Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-07-12
BUT ONE LOST
AT the Wreck Of the Steamer
Portia Near Halifax.
As>rian Boy, Aged u, Supposed to
Have Sunk With Ship.
Miraculous Escape Of Crew Of Wrecked
Schooner Ida 1. Mutt.


ing of one person, an Asyrian hoy. II
years old, known only by the name of
Basha. who was travelling second-class
from New York to St. Johns, N. F.,
where his mother lives. The escape of
all the others on board the steamer,
numbering 20 passengers and p crew
of "a officers and men. is accounted eX-
traordinary. considering the perilous
and exciting incidents accompanying
the wreck.
The accounts of the wreck which
reached here, last evening, showed that
the passengers and crew had effected
the abandonment Of the doomed ship
with comparative ease, but the stories
Of the wreck brought to the city, this
| morning. by those who suffered and
lost by it, showed that the escape from
death was not accomplished so easily
as was indicated by last nights de-
tails.
The launching of the life boats was
effected as quickly as possible after the
Portia struck on Big Fish Shoal- The
steamer had mounted the rocks with a
terrible crash, the half speed at which
she was steaming carrying her partly
oNtl tiIt siiOt;l diiu Tic stIOiiS Soulu-
| west swell moving her gradually for
| ward and threatening to plunge her
| into deep water beyond. where a great
| many would have found watery graves
| were they not quickly released from
| their terrible danger.
No great excitement manifested
itself among the large party of pas
sengers. The calmness of almost
everybody was extraordinary. The w6-
| men conducted themselves with a de-
gree of self-possession remarkable un-
der the circumstances, though wrought
| with fears and separated for i time
| from husbands and brothers.
| Capt. Farrell and his officers proved
themselves equal to the occasion and
their well directed efforts on behalf of
those in their care, coupled with the
GOODNESS of the passengers and men to
| obey orders proved the salvation of the
ships entire company. All except the
poor little fellow whose death is mex
plicable because nobody can explain it
beyond stating the fact that he had
been there but wasn't there when they
came to look for him. He had been
seasick before the wreck occurred, and
ii was thought he might be lying down
| in some obscure part OF the vessel, but
search made as carefully as possible
under the hurried conditions failed to
discover him and there is no doubt that
he persisted. He was the only one lost
of the 1O4 men, women and children on
| the steamer.
The steamers A. c. Whitney and l..
Boyer. which left Halifax at 11.3o last
night returned this morning with the
whole party. They We're a sorry look
ing crowd Of pleasure seekers who
stepped ashore at the Red Cross Line
wharf. but though they looked tired
| and distracted, especially the women
| and children. their hearts were filed
with gratitude at their happy deliver
| ance from the dangers of the night.
| Many of them We're without head COW
| ering and not more than two or three
carried satchels, while larger pieces Of
| baggage were nowhere in evidence, 1t
was clear that everything of their ordi-
| nary belongings had been swept away.
A number of them reported losing
money, and some of them said that
| they had lost jewels, but none told of
any very heavy loss of valuables. All
naturally lamented their inability to
save their personal baggage. but they
soon forgot this in the overwhelming
joy of their own preservation.
When Capt. Farrell returned to the
scene few hours later on the Sambro
lobster steamer Ralph E. s.. it was
found that the Portia had been carried
entirely over the shoal and sunk in
nine or 10 fathoms of water, a short
distance on the other SIDE only the top
masts being visible above the surface.
F. NJ. Clarke. a student of Stevens
College, but a resident of New York,
says one particularly brave act was
performed by the second engineer,
Thomas Service. The engineer opened
The furnace doors at the second shock
and in a moment a great rush of water
came Though and blackened the fires.
Clarke says that Service then scaled
a ladder and started the pumps to
work, SO as to relieve the steamers
hold of some water washing in. After
doing that, all the time suhjecting
himself to great danger, he hurried
back and opened the valves of the boil
ers. thus preventing an explosion.
MIR. and Mrs. Royal of New York,
were among the passengers. Royal Is
an artist and newspaper and maya
zine writer. He says all hands seemed
to be cool, the women particularly SO
under the trying circumstances. 1t
was a touching sight to see mothers
being lowered over the steamers side
with babies clinging to them for safe
ty. the little ones adding to the pitiful
scene by screaming frantically as the
waves dashed the boats against the
ships sides.
f. T. Wilson of New York, theat-
ricai man. was in the saloon when the
steamer struck. He lost no time in
reaching the deck and there assisted
the men to make ready the boats. The
ship began to go down forward slightly
and there was no time to be lost in
leaving. He had 800 in his vest pocket
in the state room but did not go after
it. Wilson had large wound inflicted
on the top of his head. Some one
threw cash box into the life boat and
it hit him. The flow of blood was
great and a woman tore a piece of
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