The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1884-01-24
APPALLING DISASTER.
The Stanch Steamer City Of CO.
lumbus Wrecked on the
Bay State Coast.
A Terrible Hurricane and PitiIess
Seas Drive Her on to
Destruction.
Over One Hundred Persons Supposed
TO Have Gone TO the
Bottom.

TIE steamship City Of GsSvusbus. bound
from Boston to Savannah, win Afty-nine
nrstclass and twenty-five sseerase passen-
1 Rers and a crew of forty-hve. struck a rock
| and sunk OF the coast OF martha's Vineyard,
Mass One hundred and four lives were
lost. Only TWENTY-FIVE persons were saved.
| The ill-fated vessel struck on the outside OF
| Devils Bridge buoy at 800 IN the morning,
the wind at the time blowing
! gale. The vessel Immediately hlbed and
| keeled over, the water breaking in and Hood
| ing the port-side saloon. An the passengers,
excepting few women ana ohhdren, came
| on deck, nearly all wearing hfe-preeervers.
| ALI the boats were cleared away, but were
| Immediately swamped. majority OF the
passengers were washed overheard and
| drowned. Seven left the vessel on life
| raft and about forty more took to the rigging.
| At 10 80 a. IN. the Gay head Neboat put of and
| took seven persons. Another hfebOat put of
| between IL aud o clock. The revenue cut
! ter Dexter came along about II 80 p m, and
| sent of two boats. Twenty-one'persons, one
of whom is dead, were placed aboard the
! Dexter, and after all persons had been taken
from the vessel, the Dexter proceeded 10 New
Bedford. Three persons died after going
aboard the revenue cutter The total num-
Der saved was twenty-three. rive deae
bodies were recovered and ll9 souls are un-
! accounted for.
Capt Wright, the commander OF the lost
! steamer, says he passed Cross Rip lightship
at IL o cIock, and continued by east and west,
with a strong breeze west by southwest.
| "After passing Nobska, the course being
west southwest" he says, 81 stepped into my
room 10 warm myself, as IL was very cold
Everything was working we'll. After being
below q short time heard the second mate,
who was in the plot-house with the mate,
| sing out 10 the quartermaster 40 port helm.
jumped out of my ROOM thinking we had
come across some vessel bound down the
/ ~ sLx.. sAI A.sN arA ~ No
knowing but IL was vessel, and In the moon
light l saw the buoy on DeyHs bridge
on the port, about two points forward or the
beam and about 800 yards distant The vessel
| Immediately struck. / ordered the engine
reversed, and she backed about twice her
length. The steamer Immediately stopped,
and ordered the jib hoisted and eDdeavored
| TO head her TO the north, but she filled for
ward and listed over to port, so that her
| planks were about four feet under water. i
went aft and told the passengers to keep cool
| and get lfe-preservers. / next told the Off
GERS on the deck to get the boats ready. The
steamer settled down aft and righted. Ii
| was blowing very hard and heavy sea was
running. We launched on the port side,
No boat, which Immediately cap
sized. The sea was breaking over the
steamers deck, and her stern being entirely
under the water, we were forced 10 go upon
| the top house. staid there awhile, but we were
| finally Obliged TO take TO the rigging. The
mate, second mate the chief engineer, and
| fourth engineer took TO q raft. j think the
steamer struck on a lone rock. The Captain
Is positive he struck outside the buoy, and in
backing drfted inside
! Officers of the cutter Dexter furnished the
following statement: About IL 80 O'Clock we
sighted avessei ashore on reef near Gay
head. The wind was blowing a gale, and a
terrible sea was running. AS we approached
we saw the vessel was a steamer, and that
the waves were breaking over her. We an
chored on her starboard quarter. two or
three hundred yards away. The cutters
boat was at once lowered and manned
with five men in charge OF Lieut..
Rhodes, who brought OIL seven men. A re-
turn trip was made and one man brought to
the vessel Lieut.. Kennedy was then dis
patched in the gig, with four men, and took
of four or five men. Meanwhile the hfebOat
transferred several men TO the cutter, and At
length the rigging was cleared OF survivors.
The vessel sank in about four fathoms of
water, and the railing of her bow was the only
portion OF her hull visible. We found men i'm
the fore and main tops and rigging.
twas Impossible TO row over to the rigging,
as the boats would have been pounded to
pieces. The men i'll the rigging were forced
10 jump into the sea, and we caught them as
they arose TO the surface and pulled them
into the boats. Some of the men could not
swim, but nearly every one i'm the rigging was
saved.
Eugene McGarry jumped from the rigging,
Lieut.. Rhodes jumped for him, but the boat
was lifted fifteen feet on the crest Of a wave,
and 1t was necessary 10 go TO the starboard
10 avoid being crushed. McGarry was not
seen afterward. At nearly the same instant
McGarry's brother was pulled into the boat
Capt. Wright was among the last TO eave the
ship. Two men were frozen so stiff that they
were unable 10 relnquish their hold on the
rigging. They were at length the only per-
sons remaining on the steamer except the
Captain. Lieut.. Rhodes asked him TO Jump
but he shouted, Save those men first"
! They are frozen" was the Lieutenant's
answer. The Captain then jumped, and
although he could not swim IL stroke, he was
rescued by Lieut.. Kennedy.
Lieut.. Rhodes performed n heroic act,
which ELECTS hearty COMMUNICATION. Two
men hung in the rigging, unable to move
from exhaustion. The officer determined TO
save them at the peril OF his life. Returning
TO the cutter. he asked Capt. Gabrielsen to
give him man 10 steer that he might swim
10 the wreck and rescue the unfortunate
men. The Captain granted the request, and
Lieut.. Rhodes was placed on the boat. But
on nearing the steamer IL was found would
be folly To attempt to go alongside. Lieut.
Rhodes refused to abandon the attempt, and
sang out TO the men i'm the life-boat to take
him TO the wreck. Lieut.. Rhodes boarded the
life-boat, and, tying rope about him, waited
until within about thirty feet of the vessel,
when he srrang into the sea.
Rhodes had nearly reached the wreck when
he was struck by piece of timber, and sank.
He was pulled aboard the boat and taken to
the cutter. His leg was found TO be cut, but
after changing his clothing, as the sea was
smoother, he determined To make a last at
tempt He again set out for the wreck, and
this time the men were reached. One was
hanging by the feet and arms through the
ratlins, head down. Lieut.. Rhodes put O
bcw-ine about him, when he murmured:
For Gods sake don't touch me-" The man,
who was found to bo Mr.. Richardson was
placed in a boat, but died before reaching the
cutter. About $500 was found in a wallet In
his pocket. The second man, the last person
removed from the wreck was in the ratlins
IN the weather-rigging. and, although breath
ing when placed IN the boat, also expired be-
fore reaching the cutter.
All the rescued give the highest praise to
the officers OF the revenue cutter Tor the
bravery manifested I'm saving them from the
wreck. The City OF Columbus was one OF
the finest vessels on tho coast. She was
valued at $500, 600, and insured for s25O,OOo