The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1900-11-28
SHIP SINKS IN A GALE
The City Of Monticello Founders in
. the Bay Of Fundy.
OVER THIRTY LIVES ARE LOST

Only Four of Those Aboard Saved-Seven
Get Away in q Small Boat, But Three
Steamer on Her Way From st. John
to Yarmouth-Wrecked on a Reef.
Halifax, n. S. (SpeciaD.-The worst
marine disaster in the long list of
steamers wrecked among the rocks
and shoals at the entrance to the Bay
of Fundy occurred when the steamer
City of Monticello, owned by the Var
mouth Steamship Company, whose
boats ply between Halifax and st.
John, N. B.. and Yarmouth and Bos-
ton, was lost in the breakers and her
crew of thirty and three passengers
perished. The steamer was over
whelmed by the mountainous seas
only four miles from her destination.
A heavy gale was raging" at the time,
and there was 4 tremendous sea.
The City of Monticello left st. John
at eleven o'clock 4. III. A fierce south
east gale was blowing, but the steamer
pushed on in its path. The gale be-
came a hurricane and terrible sea
beat upon the rocky Yarmouth coast.
Captain T. NJ. Harding was in COM
mand of the City Of Monticello. Be
fore he was aware Of it his steamship
was on a reef and the terrible break
ers off Chegoggin Point were raging
around the craft. and sweeping over
her decks. .-, g..
Two boats were lowered as quickly
as possible. Captain A. Norman
Smith, of the steamer Pharsalia, had
boarded the City of Monticello at st.
John. Three women on board-Elsie
Mcdonald, colored, Of Yarmouth
Kate Smith, stewardess, and another
were put in the first boat, and with
them wei Captain Smith, Second Of
ficer Nehmiah Murphy, Third Officer
James e. Flemming and Quartermas-
ter Wilson Cook. .,..
The small boat, with Captain, Smith
and six others, was driven by, the
hurricane over the mountainous waves
and dashed upon the beach. Elsie Nc
Donald, one of the other women, and
Murphy were seized by the undertow
and carried back to sea-. A returning
wave hurled Murphy against the rocky
beach with such violence that he was
instantly killed. Kate Smith, Captain
Smith, Wilson Cook and James FlenN
ming were saved with trifling injuries.
The other boat that put off from the
City Of Monticello was not seen again
by any of those saved, and there is
not the slightest doubt that she was
lost. No one knows who got into her
from the. steamer. : ~
Among the passengers were Captain
Smith, who was coming to Halifax'to
join his ship; A. S. Eldridge, a mer-
chant Of Yarmouth, wife, and two chill
dren; Miss Elsie Macdonald. Of Var
mouth; ]. G. Fripp, of Woodstock, N.
B.; o. W. Coleman. of New Glasgow,
n. S., and John Richmond, married, Of
Sussex, N. B. The three latter were
commercial travellers. Captain Smith.
Mr.. Eldridge, and Miss Macdonald
were saved.
The list of lost includes many we'll
known local navigators. Captain
Thomas Harding, the master Of the
Monticello who is among the lost,
leaves a wife and one daughter, at
present residing in Yarmouth. The
first officer Of the Monticello, who act
ed as pilot, was Captain Harvey New
all, native Of Newellton, Cape Sable
Island, Shelburne,. He leaves a fami
~. Second Officer Murphy leaves
wife in Yarmouth. Steward Hopkins
belonged in Darlington Passage, and
is survived by widow and severa.
children. The purser, E. II. Hilton,
was native of Yarmouth and unmar-
ried. Chief Engineer Greig was a
native of Scotland and resided in Yar-
mouth.
I Practically all of the deck hands and
the remainder of the crew belonged
along the shore. between Yarmouth
and Lockport, and many of them
leave wives and children. -,
= The steamer City of Monticello was
!. bought by the Yarmouth Steamship
Company few years ago for $50, 900.
for their line on the south shore of
Nova Scotia, and was insured for
S25,000. She was q side-wheeler, and
before going on her present route was
engaged in the Gulf Of st. Lawrence
and later in thp Raw of Fundv roI1ta