The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1884-04-11

Captain Henry Schoonhaven, the only sur
viving officer OF the wrecked steamer, Daniel
Steinmann, says that the weather had been
rough and foggy for several days. He had
been on the bridge all Tuesday and Wednes-
day nights On Thursday evening there was
considerable fog. with occasional heavy rain
and brilliant flashes of lightning; not much
wind, but heavy sea on. The captain then
continues:
AT o'clock | saw what | thought was Che
bucto headlight. By dead reckoning and
sounding | bore west. One-half south, by COM
pass, and judge was twenty-five miles dis
tant. | steamed ahead dead slow, steering
west, one-half south, and taking soundings
every hour. At $50 | saw through the mist
a faint light, located two points on the star
board bow. 1t disappeared only at intervals
Still thinking that 1t was Chebucto light [
kept the ship on her course, soundings giving
thirty fatholns. Between ten and twenty
minutes later | discovered that it was fixed
light at Sambro, now appearing clear, and at
the same time making out a faint gliinmer of
what | took to be Chebucto light about four
points on our starboard bow. Soundings then
gave twenty-six fathoms. | was going dead
slow when the steamer struck lightly on the
rocks
AT that minute | heard the whistle sound
for the first time | ordered the helm hard
aport A minute or so later the vessel struck
again heavily. She refused to answer the
helm. The rudder and propeller had been
carried away. l ordered the crew up and
told the first and second mates to launch the
boats and get the women and children into
them. After striking the second time the
ship drltted OFF into deep water, and ordered
the anchor to be let 60. Good order was preu
served and the crew We're working with
will. AT this time the breakers We're visible
all around. The anchor was let go in twenty
six fathoms, but the ship continued to drift
l rushed down from the bridge and went for
ward to see if the chain cable had parted.
nf ia nd. had
aft or were at the boats Just then a ire
mendous wave struck the ship and washed off
scores of passengers The vessel gave ire
mendous thumps and sank like flash of
lightning. L judge it was then about 10
o'clock. As the ship struck the last time |
caught hold Of the rigging, but she struck so
fast that let go and rose with the water and
finally got on the yard arm which was above
the water. had not been long there when
man swan up to the yard l clutched him
and drew him on the yard. He proved TO be
passenger. young man named Soco Niclo.
bound for New York. | diveSted myself of
coat, waistcoat and boots in order that if the
worst came | should swim 10 the shore. But
the mastS stood secure and we remained in
our perllous position seven hours until rescued
in one of our own boats.
AT that time | did not know that ANYBODY
except myself and the passenger | rescued
had been saved. | cannot account for getting
50 FAR out of the course except on the follow
ing grounds: w e had mad tOgEy weather FOR
several days previous to the accident on the
last two of which had been unable to take
observations Added to this there must have
been an exceedingly strong easterly current
and my compasses must have been sub ect TO
some attraction
FlOrentne Van GeiSSel who was on the
lookout, has been to sea fifteen years and has
been wrecked seven times, the last time at
Madeira, while on passage from Buenos
Ayres for Antwerp, when 300 or 400 lives
were lost and he was only one OF four who
escaped. He told his story of the wreck as
follows:
81 went to the lookout at o'clock. 1t was
foSgy, and there were rain and lightning and
tine wind was blowing fresh breeze. Pre-
vious to this the captain had been aloft him
self to look at the light. He would not trust
any one else to go aloft on that mis-
sion: We were going slow | saw
light about a quarter of an hour
after going on ON the watch. reported it to
the captain and second mate They said that
they saw it and thought it was a revolving
light. At $3.50 threw lead; it was twenty-six
fathoms. Immediately after | heard fog
whistle. The vessel was going slowly and the
ship struck lightly. We had stopped several
times previous to this, the captain being afraid
to go ahead. About fifteen minutes after the
first striking the ship again struck heavily, but
soon tloated again, when the captain called out
to us not to get excited, but to get boats ready
and call all hands, She struck a third time
when we lost the rudder and broke the pro
pellor, it is supposed. We then dropped
anchor. AT that moment the captain, doctor
and chief engineer were ON the bridge
The boats had been getting ready mean
while. There We're four They were double
lashed, and had not been used for some time.
In darkness, excitement and terror slow
progress was made. The people were crowd
ing around the boats, and it was impossible
to do much. Just as we let go the anchor the
ship struck heavily midships. All hands ran
aft and many were swept off by the big
waves. A number of people were in the life
boat on the port side, and nobody seemed to
be in the other three boats. | ran to the
second boat on the port side and jumped
into 1t with seaman, and rs the
axe and let her drop into the sea quickly,
showing off from the sinking ship to get out
of the suction As we We're doing this man