The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-10-30
STORY OF SHIPWECK
MISS MAUD ROUDEBUSH'S ACCOUNT
OF THE MOHEGAN DISASTER.
Loss of Her Mother and Her Own Mar
row Escape from a Watery Grave
in the English Channel.

NEW YORK Oct. 29-Miss Maud Roude-
bush, who is better known on the operate
stage as Miss Maud Roudez, one of the
survivors of the Mohegan disaster arrived
here to-day on the Cunard liner Etruria.
Miss Roudebush was dressed in deep mourn
ing, and her face bore traces of the strain
and hardships she endured when the
steamer was wrecked. When seen by a re-
porter Miss Roudebush told the story Of
the loss of the Mohegan.
my mother, Mrs. l.. S. Grandin and I
left London on the Mohegan on Oct b.,
she said. Everything went we'll until the
evening Of the 14th At the time the ship
struck it was, as far as can judge, about
o'clock in the evening, and my mother had
Just gone into the dining saloon and dinner
had just begun Suddenly there was an
awful sound as though the ships bottom
was being torn out. My mother and my
self both got up from the table and walked
to the stairs to go to our rooms. At that
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 stateroom was, when we met two
of the deck hands We 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 offered to
assist us up the stairs. I can positively say
there was no panic at that time, for as
looked back into the dining saloon saw a
number of people still seated at the table.
should judge it was about four minutes
after the ship struck, when, without warn
ing, every light went out On deck the
scene was pathetic, and shall never forget
it. The masts were black with people, the
majority of whom / learned next day were
sailors. assisted my mother up mast
but as the men by whose aid we hoped to
save our lives left to get into a boat we
left with them. l noticed that many of the
boats We're not unfastened, and there
seemed to be no attempt to launch them
We reached one of the boats, and the men
assisted us into it. The decks were now on
a slant. For few minutes we sat in the
Suddenly the boat lurched and wave
struck us, and then the boat turned over
and felt as if had gone to the bottom
of the sea. Consciousness had almost left
me when We came up and l found myself
under the overturned boat with scarcely
room enough to breathe. | chung to the
water and with my chin resting on the sea.
Close beside me was old Mr.. Duncan, and
he shouted as loudly as he was able His
shouts grew weaker and by and by they
stopped. | did not care to think what had
become of him. My mother, 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. / could
feel humping against my bosom the head
of some one, and 1 knew by the short hair
that it was one of the deck hands, and that
he had helped us into the boat. 1 was al
most in despair when suddenly the boat
was turned violently over and / fell ex-
hausted into the bottom, still clinging to
the seat. The next thing, was grasped by
strong hands and thrown violently into the
lifeboat Mrs. Compton Swift 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 in removing
her chopped off one Of her feet"
In reply to question, Miss Roudebush
said: THE opinion of Mr.. John Hyslop that
the lifeboats were difficult of access. be-
lieve is true and / can say myself that
they were double-railed, as has been stated,
and that the rail around the boat was al
most as high as ones chin. They were
chained down. and when / went on deck
saw some of them which apparently no at
tempt had been made to launch. do not
know what caused the accident"