The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1899-09-30
MONSTERS or THE DEEP
Brutal Amateur Sailors Of the
Wrecked Steamer Scotsman
ROBBED IMPBRrLGD PASSENGERS.


Little Food and shelter.
Montreal. Que, Sept. 3O.-Two hun
! dred and fifty scautily clad baggage
| bereft men. women and children were
| on board OF the intercolonial special
/ which steamed into Bonaventure de
| pot last night They comprised the
! greater number of those who sailed
/ from Liverpool on Sept. IA on board
! the steamer Scotsman. bound for Mon
/ treal, who were wrecked on the shores
\ of the Straits of Belle Isle early on the
morning of the 21st. Fifteen of the
Scotsman's passengers had perished
all suffered cruelty from cold and
priyation, and almost the worst hor-
ror Of all. the men who were supposed
| to succor and assist these committed
to their care, in the hour OF need
| turned on the helpless passengers, ard
| with loaded guns and revolvers com
PEELED them to part with the few val
uables saved.
Captain Skrimshire and his officers
were exceptions. For the honor Of
the British merchant marine, the
crime may not be ,scribed to the men
engaged In 1t. but to a gang Of wharf
rats and hangers on. picked up on the
docks at Liverpool to replace the usual
crew of the Scotsman, winch Joined
the seamen's strike on the other side
The list of those who perished is
as follows:
First class passengers: Miss Street
Montreal; Mrs. Childs, wife of the
stage manager of the Sign of the
Cross company; Mrs. Roberts and in
FAINT; Mrs. NJ. Scott; Mrs. Robinson,
wife of the manager of the Sunlight
Soap company, Of Toronto; Miss Rob
inson; Mrs. Dickinson, wife of former
editor of the Toronto Globe
Second class passengers: Mrs NJ
Scott, Mrs. Watson. Mrs. Talbot, Mrs.
Tuthill, Mrs. Shelton, Mrs Eliza Wat
kins and Miss B. Weayers.
The Scotsman sailed from Liverpool
on Sept. IA. The passage to the
Straits of Belle Isle was a fair one
though the green crew in the stoke
hole lessened the speed of the ship so
that when she reached Belle Isle she
was about a days run behind her
usual average Entering the Straits
of Belle Isle on Thursday night a
dense fog blanketed down on the ves-
sci and made navigation a matter OF
great caution, at all times in the
straits precarious undertaking. The
speed of the ship was reduced and she
felt her way in. At 2 o'clock in the
morning there was a shock under
meath the keel of the vessel. followed
by another and another. The passen-
gers were asleep iii their berths, and
all were awakened by the shocks.
On deck the thick bank of fog shut
ein Of oh
ran hither and thitner, but Captain
Skrimshire and his officers went
among them, calming their fears. A
superficial examination of the ship
told the captain that she would be a
total wreck, and that she must be
abandoned at once.
port lifeboat was lowered and in
this many of the women and children
were placed. Hardly was it clear of
the ship when it capsized, throwing its
occupants into the water. Those who
perished were in this boat. Some
were saved, for the ship had listed to
port and several women we're washed
back onto the deck One woman clung
to a rope for two hours before being
rescued.
Meanwhile disgraceful scenes were
being enacted on board. Hardly had
the vessel struck before men from the
stoke hole rushed into the cabins and.
Sitting open valises and bags with
their knives, took all the valuables
they could lay their hands on. Several
of them fired shotguns and tried to
force men to leave their cabins.
1t is said that some of the steerage
passengers Joined the fremen in loot
ing the baggage of the first class pas
sengers. In more than one instance
rings were torn from the fingers of |
fainting and dying women. Captain |
Skrimshire and his officers could do |
nothing against the mob.
When morning came it was found |
that the Scotsman lay close in shore. |
alongside a cliff fully a thousand feet |
high. second boatload of women |
and children which had been sent off
was called back and the passengers
transhipped to the rocks alongside the
ship.
Until $50 the officers and some of
the crew of the Scotsman worked un-
ceasingly in getting the passengers
ashore and when darkness and a heavy
fog set in they were safe on the rocks.
But here the new danger of starvation
faced them. The lower decks of the
ship were entirely under water.
A quantity of biscuit was carried
on shore, and on this, with very lit
tie corned beef and wild berries, over
2)0 people existed for four days. Some
natural springs were found, but despite
this the bad conditions of food and
water brought on much sickness.
Many of the passengers suffered from
the exposure. After much difficulty
some overcoats and shawls were Sc
cured for the women, nearly every
cne of whom had left the ship in their
night clothes.
The passengers were Obliged to climb
up rocky cliff nearly 300 feet high
before they could find a place large
enough to rest. Here they stayed on
the rocks for four days and nights.
The first night they had absolutely no
shelter, but on Saturday the captain
sent up tarpaulins and blankets.
II was not until the 26th that the
Montfort came along and took off 1850
lf the passengers, and the steamer
irecian, which soon after came in
sight, took the remainder.
A Frightful Blunder
Will often cause a horrible Burn, Scald,
ut or Bruise. Bucklens Anica Salve, the
est in the vuor1I IL.