The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1898-09-08
And The Publisher nodded hh head
npptc,inFly ard exclaimed
New, there's some sense 10 that.


by The sintin. Of La hoatsoeue ard tho
vlnl loas q llie IA tecaIled the accident
10 the Vile De HAVE OF the eame line ia
ls14, when the lsileT named ship VI.
struck Q. night and wctt dowu =, ouce.
carrying almost all 30 beard. riti.nliy
few were ihose who we're esved from tho
lsyIo. but among them vas i!s ptVlai
nen, New York lawyer Waihsas, and the
way in which be escsped 10 90 e1Ir.ordi
nary that II sounds Ike we'll eoncooted
tale instead Of the plail fae. that Mf,
Witihane vounhee IL 10 be.
The afternoon preceding DO acoilsai
TO the Havfc Mr.. Wlshsas. with saoshar
man. was on deck, and Mr. Wiuhaas vas
leaning against the uflran under the Gag
stth 10 the stern. AZ the two men ttood
there TALKING tho friend pn, hia hand on
the large lie buoy that waa baneias ove'
The tide and called Nc Winhsns' etten
tion TO it,
Look, be said. thaao life buoys ara ain
ply screaming iarcea, Thia one ont hero
is 30 stlfi aud hard with coata Of paint
tha. you conlin't get IT free without ent
ting II with knife.
Mr Wilthaua alttmptad to move Il, bul
found IL glued hard and last.
The friend took ont his knife and be
gan idly sticking II into the soft ine OF
the flagstaff sne amused himself 90 tho
rest of tho time that they talked before
they were interrupted by the dinner gong,
They both wont below.
Early tho next morning while The pss
sengers were sill asleep tho collision 90
CARED, and 10 tho mad panic that al once
followed Mr.. Witthaus did what be conid
10 get the women aud children into tho
life bonts. From tho fret he regarded
himself as doomed. Tor there were not
nearly boats enough for oil tho passengers
and il was evident that The ship vonld
float only few moments. Several women
whom be knew on bonrd be found places
Tor al once only TO see tho boats overluru
a. soon as they were launched aud ell go
down, one OF them With hrr two lttlo
children in her arms.
Horrihod and sickoned by The sight, ho
went back to the stern OF tho ship. which
was higher out OF tho water than tho bow,
to wait until he. too. went down, and
4 TODD leaning again on the tallrail. Az he
did so 10 u d ish ho recollected the conver
sation OF the afternoon before and looked
over tho rail. There still hing tho bouy
stiff and immovablo. and the inaiiaot OF
self preservation sprang Into life once
more. a knife TO free the baoy snd he
might be saved, but he had none with him
and TO find one was impossible with tho
ship liable to go down every minute.
At tho same moment his eye caught the
Hagatpii, and there whore his friend bad
evidently forgotten in tho afternoon be
fore, stuck the knife. With the haste OF
life and death Mr.. Witthaus pulled II out
and began TO saw away at the bouy, and
he freed il and threw himself of the deck
into the sea just in time to gel beyond the
vortex that came ss tho great ship went
down. sucking hundreds OF victims with
il. Mr.. Witthsus Hps.ed about for some
time. and was at last picked up by small
boat that was waiting about for chance
survivors and was brought back 10 New
to tell OF one Of tho most awful catas
trophies that ever happened at ses.