The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-10-20
LOSS OF THE MARSEILLES.
A Nun Tells the Story Of the Rescue
Of Her Passengers.

All on Board Saved Except Four Pas
sengers and One Seaman-Their Boat
the Last to Leave the Ship and
Swamped When Half Way to the
Palmas-only the Bravery and Pres
ence of Mind of the Women Prevent
ed Greater Loss of Life.
Galveston, Tex, Oct. 19.-The steam
ship Palmas, having on board 80 passen-
gers and the crew of the wrecked steamer
Marseilles, was released from quaran-
tine this evening and came up to the
docks.
The Marseilles was on her way from
Antwerp to New Orleans, and on Oct. s,
about 500 miles of the Bahamas, she en-
countered a hurricane of such fury that
the vessel was half of the time sub
merged.
! At nightfall Sunday, the wind was
| blowing eighty miles an hour. The storm
continued on Monday and Tuesday, and
the steamer having sprung a leak below
| her coal bunkers, the water came in rap
! idly, soon extiuguishing the fires, and the
vessel began to fill, the hand pumps being
| of but little assistance in keeping it
down Wednesday about noon, when
| arrangements had been made to abandon
the vessel the British steamship Palmas
hove in sight and by the gallant conduct
of her officers and crew all of the pas
| sengers and crew of the Marseilles, eX-
| cept five, were saved.
| NUNS GRAPHIC DESCRIPTION.
| Sister Mary Ephreme, one of the pas
| sengers, gives a graphic description of the
rescue, the following being an extract:
'The Palmas lowered small boat but it
was struck by huge wave dashed
! against the vessel and rendered useless.
| The Palmas was light and stood away out
of the water and could not launch a
boat with any degree of safety.
The next attempt to launch a
boat was by the Marseillies
over her huge side frail looking craft
was lowered in the water and was soon
| filed with people The tiny boat made
for the Palmas and soon the occupants
were aboard the English ship. The first
attempt had been successful. Two, three
four, five, six and seven boats were
launched, and after many narrow escapes
from loss of life, the passengers were
safely put aboard the Palmas.
ONE BOAT CAPsIzED.
Gan eyes were turned on the last boat,
which contained passengers. When half
way between the Marseilles and the Pal
mas, the small boat was swamped and it's
occupants were thrown into the water.
| Life lines were thrown them from the
Palmas but only two WERE saved. Two
| young girls, two male passengers and a
| seaman were drowned. All of the bodies
were soon lost to view. One of the young
women received a severe cut on the head
from the blade Of the propeller of the
| Palmas, which fastened her death
Some of the scenes during the rescuing
of the passengers was extremely pathetic.
| A mother whose little children had been
| put aboard the Palmas in a basket, when
she followed them shortly after, threw
her arms around the neck of the second
! officer of the ship and kissed him.
A BRAVE RESCUE.
Gone of the young Novitiates, who had
| been hauled up the ships sides clinging
to a rope, released her hold and fell back
into the water. A British seaman
| jumped from the Palmas and fastening a
rope around her waist, she was pulled on
board, where it took about twelve hours
/ to revive her.
! F'Another novitiate, who lost hold on
the line, managed to keep afOat until a
| line was thrown her attached to a belt,
which she placed around her waist and
called to the men to pull away. She was
safely pulled aboard.
"Other scenes which displayed bravery
and presence of mind were enacted during
! the landing of the passengers on the
Palmas.
"The English ship provided quarters
for an of the shipwrecked passengers.
but after being out a few days all the
male passengers and the crew were put
on half rations."
| Capt. Morgan, of the Palmas, stated
that the women acted bravely, and to this
he attributes the great saving of life.
THE STORM A TERRIFIC ONE.
| Capt. GandelOn of the French ship says
! the storm in which his ship was lost was
the worst he has experienced in a seafar-
| ing life dating over thirty-siX years. The
mate of the Marseilles, a hero Of twenty
storms, says the wind was terrific and it
blew over eighty miles an hour. Some
trouble rose about the landing of the ship
wrecked passengers at this port, but
this was speedily adjusted by the customs
| collectors granting them permission to
| land.
| Arrangements were made by the agents
| of the Marseilles in New Orleans for the
/ transportation of the officers of the ship,
! who left for that city tonight.
I The Novitiates underlthe charge Of Sis
| ter Marie Ephreme are TO become at
tached to the convent of OfPerpetual Adora-
tiOn in New Orleans, and were among the
number who left here tonight for that