St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1884-01-24
A Terrible Calamity.
A Steamer Goes Down With
Many Passengers.

AMONG THE LOST.
The City of Columbus left Boston
Thursday afternoon at 3 O'Clock, bound
for Savannah, with eighty one passen-
gers, of whom fifty nine were first
class, twenty-five III the storage and
crew of forty-tive officers and men.
At 3.45 Friday morning, with the wind
blowing a gale, the steamer struck on
the Devils Bridge Reef" off Gay
Head, Martha's Vineyard. The pas
sengers, almost without exception,
and many of the crew were below.
Most of them rushed ut once to- the
deck with little on but their night
clothes, but so sudden was the catas-
trOphe and so short was the time be
tween the striking of the steamer and
its sinking that some of the women
and children did not appear ut all.
The steamers boats and life RATS were
launched as soon as possible, but were
almost immediately swallowed up by
the waves. Then those who remained
took to the rigging which was above
water, and none who failed to get a
foothold there were saved. The suf-
fering endured during the next few
hours by those in the rigging was ter
rible. The cold was intense, many of
the unfOrtunates We're but half dressed.
and all were drenched by the waves
which swept over them. When the
condition of the steamer was discovered
at Gay Head the life boat put off
bravely and took seven persons from
the rigging, one of whom, however,
died before reaching the shore. A few
hours later, the revenue cutter Dexter
going its round of perilous duty ap-
| preached the unfortunate steamer aud
took off the remaining survivors. The
hardships to which the sufferers had
been exposed will be realized when it
is stated that after their rescue four of
them died on board of the cutter, and
that not woman or child was saved.
OF the l26 persons on board when
the steamer left Boston, the best
information that can be obtained ndi-
Gates that I04 persisted, and the exact
return is sure to differ but slightly if
ut all from that number. The vessel
was one of the finest on the coast and
was valued at 100000. The insurance
is $250,000.
THE CAPTAINS STATEMENT.
The city of Columbus left Boston at
3 p. m. on Thursday, carrying eighty
passengers and a crew of fOrty-five.
At 3.45 a. m. on Friday, Gay Head
light bearing south half-east, vessel
struck off the outside Devils Bridge
buoy. The wind was blowing gale
west by north. The vessel immedi-
ately filed and keeled over, the water
breaking in and flooding the port side
of the saloon. All of the passengers,
excepting a few women and children,
came on deck, nearly all wearing life
preservers. All of the boats We're
cleared away, but were Immediately
swamped. A majority of the passen-
gers were washed overheard. Seven
passengers lfet the vessel on life raft
and about forty took to the rigging
At 1870 o'clock Il. IN. the Gay head
light boat put off and took seven per
sons. Another life-boat put off be-
tween ~ and | o'clock. Captain
Wright says in addition that he passed
the Cross Rip Lightship at IL O'Clock
and continued by east and West Chops
with strong breeze from west-sOuth-
west Passed Nobska, and with the
course west-sOuthwest, stepped into
my room to warm myself. 1t was very
cold. Everything was working well
went below Il short time, and soon
: after heard the second mate who was
in the pilot house with the mate, sing
out to the quartermaster to port.
jumped out of my room, thinking we
had come across a vessel bound down
the Sound. | then cried out "Hard a
port" not knowing but it was vessel
and III the moonlight saw the buoy on
the Devils Bridge on the port, about
two points forward of beam and about
300 yards distant. She immediately
struck. | ordered the engine reversed
and she backed about twice her length
The steamer Immediately stopped. and
ordered the jib hOisted and endeaV
Ored to head her to the north, but SHE
filled forward and listed to port Sc
that the plankshire was about foul
feet under water. | went aft and told
the passengers to keep cool and gel
life preservers. ! next told the officer,
on deck to get the boats ready. The
steamer settled down aft and righted
1t was blowing very hard and Il heavy
sea was running. Launched port No
6 boat which was Immediately cap.
, sized. The sea was breaking over thu
steamers deck, and the stern being
entirely under water, we were forced
: to go up on top of the houses. | stayed
there awhile, but we were fiuaIly
obliged to take to the rigging. The
mate, second mate, chief engineer
= and fourth engineer took to til,
raft. | think the steamer struck
ON lone rock. The captain is posi-
} tive that he struck outside the buoy
and in backing drifted inside.
} THE AWFUL SCENE.
f Officers of the City Dexter furnished
the following statement At abou
1890 o'clock we sighted vessel or
shore on the reef near Gay Head. The
, wind was blowing gale and a terribI,
sea was running. AS we approached
we saw the vessel was steamer and
waves were breaking over her. We
anchored on her starboard quarter two
or three hundred yards away TIL,
cutters boat was at once lowered
manned by five men in charge of Lieut
Rhodes, who brought off seven men
A return trip was made, and one MAI
was brought to the vessel. Lieut.
Kennedy was then dispatched in the
/. gig with four men and took off four OF
five men. Meanwhile the life-bOat
transferred several men to the cutter
and at length the rigging was cleared
of the survivors. The vessel sunk in
about four fathoms of water and the
railing on the bow was the only por-
ton of the hull visible. We found the
men in the fore and main top and rig
ging. 1t was impossible to row over
the rigging, as the boats would have
been pounded to pieces. The men in
the rigging were forced to jump into
the sea, and we caught them as they
rose to the surface and cullsd them in
to the boats. Some of the men could
not swim, but nearly every one in the