Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1896-01-09
WASHED OVERHEARD



pleasant weather for the first three days.
but then camo sudden and decided
change, and within few hours she was
battling for her life with n hurricane. She
ran before the gallo and sea from midnight
to sunrise and was then got about with
her head to both, though her engines wero
not powerful enough to hold her steady.
At about 8 o'clock tho foremost was bro
ken short of as the ship gave u heavy roll,
and tho waves, as they washed our deck,
broke AWAY tho guards, leaving no security
outside of the saloon on the upper deck
ngh'nst being carried overheard 10 add
to our already perlous situation, the air
pump rod broke within the next ten min
utos. Tho upper saloon aft the wheel
house was surrounded by staterooms oc-
cupied by officers and few passengers for
South American ports. Captain Burke on
dcrcd all passengers into tho after cabins,
and he and his officers passed among tho
people to quiet and encourage them. For
an hour OF SO many of us thought tho
steamer would founder out of hand, and
we were just feeling moro hopeful when
the ships engines suddenly broke down
under tho strain and she fell Off into tho
trough of the sea- She was only broadsidc
on when IL giant wave came racing up,
lowered for q moment above her and then
fell with a weight which tore everything
clean off her upper deck. Both wheel
houses and every upper deck statcroom
were wrcnchcd loose aud carried off by tho
wave. had u stateruom just abaft tho
port wheel and had gone to it for my Pipe
whom there camo u shock and q crash and
next instant l was overheard. There was
ono loud, long drawn cry from hundreds
Of people ~ the wave fell upon the ship,
and / do not believe there was n soul
aboard who did not expect to DO in the
presence OF his Maker within the next
three minutes.
We who went with the upper works
We're carried several hundred feet to lee
ward before tho wave spent its force. 1t
was a jumbo OF living and dead and
wreckagc. No doubt many were crushed
to doath before being swept away, and no
doubt many Others had broken limbs. Tho
whole mass of stuff was tossed about I'm
tho widest manner and il seemed to mo
that l should be held under the surface
until drowned. fought flcrccly TO get my
head above water and finally succeeded.
Tho sight was one never To be forgotten.
i was vet i'll the midst Of the wreckagc,
half chokcd and half blinded, and all
around mo heard men shouting, cursing
or calling on God rs they clunR to tho tint
bcrs. A few seconds after had got my
head above water ono of the sailors rcso up
beside me and sought to grasp my legs.
10 escape him / Let 90 of the beam was
clinginR to and seized u statcroom door.
Just rs | did so the wave rolled back on it.
self and | soon found myself close beside
tho ship, and grasping ropo forward OF
tho whcelhousc / chung to it for refuge,
rising and falling with the pitching vessel
While in this situation j saw man stand.
ing on the paddle Of the wheel, who was
plunged into the ocean Mt every roll of the
steamer, and who probably persisted. Los.
ing my strength ] dropped from the ropo
to which l clung but fortunately a friend
ly wave threw me against the guard of tho
vessel, which ! seized hold of, and the next
plunge carrying me still higher on tho
guard was enabled at last to crawl upon
the forward deck, and there with my hand
broke open n statcroom window and crcpt
into IL half drowned.
While in the water the sight around mo
was worse than death itself. When l arose
to the surface I saw about 80 people strug-
Cling for life, and about onc-half Of them
had blood streaming from wounds about
Thought was the salt water mt my bnnd
omy forehead To wine AWAY the brinc when
1 was surprised TO find I was bleeding nv.
self from a wound ON INV brow. II is
therefore conclusive that most Of thoso
washed away were mt the snme timn
wounded by tho crashing timbers.
When l had recovered sufficiently to ,ool,
about me. the spectacle was sometime IN
appall the stoutcst heart Inward of oOo
people had been swept into the sen bv tLnt
hungry wave. and during the cycitemcnt
which followed the crash, and when even
tho captain believed that the steamer
would 20 down like "A STONE. MS many ne IN
others leapod overheard in their Wild
fright. Tho strongest swimmer omonc,
them could NOT have lived two minutes
among the angry waves. Will, most -,
them went ont of sight ms soon as thev
touched tho water. Tho gallant stcamcr
was a comple,e wreck from stem "a stern
hardly more than an cmpty sbell-nnd
with six feet Of water in her hoId There
was no longer any sucb thing ne order ~,
discipline. and far tb, NEXT tvn bours not
ailoat. About midafternoon when all