Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1898-12-03
FOUND WATERY GRAVES
Steamer Portland Went Down With
All on Board.
OVER A HUNDRED DROWNED.

Tho New ENGLAND Coast Strewn with
wrecks and the Total Death List
WIN Aggregate Two Hundred The
Property Loss Runs Into Mhiions.
Province town. Mass, Dec. 1.-The
steamship Portland, plying between
Boston and Portland, was swallowed
by The sea ia last Sundays storm on
High Head. OF all the ships company
Of over 100 souls not one survives, and
the stery 81 the disaster win never be
told Sixteen hadies have came ashore,
and Ii Is not likely that many more
win be recovered,
The exact number of persons who
were carried away from Boston by Che
Portland Will probably never he known.
as no list Of passengers was retained
on shore when the vessel left last sat
urday Many estimates II the number
on board have been mads, but the esti-
mates have seldom agreed. G. F. Will
Jams, Boston agent of the Portland
Steamship company, places the total
numhcr of persons on the steamer at
100 or possibly les This estimate.
however, Is generally regarded as
rather small II is probable that 1ao,
including the passengers and crew, Is
nearer the correct number.
Nearly every sea captain and mariner
on the cape, on being asked flor an
opinion, states that every one on board
was undoubtedly lost. One feature Of
the disaster Is the absence Of any
fragments Of lifehoat or life raft
among the varied mass Of wreckage Of
the Portland which has been washed
ashore during the last three days ainag
the beach from IIigh Head station ta
Chatham.
The time that the Portland was lost
| is placed at from TO 10 o'clock sun
day forenoon. The watches found on
the bodies washed ashore had nearly
all stopped between those hours. The
wreck could not have occurred between
those hours Saturday night, in the
Judgment Of all competent authorities,
as in that case the wreckaEe would
have been washed ashore at points in
Massachusetts bay Furthermore, the
force of the storm al 10 O'Clock Sat
urday night was not sufficiently heavy
to cause the vessel to founder.
The opinion is also general here that
| the boat was gradually battered tc
! pieces by the mountainous seas, thf
upper fittings being carried away unit
| the water began to pour into her. The
! fact that her wheel was found witt
ropes attached on the Orleans shor,
| is taken to indicate that the pilots
were powerless to control the vessels
course in the bay, and that they were
| obliged to lash the wheel.
| When the hull went under the upper
deck and fittings were loosened by
the action of the seas. This part oil
| the ship. not including the furnishings
were practically the only ones Of thu
vessel that were strewn along the outei
coast Of Cape Cod The absence Of any
very large sections ON the coast is ac-
counted for by the theory that the hui
itself went to the bottom. The largest
piece of wreckage reported was piece
about 30 feet long. Before the III fatec
steamer too her final plunge the pas.
sengers and crew, 1t would seem
adopted all means at their command to
save their lives, as Is shown by the
large number Of life preservers and
belts found among the first portions
of the wreckage.
The New England coast Is strewn
with the wrecks Of sailing vessels. as
many as 225 having been blown on the
rocks and sands by the fierce gale.
Nearly all of them will prove to be
total losses, and there has been an ac-
companying great loss of life. In all
It is believed that 200 lives have been
lost by shlpwreck and there have been
many deaths from cold and exposure.
The damage to business interests Is
estimated at from 100000 to $40, 600, :
0o0. Eighty buildings have been blown
down.