The Portland daily press., 1898-12-01

coast from Race Point to Nauset, where
the beach is strswn for miles with all
that remains to tell the story of the lost
steamer Portland. All of the telegraph
wires on Cape Cod are down the railroad
is not yet able to handle its train service
and the only newspaper stories obtain
able are being sent into Boston by mes
sengers and by tow boats. The heavy
gale and snow storm of yesterday pre-
vented the Boston newspaper men from
reaching that city by tow boats, and the
PRESS reporter left them struggling over
the storm desolated Cape trying to get
their stories of the disaster into Boston.
1t will be many days before oommuni-
cation with Proyincetown is renpened
and until the wires are in working order
again all the news must come in this
way
The sea is gradually
GIVING UP ITS VICTIMS, [
and up to noon yesterday only IL bodies
from the wrecked Portland had been
tossed upon the beach between Peaked
Hill bar life saving station and Chatham.
Nearly all OF these wore life preservers
or life belts with the name Portland"
upon them. On many of these bodies
watches were found which had stopped
between 9.17 and 10 o clock, showing
that the Portland went to pieces some
time about o'clock Sunday morning.
Many of the bodies were almost naked
when found and evidently the people
on the Portland were not given very long
in which to prepare themselves before
they were thrown into the cruel sea.
Nearly all of the bodies of the women
which have besn tossed up along this
wreck strewn shore were nearly nude,
while the bodies of the men were for the
most part fully dressed. With one excep-
ton all of these bodies come ashore with
out showing any bruises or cuts and
were in very good condition. One of the
bodies, that Of o woman, found Monday
morning CT the Peaked Hill bar life
saving station, had
CRUEL CUT ON HER HEAD,
evidently caused by contact with piece
of wreckage while in the water after the
steamer broke up. She was only partly
dressed and her shoes had been pulled on
without stockings and were unlaced.
She had undoubtedly rushed from her
stateroom thus soantily attlred, when the
end came, and on being forced into tho
water had met her death from this blow
on the head. 1t was evident that this
woman at least had not had time in
which to put on q life preserver.
A DESCRIPTION OF TIE BODIES
found up to noon yesterday and iaenti-
flcation when possible, is given below:
At Thomas S. Taylor's undertaking
rooms in Provincetovn, the PRESS re-
porter saw two bodies.
One of these was that of the woman
mentioned above She was about so years
old, i've feet seven or eight in height,
weight about 1870 pounds, with iron gray
hair that once was brown. When found
the woman only had or a suit of I'M
derclothes and pair OF shoes with cloth
tops. These were unlaced, as has been
said. There was no jewelry Of any kind
on the body, and no marks that could
be given for Identification. The features
of this woman were rather large, her
nose in particular being somewhat prom
inent. That she
WAS A PORTLAND WOMAN
the PRESS reporter feels eonfldens. He
has seen her on the streets of this city
many times and though he does not know
her by name he might be able to identi-
fly photograph.
The other body at lay lor's undertaking
shop was that of fne-looking man,
about So years old. His complexion was
fair and he had brown hair and eyes
The hair was not very thick upon the top
of his head and was inclined TO curl.
He looked
LIKE A PROFESSIONAL MAN
Of some kind, and certainly he WIS not q
laborer. The man was fully dressed.
His clothes we're of nice material and
finely made. There were no tradesmen'
marks of any kind upon them as far al
could be discovered. The coat was a
black diagonal sack. the trousers were
brown with stripe in them. The mar
wore silk underwear, but the marks up
on the articles, il there ever were any
could not be distinguished. He wore I
pink necktie and had shirt stud con
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