The Madisonian. (Virginia City, Mont.) 1873-1915, 1895-04-13

up and directing them to the rope which
Brady and others had established acros:
the space between rock and shore. Wher
the rock became SO crowded that il
would hold no more, he went on shore
and performed the same service there
for three hours. Many of the passen.
gers were benumbed with cold or help.
less from fright.
Brady was the first man to reach
land. When he saw that the line from
the wreck to the rock was working we'll.
knowing that all could not find refuge
on the rock, he stretched a rope to the
island, 100 yards distant, meanwhile
sending men to the ship for moro lines.
-Four lines were brought into use be.
tween the wreck and she rocks. Reach.
ing the island, Brady made his line
fast and ran toward the hut of a fisher
man named Clancy. Clancy and his
daughter proved the ministering angels
for the suffering people who got ashore,
and through Clancy Brady sent a cou-
rier on horseback to arouse other inhab-
itants on the island and get word to the
nearest ports for boats to come to the
rescue. Then he returned to the rock,
where the situation was pitiful.
Captain Williams had remained in
his cabin, expecting to be called at 8
o'clock, when he would put the ships
head to the southwark and await day
light. AS has been stated, tho call was
not made because the log showed that
the steamer had not made half her run.
He knew nothing Of the situation until
the vessel struck on Meagher's rock.
Hurrying On deck, he found that the
sea had carried away the port boats,
and set his officers to firing signals for
help and getting out the starboard boats.
They were all lost when the ship heeled.
Finding his boats useless, Captain Will
liams set to work to get the people from
below into the rigging, the only safe
place on the wreck. The hull Of the
steamer lay completely under water,
and only the bow and masts were out.
Hundreds of the people had been drown
ed in their berths, but hundreds more,
perhaps half of those on board, had
rushed on deck at the first alarm. Many
OF these went overheard in the heavy
seas following the ships settling. Cap
tain Williams first ordered the boats
cleared to saw the passengers, but the
latter crowded in before the boats could
be plugged and manned. Seeing the
confusion, he ordered the passengers
into the rigging and began to help the
women to climb up. He ordered the
ropes and halyards unreeved to cast
ashore and stood by to see that it was
done; also, when the first line had been
stretched, TO send passengers off first.
When finally boats sent out from the
island by Clancy and his neighboring
fisherman made for the rock, the cap
tain shouted to them to save the people
in the rigging, where there was the
greatest danger, and offered $500 for
every boatload of people carried from
the wreck to the island. Seeing that the
sailors and some of the strongest pas
sengers were frantically eager to get
the boats when they approached
and were likely to swamp them by a
rush, he ordered the fishermen to stand
Oft from the wreck and pick up the
passengers who would jump into the sea.
The last man to leave the wreck after
Williams was Chief Officer
Firth. Firth left the deck with the cap
tain at midnight and was aroused in
his berth by the shock and sinking Of
the vessel. Rushing out, he cleared two
starboard boats with all AK, but they
We're rendered useless when the hull
settled. Losing his hold as the deck
dropped from under, he caught in the
mizzen rigging and chung there, with
30 others. When the captain Or
dered all the people to get into the fore
rigging as the safest place, a man and
wife, with their child, in the mizzen
near Firth attempted to follow the d.
The child was carried away
BY a heavy sea, and the wife encouraged
her husband to go forward and save
himself and leave her to her fate. He
went alone, and Firth, getting firm hold
Of the woman, secured her in the rig
ging, determined to stand by her to the
Several who attempted to cross to
the f~orerigging were lost, but a few got
over, until only Firth, the woman and
! lad remained. The boy was finally
off as the sea rose, but he swan
calamity to q fishing boat and was saved.
By that time Firth, who was scantily
and soaked through with the
water and spray which beat all
about him, had become quite helpless.
Yet he made no effort to save himself
Until the woman by his side persisted
rom suffering and exposure. Firth
hen began to signal the boats to come
o him and was finally saved by the
duck of the second volunteer hero of