The times., 1899-09-30
STORY OF THE WRECK.
The Terrible Experience of the Scots
mans Pnssenxers

mans Passengers
RIMOuSkI, Quebec, Sept. 2s-The
steamer Montfort, with 249 of the Scots
mans passengers on board reached here
at II o'clock this morning. The Montfort
left at Rimouski all OF the Scotsman's
passengers on board. except some hfty-six
second cabin and steerage passengers who
were left on the island, and the passen-
gers and forty-fiye of the crew who were
taken OFF by the Monterey and carried to
! Liverpool. The passengers who were left
on the island will come to Rimouski on the
Allan Line steamer Germanic The story
told by the passengers who arrived here
this morning is one of untold hardship and
suffering. Mr.. Wilson, who was represent
ing the firm of Christy & Co.. OF London
was a passenger ON board the Scotsman.
According to his story, the vessel struck
at 2:30 a. M, on Friday, September 81.
All the passengers were in bed There
was a dense fog at the time and the first
warning the passengers had was when
! the vessel struck the rock. There was a
crash and heavy grating sound as the
ship piled head on the rocks. In a mo-
ment all was confusion, and passengers
crowded the deck partly dressed, There
| the ships officers fearing the vessel would
slip back from the rock on which she had
! struck into deep water and founder or
! dered the boats lowered. The women and
children were lowered into the boats with
] great difficulty.
| One Of the boats foundered after it had
been filled with women and children. 1t
| is said by those who were in the boat
| that the plug was out and the boat filled
| with water, and it was through this acci-
dent that the loss Of life occurred. Four
boats in all were lowered and each was
! crowded with men and children. They
| put out to sea and remained as near the
| wreck as possible until daylight. Passen-
| gers, in the mean time, were lowered to
! the rocks. by means of ropes. BY Saturday
noon all the passengers had reached shore.
women and children being carried from the
wrecked ship to the rocks The conduct
of the crew was simply outrageous. No
sooner had the ship foundered than the
crew invaded all the cabins and attacked
the baggage Of the passengers. During the
night those brutes, in a disgustingly drunk
en- condition, staggered about among the
helpless passengers, swearing and singing
-ribald songs The ships officers were ut
terly unable to control the crew. being
busily engaged saving the lives of the pas
sengers.
Too much cannot be said of the courage
displayed by the women passengers. They
behaved nobly. 1t Is hard to say what
was the cause of the accident, but it is ey-
ident the ship was entirely out of her
course. The crew, it may be stated was a
picked up one, owing to the seamens
strike at Liverpool.
QUEBEC, Sept 29.-Several relatives of
the Scotsman's passengers were here today
to Of hot Dol of
Toronto, came this morning to meet his
wife and daughter, the latter girl of nine
teen, returning from visit to Europe.
Here he met c. Z. Carr, of Andover n. H,
who also came TO meet wife and daughter
II. P. Dwight, President and General Man.
/ ager of the Great Northwestern Telegraph
Company of Canada was here from Toronto
on a similar errand. Early in the day Mr.
Dwight received a message assuring him
of the safety of his wife and daughter.
Mr.. Carr became much alarmed at receiving
no news but succeeded in obtaining an
answer to his enquiry whether any private
message concerning his wife and family had
passed through the Quebec office. This
elected the fact that message had gone
| through from Mrs. Carr to her home in
Andover, telling of the safety of herself
and daughter.
Mr.. Robinson was just as anxious for
news of his wife and child list Of the
lost received by telegraph was handed him
and the names of Mrs. and Miss Robinson
were there. The bereaved husband and
father became SO i'll that he had to be
assisted to carriage and at his hotel a
doctor was summoned. The manager OF
| the Frontenac and other kind friends Pro-
cured him a ticket and saw him on board
a train for bis home.
When the train with the survivors was
expected this afternoon Mrs. w. Peid,
| of Quebec, was on the platform to well
come her daughter and friend, Miss
Duncan, of Montreal, wealthy lady who
had been to England with a travelling COM
| panion. She brought with her for her
/ friend some handsome flowers. She almost
tainted when she saw Miss Duncans name
| among the list of the drowned.