The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-10-30
STORY OF 4 SURVIVOR
Miss Maud Roudabush Was on
the Mohegan.
THE SCENE WAS PATHETIC
Lights Went Out Soon After the Vessel
6truck-6everal OF the Life
Boats Were Not .
Launched.

New York. Oct. 2s.--Miss Maud Roud-
abush. who is better known on the op-
cratic stage as Miss Maud Roudez. one
OF the survivors Of the Mohegan disas-
ter. arrived here to-day on the Cunard
liner Etruria. Miss Roudabush was
dressed in deep mourning and her face
bore traces of the strain and hardships
she endured when the steamer was
wrecked. When seen by q reporter.
Miss Roudabush told the story OF the
loss OF the Mohegan:
AT the time the ship struck IL was
Just about z o'clock in the evening""
said she, land my mother had just
gone into the dining saloon n the
dinner had Just begun. Suddenly
there was an awful sound as though
the ships bottom was being torn out.
My mother and myself both got up
from the table and walked to the stairs
to go to our rooms. At the time. no
one seemed To know what was the
matter. Stewards continued to serve
the dinner. We reached the head Of the
stairs. where our state room was, when
We met two of the d~eckhands.
w had, in the meantime, secured
life preservers. but were utterly unable
to put them on. As we stood bewil-
dered the men came up to US and Of
fered to assist US up the stairs. 1 can
positively say there was no panic at
hat time, for as 1 looked back into the
dining salon / saw a number of people
still seated at the table. / should judge
IL was about four minutes after the
ship struck when. without warning.
every light went out. On deck the
scene was pathetic. and / shall never
forget IL. The masts were black with
people, the majority of whom. I learned
next day. were sailors. i assisted my
mother up a mast. but as the men, by
whose aid we hoped to save u lives,
left to get into a boat, we left with
them. / noticed that many of the boats
were not unfastened and there seemed
to be no attempt to launch them. We
eache one of the boats n the men
assisted us into II. The decks were on
a slant. For a few minutes we sat in
the boa terrified. Suddenly the boat
lurched and a wave struck us n then
the boat turned over and l felt as IL I
had gone to the bottom of the sea.
consciousness had almost left me
when we came up and 1 found myself
under the overturned boat with scarce
ly room enough to breathe. / chung to
the seat with only my shoulders out OF
the water and with my chin resting on
the seat. Close beside me was old Mr..
Duncan and he shouted as loudly as he
was able. His shouts grew weaker, and
ny anu ny tloy lDpBt Il ulu " "a
to think what had become OF him My
mother l knew had been in the boat, but
that was all. / did not know where she
was then. You can imagine the horror
of the situation. / felt humping against
my bosom the head of someon and 1
| knew by the short hair that 1t was one
of the d~eckhands and that he had
helped US into the boat. j was almost
in despair, when suddenly the boat was
turned violently over and i fell ex-
hausted into the bottom, still clinging
to the seat. The next thing i was
grasped by strong hands and thrown
into the lifeboat.
Mrs. Compton Smith was also in the
boat and was saved. My mother was
either caught in the wreckage or fast
under one of the seats, for the men
ir removing her chopped off one of her
feet"
In reply to a question, Miss Rouda-
bush said: THE opinion of John Hys-
lop, that the lifeboats were difficult OF
access. I believe is true, and l can say
myself that they were double-railed, as
has been stated. and that the rail
around the boat was almost as high as
ones chin. They were chained down
and when I went on deck l saw SONS
OF them which apparently no attempt
had been made to launch. I do not
know what caused the accident