The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-10-04
TALE OF SCOTSMAN WRECK.
NEW YORK WOMAN, VINO WAS
ABOARD, RELA TIES HER EXPERIENCE.

80 by RB Feet-Awful Suffering of Pas
SenEers on the Isiand-walked for Hours
in tho TrencheTous Mud OF tho Marsh.
Two passengers from the wrecked steamsh In
Scotsman. which went ashore on the rocks OF
Belle Isle or Sept. 81. reached their home in
this city on Monday. and are now recovering
from the effect OF the terrible hardships through
which they passed. They are Mrs. p. Walton
Aims and her daughter. Miss Aims. who
live at East 10th street. Both are still sut-
fering from hard colds and from nervousness.
and Miss Aims is unable to walk. having
sprained her ankle in the tramp across Belle
Isle. and having walked on 1t for six hours after
1t was sprained. She was sufficiently recovered.
however. to toll the story of the wreck and
what followed to Sun reporter Yesterday.
Both Mrs. and Miss Aims are experienced
travellers. Theyk abroad nearly every sum-
mer. but they had never before travelled by
tho Dominion Line. The cause OF their return
by this route was that they wanted to soc
something OF Canada They were both
sleepess tho night OF the wreck and
were awake at , O'Clock when the
ship struck The only warning thoy had was
blast OF the foghorn. Their cabin was on the
starboard aide. amidships. and the heavy list
which the ship at once took throw them
against the wall. 1t was with great difficulty
that they managed to get out of their berths
and dress. and Miss Aims has always made up
her MUD what she would do in case OF
shipwreck. and she now proceeded to
do it, First OF all she made a few
inquiries. aud. being notified that the ship was
not going down mediately. returned to hor
cabin with life preservers for herself and her
moth which she had succeeded in getting.
Then they packed their valuables in 4 small
grip and won't on deck What happened there
after Miss Aims describes as follows:
1T was misty and cold with a heavy wind
blowing. but we could plainly see the rocks
right ahead and over the starboard rail. So
heavy was the list to port that the starboard
boats hung directly over the exposed under
body and could not be lowered. The passengers
were. as u rule. wonderfully quiet and coura-
geous / saw only two women who were badly
frightened. Mrs. Childs and Miss Street. who
ran about wrtngng their hands and crying
They were both lost In the first boat lowered.
That boat did not see go down. My mother
and / were let down by ropes into
the jollyboat. which was in charge Of
the fourth oflcer. Mr. Jones. TO whose courage
and good ssamanship we all owe our
lives. Thirteen women and two children
we're in our boat. and we had but four sailors
two Of whom were kept constantly bailing for
one OF the plugs was out. 1t was very rough.
and bail as the men would. the water gained
until the waves began to break into the boat.
! had put flask OF whiskey into my satchel
and this gave to the men when they showed
signs Of exhaustion. Finally. Mr.. Jones
took the two other sailors away
from the oars and had them
all bail until he could locate the hole and
stop 1t with an improvised plug. We were
out ten hours skirting up and down
the coast without finding a place prac-
tioable for a landing, and all this time
il was SO cold that We were numb. About2
o'clock In the afternoon the captain ordered
us back on board. as a rope had been
sung to the shore. He had feared
that tho ship would slip OF the ledge on which
she rested and 60 down. but the danger OF that
seemed to be passed. as the tide had fallen and
she still maintained her place. As soon as
got aboard | went to our cabin to get some
dry clothes from trunk that had locked In
the passage u rough looking man stopped me.
You better get OUT he said. The ships
likely 10 sink any moment
THE captain said she was safe for a time
l said.
Don't think it, he said Get up on deck.
This is no place for you
This is where I'm going to stay told
him. and went into my cabin and shut the
door.
Our cabin was sight. Everything had
been taken out. even the rugs and cushions.
anu IL was evident tHat somepouy huu kono
through that room thoroughly. My locked
trunk had withstood assault. and l got a rug
and some dry clothes from that and packed a
small grip with some necessaries. Then re-
locked the trunk. but aiterward l found a
dress from it on shore. so somebody must have
broken it open after | left. As for the grip.
when / started to 60. a sailor told me to leave
it: that it would be sent all right after
me. / left it. When next saw it
all my things had been taken out:
even the inside pockets had been torn
away; and it was packed with whiskey and
canned food. l saw other grips that had been
sashed open with knives One passenger
found two OF the firemen in his cabin and
drove them out as they were packing up some
Of his things.
I'VE weren't aboard long. They sent us
ashore one by one on life line, and We were
then told to climb to a sheltered ledge 300 feet
up the cliff which was about 1000 feet high.
That climb | shall never forget. 1t
took us nearly two hours to make the
500 feet OF ascent. zig-zagging from
ledge to boulder wherever we could
find hand-hold or foot-rest to raise our
weight. After We reached the ledge We were
IS IS feet and there were fully 300 persons on
Vt s St 5oG% ha 10
each othori This helped us to keep warm. how
from the ship and from time to time we
shouted. Once we sighted schooner. but she
went by without needing us. 1t was said that
there was n lighthouse less than four miles
away, and men were sent out to bring mid. A
guide came over from the lighthouse later and
took some OF the men back with him, but said
that no woman could stand the trim. At l.
O'Clock another lighthouse man arrived and my
mother and l resolved to go back with him. |
hired two stewards to LOOK after mother as she
has estimate trouble. and | knew she would
mead holm First Of all a had n climb the 700
feet OF cliff remaining. How wa ever did 1t l