The Portland daily press., 1898-12-01

teeth of the gale. Perhaps he dlun o
try to make this port on account OF ene
very thick snow which practically opiiset-
ated every light on the coast. Whap No
probably did try to do was to hold the
steamer up into the wind and wisn .
littls canvass spread try and keep her up
into the gale.
The sea in Boston bay became
tremendous, and the Portland with nef
high upper works must have gone toioo
yard towards the cspes in spite OF all nei
engines could do.
Finally along towards morning WIN
the gale still increasing and blowing
harder every minute the big seas COM
msnced to play havoc with the steamer
Undoubtedly Captain Blanchard and MS
officers made brave tight for their lives,
but who can tell of the difficulties and
dangers which they fought against? It IS
certain that the Portland finally pounded
herself to pieces against the big waves.
That she became unmanageable some
time before she went down is shown by
the fact that her wheel, which was washed
ashore at Orleans
WAS dashed,
showing that it had been abandoned by
the pilots before the vessel broke up. Per
hapst they tried to launch their boats and
lifa rafts, but it is impossible that any
boat could have lived minute in that
saa. Had they been launched successfully
the people in them could never have lived
long in the terrible snow storm and gale.
So far the Portland's boats and life RATS
have not been found. Neither have any of
the larger timbers of the hull come upon
the beach. There are tinbers scattered
along the back side of the cape for miles
to be sure. but the life savers say they do
not think they come from the Portland,
as the most of them have been broken
away from the hulls of some schooners
which were wrecked along here.
The Portland's upper works, built OF
light material was the first to part from
the ship. This was smashed into
thousands of pieces and none Of 1T that
came upon tina beach was larger than
kindling wood. Some of the saloon furni-
ture, stateroom toilet stands, windows.
lattice work, mattresses, cushions an
other things of this kind were to be found
III plenty. but not particle of the ships
tlmhers were to be seen. From the evil
dences seen along the back shore of the
cape and strewn for miles away to the
south it would seem that the Portland
separated her deck house and hull and
-, 10 ,ottn xJaP
suddenly. There is little reason to believe
that the ship ran ashore, but there is
everything to show
THAT SHE FOUNDERED
some miles off the coast where her wreck
age is now strewn.
Mr.. Williams, the Boston agent of the
Portland line, told PRESS reporter in
Provincetown yesterday morning that he
believed there were about l05 passengers
on the Portland. Up to the time the
PRESS reporter left Provincetown only
IS of the bodies had been thrown up by
the sea. Many Of the bodies of these per-
sons may never be found, but the people
along Cape Cod seem to think that a
QTG1Uef ptIb VI blloi4 WALL NO 4OAbo GoOAiNA
or later. Some OF these persons may have
gone down with the wreck which must
have sank as soon as her deck houses
were washed away. If this is the case
these bodies will probably be the last to
be found.
AT THE BOSTON OFFICE.
seekers For information Game and Went
All Day.
ESPECIAL TO THE PREsss
Boston, Nov meber 30.-Ihis has besn
another day of sad scenes in the Office of
the Portland Steam Packet company. 1t
was early in the NOR ming when the first
seekers for information arrived and all
day they came and went, women in tears
and men with sorrow written on their
faces. The Office is small room and at
times the space outside the railing was
crowded. All that the officials could do
was to assure the people that every effort
was being made TO obtain intelligence
and that as soon as news arrived every
thing possible would be done to place 1t
before the public.
AS new corners appeared with their re-
quests for information, they were handed
few sheets of paper on whoh were writ
ten the descriptions of the bodies found
These were handed from one to another
and eagerly scanned, but either they were
not accurate or the friends OF these
victims had not arrived, for there were
no recognitions.
Sometimes the monotony OF questions
and answers was varied as when one lady,
down whose face the tears were stream
ing, handed package of photographs to
the man behind the desk, with the state
ment that they were portraits OF her
sister, who was among the lost, and
might help in the Identification. There
was lull in the buzz of talk as the
woman who had brought the pictures was
lead from the room.
TIE spirit of kindliness and fellowship
was sapparent in the snatches of conversa-
tion between those who waited. One
woman. who was crying as she spoke,
| said to her neighbor. stBut of course,