Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1885-08-31
Not a Very Close Descrip-
tiOn.

tlOn.
ssTell US how your hair turned
white," said one of the party at the
freside.
Gin June, 1851" said the man, 81
left my home in Ohio, for Buffalo.
Being in a hurry to return, | took
passage by the steamer, G. P. Grif-
fifth for Toledo, on late Sunday af
ternoon. The ship carried over eight
hundred passengers and crew. I
must have slept soundly for about
two hours in my berth. I was awak-
ened by the sound of hurrying foot
steps overhead, and looking through
the ventilator to the upper deck, l
saw two or three sailors. running along
dragging a hose-pipe. | partly dress
ed, and went forward to the prone
made deck, where / heard, from the
pilot house above, the voice of the
captain crying, sStarboard Hard
starboard and steer her for the
shore!
The ship veered from her course,
and headed for the shore, five miles
away. I went back to my stateroom,
awakened the man in the other berth,
and raped on several doors. AS l
came out again into the cabin l saw
smoke curling out from the side. The
command had been given to call up
the passengers, and when [ again
reached the forward deck they were
crowding upon it. Just aroused from
sleep, they hurried out, half-dressed
or in their night-clothes, many carry
ing children, bandboXes, blrd-cagcs,
carpet-bags and bundles, all anxious
to save something. | climbed up on
the railing, and taking hold of stan
chion, swung myself to the main deck
below. Stepping over the forms of
many who were lying there still
asleep, L went around to the engine,
and looking up saw that the fire had
broken out near the smoke-stack, in
a spot so difficult to get at that in all
probability the ship was doomed.
Hurrying back to the main deck, upon
which the crowd was fast increasing,
removed all my clothing but my
night-shirt and drawers. Taking my
money and valuables, l rolled them
up with my trousers and laid them
carefully away on deck where l might
recover them if the ship should es-
cape destruction. Climbing up on
the raft, near the gang-plank, / held
on until the frantic crowd forced me
away. l crept along on the gunwale,
to near the wheel on the land side,
where 1 clung and watched the crowd
as they surged forward from the APP
preaching flames.
There was scarcely a scream heard.
As the flames drove them farther and
farther forward, whole columns of
people were pushed into the water.
Husbands caught their wives and
children, and throwing them over
board, jumped after them. Women
with babes in their arms went about
piteously begging some one to save
their children, and when they were
pushed or jumped into the water,
held their infants high above their
heads; after they were drowned,
their quilted skirts buoyed them up,
and / saw babies actually trying with
their little hands to catch the dane
ing light of the flames in the water.
The ship grounded at daybreak in
about ten feet of water, little more
than half mile from the shore. The
water all about the forward part of
her was full of drowned and drowning
people. Many good swimmers struck
out for the shore but from all sides
the poor drowning wretches would
clutch them and drag them down.
The flames drove me off at last In
the water just beneath me was a
struggling crowd of drowning crea-
lures clinging to each other. Sud-
denly a space of about twenty feet
cleared instantly by their sinking out
of sight. 1 determined to jump, swim
towards the stern of the boat until
out of reach of the clutches of the
drowning, and then make detour
for the shore. Remembering how
used to jump into the water, as boy
when learning to swim, ] put my feet
closely together, arms straight by my
side, and plunged down like wedge
to the bottom, with my eyes wide
open. For brief second l saw ly-
ing on the bed of the lake heaps of
dead bodies in all positions. On ris-
ing to the surface / struck out with
my arms, but to my horror found my
feet bound tightly together. The
band of my drawers had burst, and
slipping down had bound my ankles
as securely as if tied. Turning on
my back 1 carefully disentangled
them from each foot. These efforts
greatly exhausted me ; but, once free,
swan towards the stern until clear
of all distractions, and then struck
out for the shore. One strong swim
mer passed me and spoke some en-
couraging words. | saw others who
must have become dazed, swimming
back into the lake.
/ was not an experienced swimmer,
but / had passed, as I had judged,
nearly half the distance to the shore
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