The evening times., 1898-10-31
A MoHEaAN SURVIVOR.
Miss ROudebush Returns to America
and Tells Her St0ry.-------.

Miss ROudebush Returns to America
and Tells Her story.
New York, Oct 31-Miss Maud Roude-
bush the opera singer, professionally
known as Maud Rondez. arrived Saturday
evening from Liverpool on the Cunard
steamship Etruria She Is the first sur
vivor of the wreck of the Atlantic Trans
port liner Mohegan which went down off
the Lizard on October IA, to reach an
American port. She brought with her
the body of her mother, who was vic
tim OF the disaster.
Miss Roudebush was still somewhat
upset from her experience, and her story
was told In slightly disjointed way.
She attributes her salvation to the stay
ing qualities of her trained voice She
said that all the passengers were in the
main saloon at dinner, about $40 O'Clock,
when the ship struck She and her
mother were just beginning to eat their
soup. 1t appeared to them as II the
ships bottom were being ripped out.
Miss Roudebush and her mother made
their way to the saloon companionway.
AS they stepped out on deck they turned
and saw a dozen or more of the passen-
gers calmly eating their dinner and the
walters as calmly serving it. Then there
was another and greater shock, and all
the ships lights went out. Nobody ap
peared to know what had happened.
Charles Duncan, one of the passengers,
shouted: Get the life preservers, They
knew then that they were in danger.
They had no trouble finding the life belts,
but they were unable to fasten them on
Two seamen helped them. They asked
the seaman what TO do, and the seaman
led the way aft, saying, Follow u.s., and
took them to lifeboat on the quarter.
Two boats were launched. The falls of
other boats appeared 10 be jammed.
Whatever was the matter with them, the
seamen were unable to swing them out.
Miss Roudebush and her mother were
helped into the quarter lifeboat, which
the men could not launch. One of the
men said: we cannot die like this" and
started forward with his mate. Miss
Roudebush said: "You are not going 10
leave us?" and one of them answered:
mo, come with u.s.. and they led her and
her mother to another boat. AS she went
along the slanting deck she noticed that
the rigging was black with men, most
of whom were sailors. She and her
mother got into another lifeboat, with
the help of the two men. In the boat
were Mrs Compton Smith. DR.. Fallows,
and Mrs. Duncan. They sat in the boat,
while the men tried to lower the boat
The tackle was out OF order. One man
called for a knife to cut the falls. The
man who had the knife dropped II while
attempting to pass 1t.
The steamship Iurched, and Miss Roude-
bush says she found herself in the sea
underneath the boat and clinging to a
thwart of the lifeboat. Her shoulders
were just out of the water. There was
lir rn lDGt i1ny- for tive.
minutes, she says The overturned boat
acted like a snuffer. She could see
nothing and the weight of herself and
her companions clinging to the thwarts
helped 10 keep the boat from righting
She heard old Mr.. Duncan, who was near
her, shouting with all his strength. But
his voice sounded muffled Presently his
shouts ceased, and she knew that he had
become exhausted and let go his hold.
She kept up a screaming which, she de-
clares did not exhaust her, because she
was used to vigorous vocal exercise. She
says the life savers who had come out
from the shore heard her and righted the
boat.
She was grasped by sturdy hands and
dragged into the life-savers boat. Her
mothers foot had become jammed in the
Mohegan's boat. and in cutting away
thwart 10 extricate her the life savers cut
off her foot. She died on shore from loss
of blood and shock.
Miss Roudebush attended the coroner $
inquest but did not testify, as she was told
she was not wanted. She says she does
not know what caused so many deaths,
but she believes that John Hyslops opin-
ion that the Iifeboats were hard to get at
is true, She had heard that Capt. Grit
iiths had left the bridge at p. m. leav-
ing the ship in command of the chief Off
GER who was relieved at 6 p. m. by the
third officer, said 10 be young and in
experienced man.
The Etruria had a rough voyage On
Tuesday night one of her seamen was
thrown to the deck and had two ribs
broken. Another sailor was knocked down
on Wednesday by the rolling of the ship
and his leg was broken.