The Portland daily press., 1884-01-23
THE WRECK.
Narrative OF Passenger Picked
Up by the Speedwell.
tain wright's stasement-REore Bodies
HdensiAea.j

| 4uaFtern1aseer Mcdonald Confirms Cap
tain wright's stasemens-RIore Bodies
HdentiAea.j
NEW BEDFORD, Mass, Jan. 22.-The body
OF Edward F. Hutchinson of Cape Elizabeth,
Me-, has been identified. This is the one
known as No. 49, No. 20 has been identified
as Augustus Pierson of Tauntou. The tug
Nellie has returned. 1t is SO rough she could
not land at Gay Head. Hereafter all bodies
brought here By the Vineyard steamer will be
| detained until the departure of the $3.50 train
for Boston. II at that time any are uniden-
/ titled they will be forwarded to Boston.
Body no. 10 at the morgue on Fourth street
is identified as Andrew Cummings of Water
town by his son and daughter.
No. II was identified as Mrs. H. B. Kellogg
by scar on her foot and the filling of tooth.
Her skull was fractured, nose broken and
countenance disdgured so only such marks as
these could be relied upon.
| There are no new developments of import
ance in connection with the wreck. 1t was
rough today and the waves too heavy to permit
| the landing at Gay Head of the tug Nellie,
| and she returned with neither bodies nor in
formation. No more bod les have been brought
here
The body supposed to be Mr.. Nourse ID
found to be that OF Andrew Cummings of
Watertown. The only remaining body is that
of woman who has been identified as Mrs. H.
B. Kellogg of Boston. She was identified by
her son, DR.. Kellogg 1t is thought some jew
| elry was stolen from her after she was washed
ashore at the Vineyard.
The steamship line has placed the steamer
| MinoLansett at the disposal of the friends of
the lost and she will make an excursion to Gay
| Head tomorrow should the weather prove
suitable. Walden f. Harding, brother of the
| second mate of the wrecked vessel, says his
brother was not within two miles of the place
| where he was born. He was born at Chatham
| and had been at sea since he was IA years old
| Sea captains here laugh at Boston Herald
story that the steamer struck on a mussel bed.
Boston, Jan. 22.-The body brought from
| New Bedford supposed to be that of Mrs
| Givan, wac positively identified tonight as
| that of Mrs. E. D. Whitcomb of Boston. The
bodies of Mrs. Kellogg of Boston and Mrs.
Atkinson and Mrs. Bellyea of Woodstock, N.
B., reached here this evening from New Bed
| ford. The two latter were forwarded to Wood
stock tonight.
VINEYARD HAVEN woods Holly, Jan. o.
The body of g lady has been found on the
shore at Menemasha Blight and brought here.
Scratched on the back of breast pin found on
her person was the name Pinkham, and the
four last letters 0 ( the first name, which were
"llie," could be distinctly made out. The
DOflV ia hlp hat ~ Mrr 1ho, of
Dover, N. FL.
Body No. has been identified as Daniel H.
Mitchell of North WATERFORD, Me-. by his un-
Gle, Mr. M. s. Mitchell.
The body of the lady which has been found
at Menemasha Blight has been examined by
Medical Examiner Leach and is described as
follows:
Female, height feet inches, age 45 to 4S
years, weight 135 to 140 pounds brown and grey
hair, white woven undervest, brown linen
corsets, cotton drawers, cotton chemise, short
white SKIRT with hard knit trimming red
flannel skirt, woolen stockings old gold color,
Newport tie shoes Nod, checked brown and
white dress, plated around the bottom, with
waist cut polonaise style, black lace tie, upper
teeth gone, no mark on body, had on breast
pin marked "Pinkbam," diamond earrings,
plain gold ring, gold bracelet, and necklace
with gold cross attached.
The tug Storm King put into Woods Holl
at o'clock this afternoon owing to heavy
gale from the south. No bodies were recovered
and she has nothing new to report.
A Passenger Saved by the United States
steamship SpeedweII-His Narrative.
BosToN, Jan, GA Portsmouth, n. H,
special says the q. s. steamship Speedwell,
Lieut.. Commander McRitchie commanding,
arriyad boro 1aut piOhf haor dAfh har
Capt. S. Vance of Truro, one of the passen-
gers by the steamer City of Columbus. He
said to-day:
1 was in my room when the steamer struck.
L dressed quickly and hurried on deck. Crew
were then setting the jib or foresail. saw
Capt. Wright who said, keep cool, do not
get excited" 1 went TO my berth on the up
per deck and told my room mate, 1 don't
know his name, to dress himself quickly as the
vessel was filling. L went on deck and helped
clear the boats. Then went to my BERTH got a
life preseryer, and told my room mate where to
find one. Again going on deck I found the
ship keeled over to port and the boats being
swept Of. The vessel remained SO 10 or Is
minutes. Then righted, the passengers were
being washed overheard all that time.N took
Off my boats. went aft and climbed an awning
ridge pole, where | stayed 10 minutes Then
I got down and started for the main rigging
1 got half way to the rigging, but could get
seas, but was washed away by the third one.
caught hold of q boat which had been put over
and got into it, l was in the boat four or five
minutes when she capsized with me under her.
let go and swan from the wreck. After
clearing the wreck l turned on my back and
foated, not trying TO swim. looked up and
saw swamped boat drifting toward me. She
was about 40 feet away, and no one was in her.
l swan to her and got in. was capsized
twice. The first time the boat righted herself
rha ifno ha6 foa OF ha.. a,,I IL
fearful struggle, but it was for my life and
well knew it. was in the boat from about
4.30 q. M to p. M, when was saved by the
United States steamer Speedwell. 1 was
thoroughly prostrated, and could not have sur
vlved ~ minutes longer. Further than this
can say nothing as to the wreck except that it
was scene of unspeakable horror.
By examining the Gate City one can OBJ
serve the exact positions of the men in the
wreck The story told by one of the survivors
that the smoke stack fell upon the topmast,
throwing two men into the water just as they
were being rescued, seems highly improbable.
The height of the smokestack is about equal to
ene-half the distance from its base to the foot
of the mast, and if it fell over, so far from
striking the topmast it would not be liable to
touch any part of the mast itself.
Captain Brngg's Opinisn.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 22-Captain Bragg of
the steamer Eleanora, was found on his vessel
yesterday, preparing to cast off for his trip to
Portland. He passes and repasses continually
over the Vineyard Sound route, where the
City of Columbus was wrecked He said:
do not want to say one word that will bear
hardly on any one connected with the City of
Columbus. Here s the chart. Coming from
Boston, steamer takes its departure to run
the Sound from West Chop or Holmes Hole.
/, We all have what are called regular courses,
SO many minutes in this directions so many in
that. The main point is to keep clear of Mid
die Ground. When we fudge ourselves clear
of Middle Ground, we give the vessel the
Sound course. 1t is west-southwest between
Middle Ground and Naushon Island. Middle
| Ground is the outlying reef off the upper side
| of Martha's Vineyard on the northwest At
| Pasque Island we change, if bound for New
! York. But if bound out we keep right on.
| The west-southwest course takes you right out
| into the open sea. The wind on the morning
| OF the accident was west by north. Captain
| Wright says he was steering the regular
| course, so that the wind was on his starboard
| and would drive the Columbus over toward
| Gay Head. The tide was pretty near high
water, setting in the south little if any
| thing. That would also be against him. On
clear night you can see every light in the
Sound from any point along the regular
| course. Devils Bridge lies south by east one
4 ho1f nA - Gox. IJDo - M