The Portland daily press., 1894-01-19
ON THEIR WEDDING TRIP.
Mr.. and Mrs. Harold SeWall Wrecked
on the Malay Coast.
HOURS OF FPERIL in BEATING RAIN
AND BLACK DARKNESS,

Break-Then They LANDED, Barefooted
and Walked for Miles Before Finding
Shelter-Mr. Sewall Worked at the
Oars During the Long Night-The Cap
tain of the Ship Killed When His Boat
Capsized.
[From the Singapore Straits Times. Dec. III
Mr.. Harold M.Sewall and Mrs. Sewall,
who were passengers by the steamer Nor
manly, arrived at Singapore last evening
by the Netherlands India government
steamer Indragiri. Mr.. Sewall, who was
formerly United States consll-general at
Samoa, and is now on a PLEASURE trip
round the world--his honeymoon, in fact
was interviewed by a reporter for the
Straits Times, to whom he told the fol-
lowing story:
II am travelling for pleasure round the
world, and knew nothing Of the Nor
mandy until went on boam at Manila
on Tuesday, the goth of November. I
had intended to take the Spanish mail,
but some English friends of mine told
me that on the Normandy the captain
had his wife on board, which I thought
would make it more comfortable for my
wife. ] spent the most of ny time in
the interior of the Philippin.s, and did
not return to Manila until the night be-
fore sailing. On the first night out a
fire occurred in the room Of the first
officer who was severely burned about
his hands in extinguishing it, After
being out for several days my wife's
japanese maid fell and severely injured
herself, so much that we feared that she
might not recover for time 1t so far
had been very hot. The engines worked
unevenly. The captain had decided to
keep the sea behind him by taking the
Palawan passage, and il that way
avoided the rolling of the ,hip. When
off Borneo, Sarawak, think it was, the
course was changed, and ths ship headed
across the China Sea forsSirgapore. The
ship then rolled violently several times,
rolling everything from the decks. The
heat was so intense that. after the first
night, my wife and had taken up our
quarters on the sKylight that we might
have fresh air and be as cool as possible.
On Monday we passed Victory Island.
This was the last land made by the
captain, as he informed me a moment
after the ship struck. Monday night he
told me we would make the Horsburg
light about midnight and be in Singa-
pore at six o'clock in the morning.
Whether he got sight of the sun or not
that day do not know; the day was
overcast and it was generally raining
most of the time, I believe, however,
that he did not get his sight that day.
AS to the time of the final disaster 1
cannot state definitely. There appears to
be difference of opinion on the ship
and my watch was not in order. The
third engineer states that the ship
struck at five minutes past one O'Clock;
the first officer puts it at ten minutes to
one o'clock.
However. just before the ship struck,
my wife and I both awoke. We were
sleeping on the skylight. 1 noticed the
ship was running at hal speed, and it
was probably this change in the speed
which awoke us. We were covered by
an awning which was down on the star
board side; but we could see under the
awning on the port side and my wife
noticed land on the port side before we
struck. The third engineer also states
that having come on deck about twenty
minutes to one O'Clock, he saw land.
"Shortly after we awoke the speed was
changed to full speed; and in a few
minutes
The Ship Struck
1t seemed as if she grounded long her
entire keel and then stopped. left my
wife and ran forward, where I met the
captain coming to his room on the after
deck and heard him tell his wife i'll
Dutch that tine ship was aground He
then told me the same, and said that he
had no idea of his position, and that the
last position he had obtained was
Victory Island. He told me that after
ward, in the course of the night. He
further stated that we could do nothing
then, that we would stay by the ship un-
til morning and then leave. went for
ward and found breakers on both sides
of US, and land, or what appeared to be
land, behind the breakers. The engines
were then reversed full speed. but they
had no effect except shaking the ship
violently from stem to stern. The boats
on the starboard and port quarters aft
W ere then swung out; there was no as
signment OF men to these boats, the
captain and mate seeming to nick their
men there and then. Both the captain
and mate seemed to do their work very
we'll. The boats were swung out and left
there ready for lowering Stores were
then brought up on deck and everything
made ready for provisioning the boats.
BY this time the sea was beating heavily
on the starboard quarter, shaking the
ship, and I thought that she was begin
ming to list, and feared that she wonld
capsize in deep water. I urged the
captain and mate, if they wished to
stand by the ship. that they should put
the women into the boats. SO that thev.
at all events, would be safe in case If
the ship capsizing. But they seemed to
think that it was best to stand by the
ship, and said that there WAS no water
yet in the ship; that they were aground
forward and that there was q little
water TO spare under the stern
What caused the captain to abandon
the ship when he did do SO finally T can
net say; but 1 think it musts have hssn
+ tbrourh the f0rca cf ~ !. -. oS~A