The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1884-01-31
BATTLING WITH DEATH.
Thrilling Stories Of Shipwreck and Suf.
tsring,
Told by survivors or the lost City Of
Columbus.
fCumpiled from Various Sources.

Compiled from Various Sonrccs1
or the horrors that followed the first shock
there IL abundant testimony. tapt. Wright
had been on duty ever s,ncc they lett Boston
and, having taken the ship snfey through tho
most danuerous part OF the sonnl, he wcntto
his state-room for few moments 10 get
warm. lie lift three mates and quarter
master In tho whcclhousc, with instructions
to follow the course he hal marked out He
had been below perhaps twenty-five minutes
when there was a bump. II was not crash
or severe shock Every one near the pilot.
house heard the mate give the wheclman tho
jumped to tie wheel.house, they hnd run down
some sailing craft, and, without stopping to
look. he shouted to tho man nt tho wheel
"IIard aport." Instantly realizing the actual
situation, he cndeayored 10 work the vessel
on first by steam power and then by setting
the lib. Neither experiment wis Of any
avail, nnd within Ave minutes Capt Wright
knew that his ship was doomed. The frst
blow IN the rocks did not arouse more than
half of those Oh board. hut repeated pound
Ing nnl noiss of excitement SON brought
nearly all from their state rooms When the
captain abandoned his efforts 10 get her on,
the vessel had already settled enough 80 that
the sea BEGAN to break over her. Then
every thought was turned to the
means OF saving life. Capt. Wright
rushed into the sa'oon cabin, where
more than half the passengers, hardly awake,
were trying to realize the cause OF alarm.
The commander SHARPLY, but without excite
ment, tnae everybody keep cool, but To dress
t,xA
entered u wave foluwed him, and there was
Il terribly distressing scene. Hut the crowd
seemed half puialyzed instead of frenzied In
their terror. Ladies legged for help, but
most OF them uheyed the orders OF the officers
and the calmer men In the room. Nearly
every body present had on lite-prescryer,
properly adjusted before going on deck.
Nearly all had partly dressed before being
driven from the state-rooms aud cabin by the
water. There were a few exciting incidents
nj this stage of the catastrophe. One lady beg
ged Capt. Wright to sasc her two children, but
the full extent of the danger was not realized.
20 that there was no great panic. The water
filled the state rooms and cabin slowly, and
there was tho continual pounding of the YES.
sci on the ledge, but within twenty minutes
all below decks became nntcnahle. and then
the real horrors of the night began. Just as
the passengers reached the deck tremen-
dous sea struck the ship \ great white
mass OF roaring water fell upon the stranded
vessel sixty tarrur-stricken passengers
stood upon the gale-swept deck. seeking
which way TO turn in the darkness. mo-
ment. and they were gone. So sudden was II
| that not Il shrek or u prayer came from the
| little company ere the great wave en-.
quilted them. Every woman and child
on board died al that moment.
] Those in the rigging and upon the
house had only time to clutch tighter
I their supports when the fall of water was
gt.ss ~ i
sist the women and children TO the rigging,
| where they would have been for time safe,
/ and il Is we'll there was not time. for death
would have been just rs sure. though per.
/ haps more slow and more agonizing. About
1 sixty souls remained on hoard after this first
| stroke OF death. The fate of more than hall
/ OF these was stil more terrible. Half Z
dozen succeeded, after great struggles, II
launching u boat and when they got few
/ feet away from the ship their boat capsixed
i and they. too. were drowned before the eyel
/ OF those remaining in the rigging
I With the shipwrecked men IL became Z
test of endurance. Soon after daybreal
the smoke.stack was carried away. 4
/ few were clinging To the stays, and most oi
these were swept OF. Then the house broke
up and the few thereon succeeded in reach
inr the rigging. they being in all sorts of po
sitions. Two were supported on loose swing
ing rope between the masts. They danglet
there I'm the wind for hours, with the rop<
/ supporting them under the armpits. Ths
gale swung them back and forth like clothes
on a line, while the spray of every way,
breaking over the ship drcnched them. TheI
were soon hcnumhed, and probably died 4
they hung. the stitiening of the muscles II
the cold holding them. One OF them wa
swept away about . o'clock and the other dis
appeared about IL. Men clung one ahov,
| another to the cross.trees. Those close to
gcthcr could exchange a few words occa
sionally. and SAD, hopeless words they eecam
"a the hours wore on and no help appeared
Those who. putting their legs through tn
cruss-trces and partially sat upon the rope
| were soon henumhed below the hips and los
all control Of their limbs. John /. Cook, o
Portland. Me-, who with Capt. Wright LETT TIN
wreck last, says that among tn
confused mass who were struggling
aud screaming when the ship hrs
struck the rect he noticed middleagcd MAJ
and his wife. Their conduct was In marke
contrast with that OF the other passengers
The panic which had seized the Others VA
not shared by them. hut their blanched face
told that they realized the peril which sur
rounded them. The only movement OF mus
,les or nerves was that produced by tn
chilling atmosphere. They stood close "a
gether elasping each others hands, as
about 10 contemplate suicide together, an
thus fulflll the marital VOW of standing 3
each other in the varying tide of liic's fo,
tunes and misfortuncS. As the wreck ca
rcened with the gale from one side TO tn
other. aud while the spray and wave
drenched them ut every moment, th
husband turned aud imprinted "A kiss upo
the companion OF his life, and while thus EN-
hra,cd Il heavy SEA broke over the wrec
and both acre washed away and not see
aftcrwara Mr., Cook remembers particular
two men--ane a seaman and the other pa
! scneer--Mho held on in the rigging for fls
or six hours before they surrendered To tn
clements. Up to the last moment they wer
conscious, and. as they relaxed their hal
from the ropes and went down, their ias
words were OF their families aud homes. On
man who had held out against the storm
elemeats was KILLED by the falling smok
! stack just as he was about To be rescued. IN
by the same event a couple of the crew Mei
So disabled that they only survived the ten
pest u lew moments longer.
! Second Assistant Engineer Heary Collin
states he was aleep in his siateroom whe
awakened hy the shock of the vessel 5 stril
, ing. He hastily dressed and hurriedly ran 4
. deca Passengers from the main saloon wi
were crawdng on deck were MasFcl oye
. board as fast n they came up the companion
way. Il went 10 the engineers room m
sam no one there. then returned 10 the dec
, and, seeing the sea breaking clear over Il
ship made for the mizzen rigging, where
watched everything and waited for
chance To escape. l saw passenee
drop out OF the rigging frozen still
All the women were completely helples
|. The shreks OF the men in the rigging we
, awful. prayed that might die and be +
. lieyea II my terrible agony. Some me
. cursed aud swose. but the majority pray.
, Tor death. All the sutferings of aiiie-tin
were crowded into these few terrible hou
in the rigging
Not one woman on the ill-fated steam
was saved. The survivors saw one boa
/. / containing seven women, upset. Tie s
soon demolished the boat. II was fearful 4
maN fh.. Ax.Nmnn uarp sMenI niAaN Naf