The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-10-16
Several Of the Lifeboats Launched,
but One or More Dashed to Pieces
ON the Rocky shore.
AN UNFORTUNATE VESSEL
ENGINES SAID TO HAVE BEEN DE-
FECTIvE AND BOILERS LEAExY.
Wife of Novelist Crane and other
Americans Reported Among the
Missins-stories Told by Survivors.

FALMOUTH. Eng, Oct. 15.-It is now
known that over one hundred lives were lost
by the sinking CT the British steamer Mo-
hogan, of the Atlantic Transportation Com
pany, yesterday in the vicinity of the Lizard
between the Manacles and the Lowlands.
The Mohegan was formerly the Cleopatra,
Of the Wilson and Furness-Leyland line.
She left London for New York ON Thursday
having on board, as far as can be ascer-
tanned at present, ffty-nine passengers and
crew of lis officers and men. When the
steamer was seen to be in distress, lifeboats
put off from the shore and every effort pos
sible was made to save the passengers. The
coast, at this point, is extremely dangerous
and has been the scene of numerous wrecks.
The general opinion at present is that the
machinery of the Michigan became disabled
during the heavy westerly gale which was
blowing and that she ran ashore and foun-
dered. A number Of tugs which put out
from this point to the assistance of the
Mohegan were compelled to return without
being able to approach the vessel, owing to
the severity of the weather prevailing.
A lifeboat landed thirty-one of the pas
sengers and crew of the Mohegan. One Of
the former, a woman, died after being
brought ashore. Another lifeboat landed
sixteen more of the survivors and, as life
boats put out from a number of places,
hopes are expressed that the number Of
survivors may be increased. One of the
sixteen persons saved in the second boat
to reach shore is a lady. All of the sur
vivors are in pitiable condition and some
of them have been badly injured by waves
and rocks and are suffering from bruises
and torn and fractured limbs.
The officials Of the transportation COM
pany believe the most of the passengers
were Americans who were returning home.
Captain Grifiths. who is missing, was for
merly captain of the Manitoba and then
captain of the Minneawaska, which was
sold to the United States government for
use as a transport during the war with
Spain. Two of the Mohegan's boats, filled
with passengers, went down the channel,
but no news of them has since been OBJ
tanned
From the best evidence obtainable at st.
Keverine, it appears that the Mohegan
foundered five minutes after she struck the
rocks. She was going at full speed and
struck twice, stopped and rapidly settled
into the water AS the captain and the ex-
ecutive officers of the steamer went down
with her it has been impossible thus far to
ascertain how she got out Of her course, as
Falmouth light and the coast were visible.
Among the incidents recited is the, escape
of the Pembertons. Mr.. Pemberton jumped
into lifeboat, his wife threw him their
two children, then she leaped into the boat
herself and thus the whole family was
saved. 1t is now known that John Hyslop
and the valet Of T. w. King are among the
saved. The bodies of six persons, four males
and two females, have been picked up and
landed here. The body of r. "A. Baxter, one
of the passengers, has been identified.
A dispatch from st. Keverine says: In
the lower end of the church here lie fifteen
bodies, among them those of four women
and one twelve-year-old girl The bodies
are laid out reverently. The faces of the
victims present sad sight, showing how
rudely the waves and rocks played with
their features. The whole village and neigh
borhood are alive with excitement and
knots OF men linger about talking with the
rescued members of the crew 1t is ex-
ceedingly difficult to trace the events of the
disaster, but so far as can be ascertained
ii seems that the weather was not thick
but that strong southeast wind was blow
ing and that there was a heavy ground
swell on and strong current running. Din
ner was ready and Captain Griffith was
about to proceed to the saloon when a sud
den crash made it apparent that the steam-
er had gone ashore. The captain Immediate
ly went on deck and the survivors saw they
saw him on the bridge doing all that Ia
in the power of a brave man to lessen the
disaster.
Authentic particulars of the events &C.
curing after the ship struck are not vet OH
tainable 1t seems, however, that one of the
ships boats containing several women got
away safely, but was capsized. A number
Of its occupants were rescued by lifeboats
Another boat with sixteen hands was piclred
up by lifeboat and safely got ashore and
two or three other persons managed IN
reach land.
Out of the 161 persons on board As es-
capped. Up to a late hour tonight ahou+
thirty bodies have been washed ashore AZ
different points. A southerly wind is now
blowing and it is expected that the bodies
Of many more victims will be recovered
by tomorrow. An inquest will be held on
Monday.
The survivors, without exception, speak
in the highest terms of the devotion. hero
ism and GOODNESS displayed by the officers
and crew of the Inflated steamer, and de-
clare that all were instantly at their posts
when 1t was known that she had struck
The perilous position of the ship was no
ticed on shore and warning rocket was
sent up, but 1t was too late then to avoid
the catastrophe which occurred so suddenly
that there was not sufficient time to get
.all the life-saving apparatus out of the
ship. The terror of the scene was indescrib-
able-men jumped overheard in an agony
Of despair and the women passengers hud~
died together and refused to leave the deck
The officers remained on the bridge to the