, 1884-01-20
More About the City of CoIum-
bus Disaster.
The Captain of the Vessel Gone
Insane.
Details OF the Heartrending
Disaster.

from Captain s, E. Wright says the
wreck OF the City of Columbus is q
mile and a half from shore. Her bow
is out Of the water, while her stern lies
in about four fsthoms. The upper
works are gone. If the weather mod
crates it may be possible to save some
part Of the vessel. Nickerson, presi-
dent of the company, left Boston at 8
this morning On a special train for New
Bedford, and will look after the saved
and take charge of the bodies of the
drowned.
A dispatch from Wood Shoals states
that Captain Wood has become vio-
lently insane,
The tug Storm King and reyenue
cutter Dexter are storm-bound, the
former at Wood Shoals and the latter
at New Bedford. A driving snow storm
prevails and the weather is very thick.
Fifteen survivors arrived this morn
ing, many of them in a pitiable condi-
ton, and some too dazed to give an in
telligent account of the wreck.
F. W. Fairbanks, of Gorham, Me-,
says he was in his berth in the steerage
awake and somewhat uneasy when the
accident occurred. He is of the opin-
ion that the steamer struck on the
rocks several times before she came
upon them finally. He noted three
successive shocks, and thought 1t might
be that the high sea was hurting the ice
against her sides. When the steamer
was jammed upon the rocks the water
rushed into the Storage, and he scram-
bled out, taking the greater part Of his
clothing. AS the vessel filled she
keeled over and he got into the rig
ging, where he chung for hours with
the sea breaking over him at intervals.
at one time some rigging gave way
and fell upon him, and he received a
blow across the forehead which stunned
him. and another in the chest, but his
fingers were then frozen to the rigging
and he was not swept off. He attrib-
utes his safety to q rubber coat, the
skirts Of which he had tied around
him, and thus kept his clothing dry.
Many more, he thinks, would have been
saved but for the high sea running.
Boats could not approach the wreck.
When his turn came he jumped into
the raging water, and after reaching
the surface was swept within reach of
the He saw two who made
the perilous leap overheard washed
away to death, and believes many met
the same fate. Before his rescue he at
tempted to signal q boat with several
Indians in it that was coming
from the head, but they could
not approach the wreck. They were
engaged in picking up floating matter,
and while he was in the rigging the
| pilot told him that he had axed the
course of the vessel and fastened the
wheel, as he was very cold. He then
went to the smoke stack to warm him
self and remained there about ~
minutes. When he returned to his
post he found that the vessel had
veered around. When he a~scertained
that the vessel was among the rocks
and that it was probably impossible to
save her, he headed her right on to the
shore and ran her as high as he could,
with what result is already known.
Although she drew II feet of water,
her forefoot was in IL feet of water.
Fairbanks is of the opinion that a
great many of the passengers did not
leave the cabin until their bodies were
washed out by the waves, which soon
tore off the after part Of the deck and
carried out bodies, furniture and bag
gage before the eyes Of the borrifed
survivors.
Oscar Iasegi was in the rigging with
Fairbanks and perished before aid
came to hand. Not a oma or child
was seen alive by Fairbanks after the
vessel went ashore. He thinks that
Morton, of the Boston Globe, did not
succeed in gaining the deck.
H. Weidmsn, of Lawrence, who was
in a berth in the cabin of the state
room was awakened by the FIRST shock,
and aroused his companion, Frederick
W. Sargent, who vas lost. The vessel
then toppled over. He reached the
main rigging with great difficulty. He
tells Of the sweeping away, n by one,
of those in the rigging, as the colo
caused them to lose their hold, or tn,
waves tore the rigging from their grasp
When he was leaving his cabin he saw
one gentleman keeping a lady and tive
boys in their state room. None of thi
party was seen afterwards. The cabir
and all in it were overwhelmed in th'
sea. About forty men then tool
refuge in the rigging where they re-
manned until 1890 a. M, when a lff
boat put off from Gayhead and tool
3 away several passengers, one of whom
died shortly afterwards. Shortly afte
. noon another life boat put off to tn
distressed vessel, and in the meanwhll
: the revenue cutter, Dexter, came alonI
+ and sent of two boats, took twenty
! one men from the wreck and place