Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1895-02-23

fng the island, Brady made his line
fast and ran toward tho hut Of fisher.
man named Clancy. Clancy and his
daughter proved tho ministoring angels
for tho suffering people who got ashore,
and through Clancy Brady sent cou-
rier on horseback to arouse other inhab-
itarts Oh tho island and get word to tho
nearest ports for boats to como to tho
rescue. Then ho returned to the rock,
whore tho situation was pitiful
Captain Williams had remained IN
his cabin, expecting to DO called at 3
O'Clock, when ho would put tho 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 know nothing of tho situation until
the vessel struck Oh Meagher's rock.
Hurrying on deck, he found that tho
sea had carried away tho port boats,
and set his officers to firing signals for
help and getting out the starboard boats.
They were all lost when tho ship heeled.
Finding his boats useless, Captain Will
liams set to work to get the people from
below into tho rigging, the only safo
place on tho wreck. Tho hull of the
steamer lay completely under water
and only tho bow and masts wero out
Hundreds Of tho people had been drown
cd in their borths, but hundreds more,
perhaps half of those on board, had
rushed on dock at the first alarm. Many
Of thcge went overheard in the heavy
seas following the ships Cling. Cap
Tain Williams first ordered tho boats
olearod to save the passengers, but tho
latter crowded in before the boats could
DO plugged and manned. Seeing the
confusion, he ordered the passengers
into the rigging and began to help the
women to climb up He ordered tho
ropes and halyards unreeved to cast
ashore and stood by to $50 that it was
done; also, when the first limo had been
stretched, 10 send passengers off first
When finally boats sent out from tho
island by Clancey and his neighboring
fisherman made for the rock, the cap
tain shouted to them to save the people
in tho rigging, whore 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
into the boats when they approached
and were likely to swamp them by u
rush, he ordered the fishermen to stand
off from the wreck and pick up the
passengers who would jump into the sea.
Tho last man to leave the wreck after
Captain 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 an AK, but they
were rendered useless when the hull
settled. Losing his hold as the deck
dropped from under, he caught in tho
mizzen rigging and clung there, with
some 80 others When the captain or
dered all tho people to get into the FORE
rigging as the safest place, man and
wife, with their child, in the mizzen
near Firth attempted to follow tho di-
rections. Tho child was carried away
by 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 tho rig
ging, determined to stand by her to the
last. Several who attempted to cross to
the forerigging were lost, but few got
over, until only Firth, the woman and
lad remained. The boy was finally
washed off as the sea rose, but he swan
gallgntly to fishing boat and was saved.
BY that time Firth, who was scantily
clothed and soaked through with the
chilling 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 perished
from suffering and exposure. Firth
then began to signal the boats to come
to him and was finally saved by the
pluck of the second volunteer hero of
the day, Rev. Mr. Ancient, an island