The Portland daily press., 1898-12-01

OF the deep sand. On reaching provinces
town Mr.. hooper sought out the bodies
there hoping to find one of them to be
HIS FATHER OR BROTHER
! But he could not identify them. Mr..
Hooper went to Orleans and afterwards
took team and drove to Chatham to see
two more bodies which hat. been cast up
there by the sea.
Mr.. Blair of Boston was another pas
senger on this train. He formerly came
from Boothbay and is cousin Of George
Kenniston, Jr., the Bowdoin student,
who was lost on the Portland. Young
Kenniston had been in Boston over
Thanksgiving and had been visiting Mr..
Blair With tears in his eyes Mr.. Blair
told how he had said good bye to young
Kenniston on Saturday night before ne
left on the boat.
Louis and e. B. Mitchell of Cambridge
were on this train. They formerly nveu
in Portland and were hunting Tor tne
body of Mrs. Mitchell who had taken the
boat with her daughter to visit Portland.
There were many other persons on this
train too, who were hunting Tor the
bodies of friends or relatives; losu. All u
these people together with ethe army OF
newspaper men took the early morning
train out Of Proyincstown for bosoon.
The most of this party got of the train az
Orleans. 1t took the train over tnree
hours to make this distance between
rrovincetown and Orleans owing 10
several bad washouts. AT one place
where there WIS long transfer to %
made the railroad company lad failed 20
provide teams enough to carry all the
passengers, many of whom were women.
Part Of the passengers got the teams Tor
the transfer. These were mostly men.
The others had to walk about half mile
through slush and sand, over ponds on
the tops of rails and sleepers to another
train which carried them piece further
and there were other transfers to be made
1t was blowing and storming now at
fearful rate Taking it all in all il was a
mos unc orfortable and
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.
Those on thu train who were hunting
for the bodies of relatives, suffered the
most from these long and tedious waits
and transfers. They we're all anxious to
get to Orleans. The train barely crawlsd
through the bleak and desolate country,
devoid of trees or houses with nothing
but sand, sand, sand, and big ponds OF
water where tho sea had broken through
the bluffs along shore and washed out
the railroad tracks.
At Orleans the most of this crowd was
dropped, but few others pushed on. 1t
was the first train to Boston since Satur-
day and Delated gunners, business men
and others were picked up in the towns
along ths way. They all had stories TO
tell of thu fearful gale and storm. Words
fail when it is attempted to describe the
oesoiation and devastation seen all along
ths Cape. One long transfer was made
through the town of Sandwich. Here
whole orchards of fruit trees had been
TORN IN by the roots. the big shade trees
along the roads were nearly all down.
HOUSES WERE UNRooFED,
bricks from chimneys Uttered the streets,
fences blown across the fields and on
every side there was the picture of disas-
ter and damage. At the end of this
transfer other Portland people were met
who had left Boston on the morning train
bound for the end of the Cape TO identi-
fy bodies. Among these was MIR. T. L..
Moseley of Portland, who was looking for
the body of his sister. This train did not
get into Boston until late in the after
noon and the Boston newspapers for the
afternoon which relied on their stories
coming up by this train or by boat, were
unable to get single piece of informal
ton until aftsr their last editions had
gone to press. TIE PRESS publishes this
morning the first authentic story of the
disaster and the scenes along Cape Cod
which has been printed In the country.
Cape Cod is q grave yard. Hundreds
| of lives have been lost of its desc ate
shores. The citizens of Provincetowp are
doing all they can for those who come
searching for news or the bodies OF
friends, but this is very slight because
they have little to do with and have lost
very heavily themselves.
| MIR. Williams; the Boston agent of the
Portland line, talked for ling time
with the PRESS reporter about the dis
aster. He is very much depressed by ii
and has grown old in few days. He
said among other things: "Capt.
blanchard should not have left Boston.
/ can't understand why he did. " was
an awful mistake
| Again he said: 'sGod forgive me If
gave out information in boston which
was not true. | told the newspaper men
that the Portland was all right and in
Gloucester. hoped and prayed that she
would turn up all right some where. Nc
| men could have stood what the men in
the Boston office have been Obliged to &c
through in the past few days. 1t is hor-
rib1e. I"
MIR. Williams was tireless in his efforts
| to help those who came seeking bodies
of friends. He wanted the PRESS to tell