The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1893-09-12
WRECK OF THE ASTORIA.
"A Thrilling Narrative by q South Gar.
olina Lady-How the Steamship
Miller Came to the Rescue

"A Thrilling Narrative by South Gar
olina Lady-How the Steamshi,
Miller Came to the Rescue.
Miss Julia Hammond, of Beech island
who was q passenger on the steamer
ID. III. Miller bound for Baltimore, ant
which left Savannah on the 18th o
August, gives the following account O
the rescue of the crew of q wrecked
ship on the coast of Carolina:
" was walked from sound sleep b,
the stopping OF the engine, which
seemed to mean everything that was
dreadful. There was a hurry of mer
across the deck. and we called to know
what was the matter. One of the wal
tiers, "a delicate, pale lad, stopped, and
wreck-a full rugged ship and not 9
light or signal on her. We heard her
crew calling from the rigging, and
now they are lowering the lifeboat to
go to her.
He passed on, but our door was
wide open and we had full view OF
everything. Tho ocean was brightly
lighted up by the full moon; the
waves running high, our vessel rolling
until it seemed the railing would 90
under, while all the distance was shut
off by a dazzling mist which l sup
pose must have been spray from those
wild waves. Right before us lay the
wreck ; black, her four tall masts with
the most ominous shadow over them
as they rose and fell before the heavy
seas. Then we saw the lifeboat leave
our vessel and draw near her. Then
was the dangerous part for the life
boat, for if she went too near the
wrpnk hn Tn, q,
little while the lifeboat left the wreck
heavily loaded, and it seemed impossi-
bio for the brave little thing to get
back to our vessel, for she would rise
on high wave to go clear out of sight
in the deep trough below.
But soon we heard the trampling
of feet and the cries of the sailors, and
the waiter came back. The lifeboat
has brought eleven of tho crew, and
there Is a woman. She is lumber
ship from Pensacola. She is sinking
fast; may the good Jesus save the rest
OF the crew, there are eleven of them.
Again the lifeboat went out to this
dark fated ship, and the darkness cov-
cred it, but again it was out in the
moonlight full, and the waiter hung on
our door, and in his soft, gutteral
voice that came from his heart said,
THANK the good God they are all
saved
"The next night as we lay in our
berths looking out on the sea that
was now both dark and quiet the
captain came by and asked if we would
like to see the wrecked woman? to
which we gladly responded, yes. We
did not see her then, as it was dark,
but as the captain said she was a
fine looking LADY, A woman over
thirty, strongly knit, but not very tall,
burnt to dark brown, ono solid hue,
the steadiest of light blue eyes, and a
quantity of wavy black hair, and one
of the finest voices ever heard off the
stage. She was woman of nerve, too
Her story was, She and her husband
were English. She had sailed many
voyages with him, all around Europe.
They were from Pensacola with a
cargo of logs they were to carry to
London. The owners of the vessel are
building the Manchester canal. They
had had good weather until Saturday
night when the most terrific wind
struck them off the Georgia coast
She jumped up from her berth and
put on her oldest clothes, and as she
said over and over again Ah we lost
everything our ships papers and all
my Clothes
" All Sunday they worked with tho
vessel, but her husband said he had
never seen such q gale. All day she
sat in the cabin, expecting each mo-
ment to be her last. About noon of
Sunday her husband (the captain)
came into the cabin the wind struck
the vessel and she gave q lurch, bruis-
ing his face, head and shoulders. At
first they thought it was concussion of
the brain. She lifted him up and
while she was tending him the water
began t rise in the cabin. When it
got wais deep she went into bath
room higher up on the deck, and as she
looked back in the cabin she saw the
legs of the piano floating among the
other furniture; the piano itself was
fixed with staples to the wall. Soon
the mate called to them to come on
deck, so lifting and pulling the captain
she got him up, then both she and the
captain were drawn up to the mast
and lashed to the mizZen, and from
there she saw all her clothes washed
out to sea her fur mantle and sealskin
coat, three hats and three bonnets, one
bran new. and last she saw her linen
all starched,' come out on top of the
waves. Then they stayed for eighteen
hours swinging between life and death;
she said when the mast bent they
would be hanging over the raging
water. Oh it was frightful " They
had not q mouthful to eat, and their
thirst was terrible, not drop to drink
They had almost given up hopes when
they saw the lights of our steamer
but they had no light to signal with
they cried but in vain, then they reused
the captain and he gave great cry
for help, and was heard. When the
lifeboat come up to the ship rs told
you, 1t could not come close, so they
took & rope thrown from the boat, and
tied it around them, then another rope
was tied on that the men in the wreck
held, and they were dropped or jumped
clear into the sea, and the people in
the lifeboat hauled them in.
Most of them went entirely under
but the captains wife only went up tt
the waist, though she was soaking we
and had been all the time. For the
night they wrapped her in blanket.
and the next morning the stewardess
went around to the ladies and got W
an outfit for her. 1t was solemn ant
happy thing to see SO many poor shud
dering souls drawn back from the
abyss OF such terrible death into the
brightness of day and life, and yo,
never saw people happier or more
grateful than they were. The shiI
was the English vessel, Astoria"
-Innumerable dispatches indicate