Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1884-01-21

speut twenty minufes below after having oe-
scribed Gay Head, must be incorrect mas,
much - il would have required An hour aho
. quxrssr 10 have made the Devlfs Bridge
from where the light vas seen Cape- naH
also said that the Columbus Vas at LEASE two
miles Of her course.
The Nellie brought Eve bodies of the VIC
tins, one of whom 10 supposed to be n. j.
Norton, formerly of the Boston Giooe, A.
| though there has been ne Official idenufca-
ton - yet
kvas showing very hard and blowing
fercelv from the northeast this morning. The
sea outside Vas running very high, while the
gale increased in violence - the morning
progressed The Nellie stood on to the
northessrward of the wrecked steamer, ano
picked up the body of . well dressed young
woman. about two and half miles % the
eastward of Devils Bridge. She vas appar-
emily twenty two years of age, had long dark
brown vavy hair and dark eyes. From her
dress pocket was taken = package Of jeveiry
done up in . handkerchief. consisting OF q
gold breach, earrings, necklace and locket;
also Q small steel purse containing . small
,nm Of money. The Nellie next ran close
| IN toward the wreck, which showed about
| fifteen feet of her bov and topgallaut fore.
castle above the water. The masts we're al
standing except the foretopmast. The sea
was running too high to permit close in
spection of the wreck. and the Nellie steamed
away on an eastward course. About mile
from the wreck the body Of tall blonde man
With full sandy beard, was picked up. He
had on a cardigan jacket and sty lish coat The
Nellie next picked up what is supposed to be
the body OF Mr.. Morton. The features were
sw olIen from the cold and salt water. and the
| BODY cannot be identified. Another body
picked up was that of woman probably 40
wear, of age Her form Was emaciated and
covered only by q night dress and badly
bruised, probably with floating debris. The
| fifth of the bodies taken on board was that OF
q man apparently % years of age, dressed
like q seaman and probably one of the crew.
Nearly all the bodies we're found in line due
east from the DEVILS Bridge, where two cur
rents formed an eddy and kept the bodies
floating round within radius of mile and
q half
| Owing to the heavy sea. great difficulty
was experienced in getting the bodies on
board the tug, and Capt. Hart reports that
bodies were seen which it was impossible to
recover Nearly sll the bodies had on life
preservers and with one exception we're float
| ing on their backs. The faces of nearly all
FIVE of the victims were badly cut and dis
| figured.
Medical Examiner Taylor met the tug at
the wharf and directed the bodies to be car
ried to Undertaken Wilson's stables, where
an examination was held.
Capt. Wright reports that when of Gay
Head light this afternoon, . boat put of
from GAY Head who reported that ten sur
vivors in all had landed there, one of whom
died yesterday, making two who have died
amo ng those previously reported as landed
there. There is no communication ut present
it'll Gay Head, but it is probable that the
Dexter or Nellie will call there tomorrow
and bring the survivors here, when q list of
their names can be obtained. The Nellie
will cruise about the wreck again tomorrow
to search for bodies.
At 9 o'clock this evening the medical ex-
aminer's investigation resulted in the identi-
ficati.n of four of the five brought in by the
tug Nellie, namely: N J. Morton of the
Boston Globe; +. A. May of Boston; Miss
Beach, residence unknown; Richard w. Sui
Ivan, a waiter on the City of Columbus.
The other body, that of young woman, was
not identified.
BOsToN, Jan. 20.
Capt. T. B. Hammond of Goldsboro, Me-,
was among the saved, after clinging eleven
hours to the wreck. Capt. Hammond has
been q life long seaman. He cannot account
for the ships position at the time she struck
The wind was blowing not strongly from the
southwest. Not long after passing Nobsquet
the captain went below, leaving the ship in
charge Of an officer, with directions to keep
her on the course she was then pursuing.
which was the usual course outward and
would ensure her entire safety. Why they
were not will, perhsps, never be certainly
known; but the prevailing gale or anything
of that kind did not necessitate q change of
the course. When the ship struck the cap
tain says he could distinctly trace the differ
ent coloring of the grounds of Gay Head, so
light and clear was the night. After daylight
he noted the position of the buoy near by,
and saw that there were breakers outside Of
it, althou Oh the ship was lying inside, and
concluded that the buoy was out of position.
Between Z and A. NJ, steamer Glaucus
passed to the westward, but took no notice
of the terrible tragedy being enacted so near.
He says that from his outlook in the rigging
of the City of Columbus, he could distinctly
see q man standing against the house of the
passing steamer, and cannot conceive how
the crowd of human beings in the rigging Of
the wreck could have been overlooked.
BosToK, Jan. 90.
| A Herald New Bedford dispatch gives the
statement Of Capt. Wright of the steamer
Columbus as follows:
| After passed Nobsqid ordered q west,
outhwest course steered and left the deck in
charge OF Augustus Harding, second mate,
while l went below to warm up, being
thoroughly chilled; had been below but
short time when heard the second mate
who was in the pilot house, sing out to the
quartermaster to sport. I sprang out of
my room thinking we had come across
q vessel bound up the sound and was in dan
ger of running her down. and cried out "hard
a port" The bright moonlight enabled me
to see Devil Bridge buoy about two points
forward of the beam, at about a cable and q
| half length; few minutes later we struck;
ordered the engines reversed; Immediately
touched bottom and the order was promptly
obeyed; the vessel backed about two length
her way was then stopped and her jibs were
set in order to pay her of to the nerthward
and stand across the sound until the dan
gerous rocks were passed; she paved of
some. but soon listed heavily to the port
plank share of that side some three or four
feet under water and commenced to fill for
ward; was convinced that she was sinking;
went aft and informed the passengers of the
! fact; exhorted them to keep cool and assisted
| them to find life preservers; then ordered
boats To be got in readiness for lowering and
as everything was in good working order that
| operation occupied but q short time: about
the time the boats we're ready the vessel sud
denly righted and bexan settling ranidlv afr