Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1884-12-28
YE.RiBLg sToxM Az SEA.
A Vessel Wrecked ON sable Island -rhres
Men Dpswuse--rhe Fresxied steward Cuts

A Vessel Wrecked on sable Island -Ihres
Men Dyewusd--rhe Fresxied steward Cuts
Hts Threat.
A Halifax IN. 81 special saws: The story
NJ another wreck comes from SAME Island.
n "a one OF the sadd st yet reported from
the graveyard OF the Atlantic. The brig
A. 8. H., Captain Lemarchand, owned by
q. Meyer e Co., of st. Pierre. MsqIelon,
sailed from that place on the 18th inst,nt
with cargo OF dry ish for Boston and a
crew of seven men. During the great gale
Of FRIDAY night last she dashed TO pieces
on Sable Island and only one man survives
10 tel, the story. This was the first mate,
who arrived here In the Dominion Govern.
mcnt steamer Landsdowne tonight. and
made the following statement 10 your cor
respondent:
"The day after leaving st. Pierre we en-
countered heavy winds from the southwest,
which continued and changed the next
day TO north and northeast, accompanied
by bcayy snow. Ala o'clock that evening
we made out West End light OF Sable
Island. and few minutes later the vessel
dashed upon the sand-bank. The crew
had suffered terribly from exposure and
cold during the preceding thirfy-six hours;
and were thoroughly disheartened when
the ship struck. The first dash against the
sand.t ar knocked the bottom OIL. OF the
vessel, and she soon became underwood,
the beach being strewn with debris.
WASHED OVERHEARD.
"Tbree Of the crew were washed over
board when the vessel struck and found
speedy relief in death. Four Of us we're
left on deck, rigging spars, etc, which
la hn -hr4QEerg W1
were I'm this position for nearly IN hour.
Darkness was setting IN and snow-storm
was raging with crest violence. Being
driven about with binding force by the
heavy winds, the prospects OF our being
saved were gloomy indeed. The steward
became frengied, and preierrng death to
further suffering. gashed his throat from
ear 10 ear with a razor and then jumped
into the surf. After floating on the Debris
for an hour, Captain Lemarcband, a sailor,
and myself were washed ashore, but we had
only escaped the horrors Of the deep to face
the terrors OF the cold. The thermometer
was 100 below zero. Wet through, our
clothes frozen stiff, our hands and feet
frost-btten, almost exhausted, In the dark
ness, with snow and sand dasbing against
our faces like pebbles, we were In despair.
We could then see rays OF the lighthouse
three miles distant across the sand-bar.
A STRUGGLE FOR LIFE.
Z" The three OF us started on that dismal
Journey, but after one mile the captain and
The sailor law down from exhaustion. ana
werb soon frozen to death. l pressed on
toward the light. God only knows how
got over the sand. ! cannot begin to de-
scribe il to YOU. ] shall never forget the
horrors Of that night. When within quar-
ter Of mile OF the light fell down eX-
hausted to die, but after few minutes
| raised my self. made a final effort
to save my life. and crawled the
rest Of the distance on my hands and
knees. reaching there at 3 o'clock IN the
morning, six hours after leaving the frozen
bodies Of my comrades. After a while !
recovered from exhaustion sufficiently to
tell the story Of the wreck. AT daylight
officials started for the scene OF the disaster,
bat could only find' Debris covering the
beach. The bodies Of the captain and sailor
were found and inferred in the sand where
they fell. The suicide stewards body was
washed ashore and buried near where the
vessel struck"
Captain Guildford. Of the Landsdowne.
who has had over forty years experience
on this coast. saws the late gales were
among the worst he ever saw. The snow
storm Of Friday night was so thick he
could not see the first officer at the other
end Of the brig. The yapor from the water
and cold at Sable Island rose TO the height
OF thirty feet.