The Portland daily press., 1884-01-21


as everything was in good working order, that
operation occupied but brief space of time.
About the time the boats were ready the
steamer suddenly righted aud began settling
rapidly aft. then gave the order to lower
away port boat No. 6, and got her round to lee
ward TO receive the women and children. 1t
was blowing perfect gale at the time, and the
sea was running so high that the moment the
boat touched the water she was capszed and
rendered useless by being stove against the
vessels side. By this time the seas were be-
ginning to break over the vessels deck, and
the stern had settled completely under water,
driving us from the deck to the top of the after
house; the stem by that time sunk deep enough
to compel those who sought refuge forward to
seek the top of the forward house, and a little
later on to take to the forerigging, in order to
escape the combers that were beginning to
sweep the top gallant forecastle and forward
deck. They were soon obliged to take refuge
near the masthead in order to prevent being
drenched By the flying spray, which, in the
bitter cold Atmosphere, sErned into ice as soon
as 1t struck. The sea beginning to make seri-
Gus inroaGs upon the latter part of the vessel,
where had collected the passengers who had
remained in that section Of the vessel, COM
PEELED us also to seek safety in the rigging OF
the mainmast.
About this time Edvard Fuller first mate;
Augustustus Hardy, second mate; Archibald
Morrison, chief engineer; William Murray,
third assistant ENGINEER; William Fitzpatrick,
pantryman, and Richard Sullivan, deck hand,
launched the life raft and embarked thereon,
trusting to the tide to sweep them ashore, either
at the head or Menemsha blight. / was told by
some one II do not remember who), that dur
ing the process of launching the raft it was
thrown by strong wave against the steamer s
side. do not know how true that statement
was, as / was SO busy trying to reassure and en-
courage the frightened passengers, that my at
tention was entirely occupied in that direction,
and the raft had disappeared from view when
l had leisure to look for IL. hope the person
who told me about the accident to the raft was
misinformed, and have strong hopes that
they succeeded in making landing, although
the sea was so high and the wind blew so hard
that 1t does not seem possible, except by mir
acle, that they were 50 Fortunate
f" What is your theory OF She cause of the
disaster, and hoR happened the steamer to be
so far to leewaEd of her course?"
II cannot tell how she got down there, as
the course shaped when l left the deck was
one that would take the vessel away clear OF
all rocks and shoals, and would give her plenty
of water. 1t may be possible that the officer
in charge did not realize the strong drift that
was setting the vessel to leeward, but still he
was competent man, and was conversant
with the locality in which we were at the time.
l think that it was q lone rock that we struck
first, and | am confident that when the vessel
first brought up she was outside OF the buoy,
and subsequently drifted down to the place
w
or else the buoy must have be5n shifted inland
by the action of the waves"
Chow long have you been going to sea, cap
tain?"
81 have followed the sea for 80 years, and
Have been master OF steamers since 1869. At
that time was appointed to the command of
the steamer Alhambra, plying between Bos-
ton and the Provinces, aud remained captain
OF her until 1874, when l was transferred to
the steamer Carroll, in the same trade, and
191 voyages without a single accident of any
nature, and | was equally fortunate in my five
years service il the Alhambra. In Septem-
ber, 1882, was placed in command of the City
of Columbus, and IL seems as though l have
been unfortunate ever since I Joined her.
Something or other seemed to be wrong all
the time, and at last the ill luck ended in the
grand disaster of yesterday morning."
Capt. Wright left New Bedford this evening
for his home in Wareham. In conversation
about the disaster he appeared vsibly affected
and expressed deep sorrow for the loss of life
that had occurred. Capt. Wright was, he
claims, the last to leave the sinking vessel,
and devoted his eutire attention, at great risk
to his own life, IN aiding the passengers to
reach the boats Of the Dexter. Two men who
were frozen SO stiff by the icy spray that they
were unable to relinquish their hold on the
rigging, were at length the only persons re-
naming on the doomed vessel except Capt.
Wright. Lieut.. lthodes, who was in charge of
the rescuing party, shouted to the captain to
jump, but the captain replied: "Save those
men first" 1t was only sitter repeated assur-
ance of Lieut.. Rhodes that they were frozen
that the captain would leave the vessel. Cen
vinced thA. the statement of tire rescuers was
tr2e, he leaped iuso ths waves, and was pulled
into the Dexter's boat in an exhausted and al
most frozen condition. After being rubbed
back to life, furnished with dry clothes and
allowed to take nap, he so far recovered as to
render valuable assistance in getting the sur
vivors on board the D5ster into condition to
be taken on the special train this morning to
Boston.
BOSTON, JaB. 19-The statement of T. w.
Fairbanks of Gorham, Me-, in which he says
the pilot of the City OF Columbus told him he
lashed the wheel and went to warm himself by
the smoke stack and being absent Is or 20
minutes was read to Capt Wright this morn
ing on board the Storm King, and he said :
Sat the time of the disaster the second officer
was in charge of the ship and was in the pilot
house apd experimenting tho steering of the
steamer which is done by quartermaster.
The pilot house vas heated by steam. was
very warm and tho was no necessity to leave it
to get warm. No person but the officer in
charge could change the course of the steamer
and there was no attempt made after she
struck to drive her farther on the rocks.