
saw one gentleman, who was engaged in
restraining a lady and two boys IN their
state-room, evidently determined not TO
become Danic-Stricken. None OF this party
were seen afterward, the cabin speedily
yielding TO the attack OF the water, all that
was in it being whelmed in the sea.
cor VIC
THE SUPPOSED COURSE OF THE VESSEL.
On the arrival OF the special New Bed
ford train this morning five hundred peo-
pie were at the depot, and Immediately
surrounded fifteen dishevelled men and
boy survivors OF the wreck as they stepped
from the train, all of whom bore outward
marks of the struggle for life through
which they had passed. Hardly one Of
them was clad in complete suit OF cloth.
ing. One man had cloth wrapped around
his head. His shirt was torn and his
coat rent. Another had the appearance OF
having his garments all drawn violently
the wrong way, to their serious harm.
One came limping painfully because OF
bruises his legs had sustained. The most
cheerful OF all in appearance were the
FaTnswOrth boys, VINO appeared not to
have suffered severely from their exposure,
and who were neatly clad in clothing fur
niShed by citizens of New Bedford. They
were placed in carriages and driven at
once to the offices of the steamship COM
pany. Scarcely had the survivors arrived
at the Office when several men and women
who bad been anXlously awaiting them
rushed to the rescued men, hastily
scanning each face as it appear
ed. Every one was disappointed, for
their friends were not among the rescued.
Anxious relatives and friends soon came
in, few meeting husbands, fathers, and
neighbors, but most OF them could find no
familiar face. Only few waited to listen
to the story OF the sailors. The moment
the majority heard the sad news they left
the Office, too much buried in their own
loss TO be able calmly to inquire into the
particulars. Pathetic instances were many,
and the scene was one long to be remem-
bered by the spectators. Devils Bridge
reef, upon which the City OF Columbus was
wrecked, is formed like shepherds crook.
1t begins near the shore Just north 81 the
light, and runs westerly about bali mile
and extends in northerly direction few
hundred yards further. A buoy marking
the OUTSIDE OF the reeI u instant uoOut
quarter of mile from the west end OF the
reef, not over three quarters OF mile from
the shore. The captain is reported as say
ing the steamer sunk inside the buoy, and
about one and fourth miles from Gay
Head. This must be incorrect, because,
according to the Coast Survey chart, his
ship would have been in from ten to six
teen fathoms of water. 1t is not usual for
steamers bound from Boston for ports as
far south as Savannah TO take the course
pursued by the Columbus. They gene
rally sail south OF Nantucket, giving
the dangerous shoals extending fifty
miles south of that island wide