The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1884-01-25
STILL SEARCHING.
The Wrecked City of Columbus
Again Visited by Divers.
But They Are Obliged to Giye Up the
Search for Bodies.
The Story of a Lone Rock DiscRedifed-
Carelessness in Setting Bueys-The Up
per Works of the Steamer Gone.

FALMOUTH, Mass, Jan. "a The scene in
the vicinity of the wrecked steamship City Of
| Columbus was a very animated one today.
There were no less than five tug boats strung
out in line, with hawsers from the stern to the
bow of each. The United States steamer
Verbena was first on the ground, and Capt.
Gibbs, after again making soupdings, complet-
| ed the anchorage of spar buoy about quar-
ter of mile outside the can buoy, and about
| West by North from it. These soundiugs es-
tablished the fact that the can buoy Was set at
least quarter of o mile too near the shore, and
that the ledge of DEVILS Bridge extends some
| 450 yards outside where the can buoy was orig
| inally set. Although this error in setting the
can buoy establishes the fact of carelessness or
negligence on the part of those whoever had
charge of the setting of the buoy, it does not
clear the officers of tho City of Columbus,
which lies at least quarter of a mile inside
the can buoy, even though the can buoy was
erroueously placed quarter of mile too
near the shore, making, in fact, the Columbus
position halt mile inside the outer edge Of
the ledge forming Devils Bridge.
The Storm King came over early from New
Bedford, with diver Duncan on board The
tug Scott, from New London, came next, char
tered by the New York underwriters. Then
came the Confidence, from Woods Holl, char
tered by Mr.. A. D. Ieslgi of Boston. Then the
Hunter arrived, from Woods Holl, chartered
by Messrs. Dmmick, Bourne, Jones and 9th
ers, OF Falmouth. The tug Hunt came last,
from New Bedford. chartered by Townsend &
Oeisen, divers, of Boston.
A heavy Southwest wind was blowing all
the morning, and heavy sea prevented div
Ing until 2 O'Clock Ar at h0ur he r,o1l
boats containing divers from the tugs Hunt
and Storm King, made fast directly over he
after part of the wreck, and the divers de-
scended.
After few minutes diver Duncan ascended
and reported that the undertow was very swift
and he had great difficulty In keeping his feet,
owing to che heavy swell. Diver Oelsen made
similar report, but both again descended to
make further investigation. Again shey ss-
cended, after being below several minutes, and
reported that all the upper works of the vessel
were gone, not single stateroom remaining
on deck. Even the heavy iron rods used as
stays between the houses on the port and star
board sides were bent and torn from their
places, while the deck itself was broken and
open, snd the heavy timbers lay in various
Shapes beneath, the broken surface OF the
deck preventing diving into the hold.
NO bodies were seen By either diver. No at
tempt was made to discover bodies in the steer
age, the only descent made by the divers being
IN the after part of the vessel.
At half-past O'Clock the wind had become
gale, and all the vessels were compelled to
abandon the wreck, and the tugs Storm King,
Hunt and Scott left for New Bedford, while
the Confidence and Hunter made for Woods
Holl. There will be no more diving at present
as the sea at this season is Running Tar too
high to permit of a successful search, Mr..
Iasigi has released the tug Confidence from
her charter, and returns to Boston in the
morning.
Tonight terrible gale is blowing across the
Sound, and vast quantities of wreckage are
coming ashore at Falmouth. 1t is expected
thst If any bodies are in the water they will
come ashore here tonight. Seafaring men say
that the bodies now in the water or on the
wreck If not recovered within a day or two,
will be completely devoured by sand flies.
BOSTON, Jan. M.-The Advertisers New
Bedford special says: "The story sent from
here yesterday to the effect that sunken
ledge had been found 450 yards from the buoy
on which the City of Columbus suruck, is re-
ceived by seafaring men here with the same
incredulity which greeted the report that she
had struck on a mussel bed. Rocks exist out.
side of Devils Bridge, but Capt, Smith, of the
steamer Monohansett, sounded twice across
them yesterday, and states that they are under
3-4 fathoms of water, or % feet while the
Columbus drew only II feet. 1t is hard to find
seagoing man here who is willing to believe
tt.at the City OF Columbus changed her posi-
tion more than few feet from the time she
struck. The statement that she did rests upon
the unsupported assertion of the captain. 1t
is fact OF some significance, too, that she is
st II headed on that memorable course South
west by West.
The investigations of Capt. Townsend today
make it more improbable than ever that there
was any great change of position. He says
that fragment Of the hull lies by the side of
the bow, near the broken boulder, and that
there is a tremendous gap in the hull itself
1t may be barely possible, he says, thai the
steamer touched something and then drifted
but the fatal blow was given on DEVILS Bridge
and If the steamer was uninjured after she
first struck there appears to be no reason why
she should have been allowed to drift on to the
Bridge. The order to port the wheel might
have carried the steamer safely past the ledge
and buoy in Northwesterly direction if she
was not already far inside the safety line and
almost upon the ledge. AS it was she appears
to have struck on the edge of the ledge,
keeled over, righted and swung into her regu-
lar course. was helplessly fastened in the sand,
and with great hole stove in her bow.
EulOgixing the Rcscuers.
Boston, Jan. 24.--In the House today resc-
luton was introduced recognizing the herolsm
OF the rescuers of the City of Columbus sur
vivors. The opinion was expressed that the
resolution should be broader in its scope aud
include Others unmentioDed therein, and the
rAs0lnt0u Vua1 tahlad ~ ho oroapdad