The Portland daily press., 1899-07-11

eagerly psering into the dense mist. en-
deavoring to catch sight OF soine evil
dences of land or civilization. The Portia
took tho shoal with o dull, grinding
shock that s3nt thrill from stem to
stern and brought all on deck to their
test in alarm while all below hurried into
the open air In terror, to learn what had
happened. Tbs steamer came to sudden
stop and the engines, which were imme-
diately reversed, refused to pull her OF.
In ths long strong swell, her stern moved
gently mp and down but her bow held i'm
novably to the rocks. The water came
in so fast below that few minutes were
lost before the life boats were made ready
to abandon the ship and when her com-
mander found her filling so rapidly that
the lives Of the people on board were be-
coming imperilled, he gave the order to
make for the shore. Few of the passengers
yentured below to recover their valuables
after they learned that they were In
danger ana 1t Is reported that none Of
them saved their ordinary belongings.
The Po.tia had an unusually large mum.
ber of passengers on board and her state
rooms were crowded. The passenger list
was lost as we'll as all the ships papers,
unless they can be recovered later and the
names cannot be ascertained here tonight
AS there were III people all told on board
1t Is estimated there were at least so pas
sengsrs, practically all summer tourists
on a pleasure trip. AS soon as the news
Of the wreck was received by +. u. Cor
bett g. Co., Halifax agents of the Red
Cross line, steps were taken to despatch
steam tugs to the scene from the CITY
In shcrt time TO steamers A. q. Whit
ney and s. l.. y. Boyer were on their
way down ths harbor and 1t Is expo oted
that, though the fog will cause some
detention, they will he able to reach
Inner Sambro island before one O'Clock
In the morning. both steamers carried
supplies of provisions for the passengers
arrives Will probably have consumed all
the eatables on Inner Sambro.
The Whitney will take all the Portals
passengers on board and start as soon as
possible for Halifax, while the Boyer will
take care of the crew and visit the wreck
to see what condition IL Is in.
Captain Farrell's report to the agents
Is not very hopeful as to the chances of
the Portia ever getting off the shoal or
indeed that she will hold together very
long. When he abandoned her, he con-
oluded the cnse almost hopeless. Tbs
Portia was recently renovated for the
summer passenger traffic and was In first
GLASS condition for the seasons opera
tions. She had a large cargo on board,
part for Halifax and the remainder for
st. Johns, N. II. A number of passen-
gers had tickets for st. Johns intending
TO make the round trip.
The steamer Silvia OF the same.line was
entering the hartor from the eastward at
the very hour th3 Portia struck on Big
Fish but being several miles distant from
the s,ene OF the disaster she knew nath-
ing of 1t until she got to her dock at nine
O'Clock. Captain Clarke says the fog out
side was very thick and he had to pro-
coed with great caution.
The Portia was an iron schooner -rigged
screw steamer OF 49, tons register, 2x0
feet long, 81 feet wide and 23 l-2 feet
deep. She was built at Newcastle In 1884
and was owned by G. I. Bowring s. Co.,
of New York.
A reporter of the Associated Press who
reached Sambro village at 1.30 a. M,
telephones that Capt. Farrell has returned
to Inner Sambro island to attend to the
welfare Of the Portals passengers. Capt.
Farrell states that when he left the
steamer she was sinking rapidly, but on
account of the fog it could not be seen
after abandoning her whether she disap-
peared or not The passengers at Inner
Sambro number rs, of whom so are
women. The Portia was about three
miles out of her course when the disaster
befel her.
Halifax, N. s., July i1.-One of the
steamers sent to the scene OF the Portia
wreck was reported entering the harbor
on her return at 3. 30 a. m.