The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1892-06-16
HOW 1T HAPPENED.
Particulars of the Capsizing of the Little
Steamer Annie.

Steamer Annie.
BANGOR, June 15.-The following are
the particulars of last evenings sad ac-
cident by which Miss Adams and Mrs.
Mcdonald lost their lives. The small
steamer Annie, which plies on the river
between Bangor and Hampden, and
which can easily seat 35 passengers, and
can carry even more, was coming to Ban
gor on her last trip Of the afternoon. On
board were 16 passengers besides Capt.
Atwood and his engineer, J. S. Gerry.
The most of the party were people who
had taken the sail down the river to
avoid the scorching heat and the party
was in the best of spirits. Among them
were DR.. Charles E. Adams, director of
the gymnasium Of Michigan University,
and formerly of Bowdoin and Rutgers
Colleges, who is quite noted Maine
athlete. He was accompanied by his
sister, Miss Madeline Adams. lovely
girl of 18 years, and who had been pass
ing the afternoon at one of the river re-
sorts. The whole party had been sitting
aft outside the awning and upon the lit
tie hurricane deck of the boat, but when
they saw the dark clouds gathering they
went inside and the rain covers of the
boat were made snug all around.
The captain, an old and careful
river pilot, had been watching the clouds
closely, but saw nothing alarming and
continued his course. Suddenly, when
within Is feet of her wharf, a powerful
gust of wind struck the steamer and tore
C. L G.
ings as if they had been made of paper,
at the same time stirring the water of
the river into
A Perfect Maelstrom.
Before the party had time to act another
and far stronger gust caught the little
craft, and seemingly with a hold under
the hurricane deck, turned her COM
pletely over, lifting her almost out of the
water.
Engineer Gerry and James Cal lahan of
Bangor, sturdy young riverman, were
the first to extricate themselves and
reach the surface, their presence of
mind guiding them materially. Then
began the work of saving the rest of the
passengers, the most of whom were wo-
men and worse than helpless. Gerry
and Callahan SAY that they could see
that the passengers were nearly all head
downward, for their feet and limbs were
ali toward them. They pulled them out
one by one, just as fast as they could reach
them, and assisted them to places on the
stern of the boat, which, on account of
life preservers being massed aft, was
above the water.
Gerry, the engineer, did the most of
this work, and every moment was in
deadly peril for the
Terrified Women Chung to Him
madly and nearly tore his clothes from
him.
The crew of the four-masted schooner
Maria o. Teel, lying below the scene of
the accident and on the opposite side of
the river, had been aroused by the noise,
and three sailors lowered the long boat,
dropped into it and pulled for the wreck,
and they were able to save the captains
wife and eight other persons. Another
boat from the Bangor side of the river
took off three women and Callahan; a
third took the captain and engineer and
a fourth took two women. Capt. Atwood
was completely exhausted and had to be
carried to the nearest house where ply
sicians attended him for some hours.