The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1884-05-09

did not leave Rockland for Portland last night,
and so the officers and crew Of the City of
Portland will remain there.
PASSENGERS INTERVIEWED.
What n Press Reporter Saw and Heard at
Brunswick.
A reporter of the PRESS interviewed several
of the passengers at Brunswick. On enter
ing the car he found it full Of men, women and
children, some OF whom tired and careworn
were sleeping, while others were wakeful, in
good spirits, laughing and joking as If nothing
had happened. All considered their escape a
miraculous one, aud they had very high
opinion of the efficiency of the officers of the
steamboat company and spoke highly Of the
way in which they managed things, both on
board the steamer and in Rockland.
The passengers, most of whom were going to
Eastport or st. John, we're conveyed from
Rockland via the Knox 3 Lincoln Rail road to
Bath and thence to Brunswick where they ar
rived about 4 O'Clock in the afternoon, and
we're assigned to q special car which remained
at the depot for over eight hours until the
Pullman train from the West arrived leaving
Brunswick at 12.45 o'clock, which carrid them
farther on toward their destination.
AN EAsTPoRT MANS EXPERIENCE.
Mr.. G. W. McGurk of Eastport occupied a
stateroom on the starboard side Of the steamer.
The shock when the vessel struck the ledge
woke him and he looked out Of his stateroom
window and saw dim outlines Of land. 1t was
quite dark then. He dressed about $3.50
o'clock, went out through the saloon forward,
and met the first and second mates By this
time he realized the danger Of the situation,
and asked one of the mates how things
looked, and the mate replied that they looked
bad. Then went below into the engine rooms
and found that she was making water fast.
He soon learned that soundings had been
made and her position ascertained. The
steam pumps were run until the level Of the
water reached the engine room, and signal
| of distress was flying. The striped spar buoy
looked TO be 80 feet from the after port gang
way. Did not know whether the engine was
stopped before the vessel struck or not. Much
i credit should be given to Capt. Larcom, as he
| was very cool and did everything that could be
| done. For several hours, men, women and
children remained sitting down in the saloon,
most of them having their personal effects
| near at hand, and none seemed to realize the
danger in which they were placed. He was
| transferred to the steamer Rockland in the
next to the last boat.
Mr.. McGurk is a dealer in miscellaneous
| goods at Eastport, and had been on business
| "trip to Boston and Portland. All Of the goods
| he had purchased in those places were on the
| steamer when she sunk, and II none were
| recovered his loss would be nearly $1,000, on
| which he had no insurance.
MR.. CAHILL's STORY.
Philip j. Cahill of Prince Edwards Island,
was among the passengers, and on his way to
| Eastport. He told the following story:
az retired early to my berth in the lower
l cabin, and slept very sound. The first intima-
| ton had that the vessel was aground one of
| the crew came to my berth and said, SECT mp;
there is no danger" Immediately arose and
dressed, and in a few minutes from the time
was called I was up on the hurricane deck,
where saw the captain and heard him order
one of the officers to go ashore, take team
| and drive across and send dispatch fer help.
| He thought this would be the quickest way.
| The officer, accompanied by three or four Of
| the crew, lowered the boat and pulled away
| toward the shore. AS soon as this boat had
gone, the crew commenced to carry furniture
| from the ladies' cabin up the stairsM OF the
passengers at this time were in the saloon
| In about an hour after went on deck, yacht
came up and anchored nearly 100 yards from
| the steamer; then boat was sent from the
steamer to the yacht with q number of lady
passengers. The yacht sailed away and soon a
schooner sailed up, anchoring short distance
away The captain with some of the crew
| lowered boat and went out to the schooner
where they remained q few minutes. Soon the
steamer Rockland came along and the rest OF
| the ladies were taken in boats to her. After
! the ladies were rescued the men followed and
ali were taken to the relieving vessels. There
q ora of dQa1 0f donOarr in franafarin0 tho
ladies from one vessel to the other, and Mr..
| Thompson rendered great assistance in getting
| the ladies into the boats and quieting their
| fears. During all this time the steamer kept
sinking stern first, and when the last boat load
of passengers had been taken of the steamer
was beginning to break in pieces amidships
and the water commenced to pour in freely.
We were all carried to Rockland where we
were taken to the hotel in carriages.
A BOSTON MANS STORY.
Mr.. q. G. Warren, of the Producers Marble
| Company, Boston, was on his way to st. John.
| He said: We left Portland about o'clock
| Wednesday evening, the sky looked, hazy and
bark, the sea was running quite high with a
| fresh breeze from the east. I retired early
| and think most OF the passengers did. I was
wakened by terrible crash, then all was still
| and hastily got up and dressed myself and
| went on deck. The day was just dawning. ]
4 never saw m6u 80 COOl ab Lu6 CApbH1u ana the
| rest of the crew. They did everything in their
| power for the comfort of the passengers and
| Purser Thompson deserves great credit for
| his politeness and manly efforts to assist the
women. 1 saw the striped buoy which looked
| to be not more than twenty feet away. When
| I left the steamer she was sinking aft and
| breaking mp amidships. The last time looked
| at the steamer about eight inches of her stern
| was above water.
LADY THE FIRST ON DECK,
The first of the passengers to get upon decl
| after the vessel struck was lady Who occupied
| a stateroom in the main saloon. She said:
81 was lying in my stateroom awake when
heard grating sound, as though the steamer
| was aground. Then the steamer stopped sud
| denly and all was still. rushed up on deeh
| where l met one of the crew who
/ said that the steamer was a grounC
where the water was not deep and tina,
there was nothing to fear, lsnd so I returned
| to the saloon. where most OF the passenger
waited until assistance arrived. The crew o
the steamer were very kind to us, and as it wal
somewhat cold while we were waiting the,
| provided us with blankets"
LATER FROM THE WRECK.
Press Reporters Narrative of the Dis
aster-The Steamer breaking Up.
| Special to the Press)
| ROCKLAND Nav g.