The Portland daily press., 1895-10-31
AND THEY WENT DOWN

holding on to the same plank.
"In addition to Captain Kimball we
had mate whose name was Warren and
two sailors mix Rodman who also lived
in Brooklyn with his sister while on
shore and Andrew Smith German.
These two men with myslef comprised
the three men before the mast. We had a
steward too of course out do not recall
his name. In fact am not quite sure
that 1 am in my right mind as yet
esWe sailed from Port Liberty on Oc-
tober IL black miserable Friday l re-
member and cleared from Cape haiti the
day after. We had good run of luck for
nearly the first week or to be more accur-
ate until October 19. Then Wes met q
gale which began in the east and finally
pitched itself into a hurricane from the
north to that point. There it settled and
blew with great violence until the Oath.
We made good way Fin the storm how
ever or the first few days but on Monday
October 81 the ship began to roll and
strain more than usual and we had all
we could do to hang on. | do not wish
to critioise the actions OF Captain Kim
ball but honestly believe that he held
on to his deck load too long and that had
he got rid of it sooner the Lord would
still be af1oat and everybody safe. But it
is easy enough for me to sit here now and
say what Captain Kimball should have
DONE I know you gentlemen believe in
hanging on to a deck load as long as pos
sibIe because you are all masters and the
freight money would be lost without it
but at the same time you all should
think of the sailors under similar Cir
cumstanceSS.
eve were on the edge of the Gulf
Stream when it wassdiscovered that the
hull was making great quantities of
water. We had not had a suck in the
forward pumps for ten hours and looking
back now can readily see that some
thing must have been wrong with them.
The schooner had sunk to the level OF
the sea at O'Clock on October 20,
AND THE TERRIFIC CROSS SEA
that was running was making clean
breach over her. At daylight that day
every thing went loose about decks the
deck load going overheard to ieeward like
a pack of cards. The bow was entirely
submerged but there was about two feet
of free board at the stern. About s
O'Clock that morning the two passengers
were washed overheard and drowned be-
fore our eyes, Jack was seventy years
NOAO
old and Bryan sixty. The former caught
plank as he fell into the yawnlng sea
alongside and Bryan who was an expert
swimmer made for it as we'll. I tried to
get line to him but he was too Ill to
hold on to it although it fell into his
hands. The line was all afoul and ten
minutes after reaching the plank he went
down.
'sWe all watched them drown but were
unable to save them. The plank was q
stout piece of wood and for three or four
times before the two men finally sank
from view the plank went down with
them but brought them back TO the suf-
race again. Finally : both j. - were a e, washed
SsAbout $50 O'Clock the deckhouse
which was about twenty feet long by
fifteen fe wide cut loose from the wreck
and went over the side. All the boats had
previously washed away and singing. out
to Captain Kimhall and the remainder
to swim for the housetop l tore my trous
ers and underwear off and plunged into