Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1898-10-29


cape in the Lifeboats, and the Gall
liant Officers Went Down With Their
Doomed Vessel.
London, Oct 1.-THE steamer Mohe-
gan, of the Atlantic Transfer company,
was wrecked last Friday evening. OF
the 144 persons ON board, including 80
passengers, % were lost.
Many persons undoubtedly were kill
ed by being dashed on the rocks who
would have escaped if cast ashore on
an ordinary coast. Some of the bodies
are horribly mangled.
The cause of the disaster remains the
profoundest mystery. Nobody attempts
to explain how the Mohegan got sc
far north of her true course-from six
to seven miles. There was no log at
the time, while the wind on her port
quarter was not sufficient to prevent
her answering the helm 1t has been
suggested that the compass was faulty,
but daylight lasted long Gfter Eddy
stone light was passed. The sailors
say the fact that the Lizard light was
not visible should have served to give
the alarm.
Remarkable stories of rescues con-
tinue, Robert Barrow, a seaman, per-
formed the feat of swimming unaided
through the toughest water to Cove
rack Point, a distance of two and one
half miles. He climbed up the ragged
cliff, where a searching party found
him early the next morning completely
exhausted A. c. l.. Smith, of Oregon,
a passenger, surrendered to a woman
in the water wreckage that was sup
porting him and swan ashore unaided.
The woman was saved.
The crew, in a chivalrOus effort to
save the women made the mistake of
undermining the boats. There were
only four sailors in one boat, which
capsized as soon as it was launched.
Messrs Smith and Bloomingdale say
that Captain Griffiths had appeared i'll
all day.
The heroism of the English coast
patrol and the discipline Of the Saxon
sailors stand out boldly. The Mohegan
smashed upon the rocks at the Man
acles off the Lizard at o'clock Friday
evening while the passengers We're at
dinner.
From the best evidence obtainable at
St Keverine it appears that the Mo-
hogan foundered five minutes after she
struck the rocks. She was going at
full speed. struck twice, stopped and
rapidly settled into the water. AS the
captain and the executive officers of
the steamer went down with her it has
been impossible thus far to ascertain
how she got out of her course, as Fal-
mouth Light and the coast were Wis
ible.
Dinner was ready and Captain Grit
fiths was about 10 proceed to the sa-
loon when a sudden crash made it APP
parent that the steamer had gone
ashore The captain Immediately went
on deck, and the survivors say they
saw him on the bridge doing all in his
power to lessen the disaster.
There was a rush for the boats, but
the officers stood firm and put the
women aboard first. Captain Griffith
stuck to his post on the bridge shouting
orders through a trumpet until he went
down with the ship. one passenger
cut away the falls of a lifeboat with
razor and thus saved several lives.
AS soon as the Mohegan struck the
shrieks of the passengers were waited
ashore and the Port Houstock iifeboat
Immediately put out. The life savers
did noble work, and the Port Houstock
nOdL was AIiilittAldttl9 lOlAoNEA ny
others There was high sea running,
as the result of a gale which made
it necessary for tugs which put out to
turn back.
The terror of the scene was indie
scribable-men jumped overheard in an
agony Of despair and the women pas
sengers hudded together and refused
to leave the deck. The officers remained
on the bridge to the last and many
instances of sacrifice are recorded.
Members of the crew are known to
have stood by and watched the boats
launched and put off when it was APP
parent that these were the only means
by which their own lives could be
saved.