Arizona weekly citizen., 1884-01-26
Signed s. E. WRIGHT, Mast
LATER.

BOSTON, Jan. l9.-Eifteen survivors of the wrecked City of Columbus arrived this morning from New Bedford; many l of them were in a pitiable condition and some too dazed to give an intelligent account of the wreck. J. W. Fairbanks of Gorham, Maine, says: I was in my berth Tn the steerage; awOke somewhat uneasy. When the accident occurred was of the opinion the steamer had struck on rock several times. before she came upon them finally; noted three successive shocks and thought it might be that the high sea was hurling ice against the side, when the steamer was damned upon rocks and water rushed into the steerage,and scrambled out, taking part of my clothing As the vessel filled she keeled over and I got into the rigging where clung for hours with the sea breaking over me, at intervals. At one time some rigging gave way and fell upon me and I received a blow across the forehead which stunned me, and another in the chest, but my fingers were then frozen to the rigging and I was not swept of. 1 attribute my safety to a rubber coat, the skirts of which I had tied around me and thus kept my cloth ing dry. Many more, I think, would have been saved but for the high sea running; boats could not approach the wreck. When my turn came 1 jumped into the raging water, and after reaching the surface was swept within reach of the rescuers. saw two who made the perilous leap overheard, but were swept away to death, and believe many met the same fate before rescue was tried. A boat with several Indians in it, came from the head, but they could not ap- proach the wreck: they were engaged in picking up floating matter, and while in rigging the pilot told him he fixed the course of the vessel and fastened the wheel and as he was very cold went to the smoke stack to warm himself, re- mained there twenty minutes and when he returned to his post he found the ship veered around when he ascerfained the vessel WAS among the rocks, and probably impossible to save her, he put her right on shore and ran her high as he could with the result, although she drew l7 feet of water her fore was in II feet of water. Fairbanks IS of the opinion that many passengers did not leave the cabin until their bodies were washed out by the waves, which soon tore off the atterpGrt of the deck, and washed off the bodies, furniture and bag gage, before the eyes of the mortified survivors. Oscar Isiagi was in the rig ging with me but he perished before aid came 10 hand. Not a woman or child was seen by me alive after the vessel went ashore. I think Morton, of the Boston Globe. did not succeed in gaining deck.
 BOSTON, Jan. 20.-The survivors saw one boat containing seven women upset in the sea, soon after the steamer demol- lshed; the boat was in fearful way and the woman were swept away. Some rushed on deck with their husbands. and as the full force of the storm broke | upon them, realized that all was lost. | They threw their arms around their husbands necks, bade them goodbye. and few moments later they were swept overheard. A mother with her child held tight in her arms, was borne away by the waves, almost before reach ing deck. Not one woman reached the | rigging; the majority were washed over | board by the waves; number was probably smothered n berths after the vessel struck. Quartermsster Cane says: The steamer was making shore. then got all boats ready; the ship listed and all could get on starboard side; some | washed from the port side into sea Devils Bridge is formed like ashephRrd's crook; 1t begins near the shore just north of the light and runs westerly about half mile; then extends on ID a northerly direction few hundred yards farther. The buoy marking outside rock is distant about one-fourth of mils from the west end of the reef, not over three-fourths of mile from shore and is rst usual for steamers bound from Boston for the south Savan- nah to take the course pursued
 by the Columbus They generally sail south to Nantucket. going along danger ous shoals extending for fifty miles south, giving that island wide berth.
 It seems probable that CsptaIn Wright, in laying his course for the ocean, de- parted from the usual course too soon, steering relatively northwest course,
 winch brought him inside the buoy marking the outside of Devils Bridge,