The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-11-12
GIVES UP DEAD.
Shore of Nova Scotia Strewn
With COrpses.
Only Four People on Board
Monticello Escaped.
BAY OF FUNDY WRECK.
1t Was the Worst Known For
Many Years.
BAY OF FUNDY WRECK.
Sad Scenes Are Witnessed
Along the Sea Shore.


of Monticello which foundered Satur-
day morning, and 25 bodies of victims
of the disaster have been recovered from
the sea, which is still raging with ter
rife fury.
Many people have assembled at Rock
vile, near where the first body came
ashore, and numerous relatives of mem
bers of the crew, who nearly all be-
longed to points on this coast, have ar
rived to identify the dead.
The bodies were arranged in room in
the public hall and Coroner Fuller. who
held an inquest, gave an opinion of ac-
cidental drowning. All the bodies are
terribly battered.
The first body was found at daylight
Sunday, when the zinc hfeboat, which
was supposed by the survivors of the
first boat to have been swamped, was
discovered on shore. A few yards dis
tant were the bodies of Mr.. Eldredge, a
passenger; Second Engineer Poole Mr..
Fripp, a traveller for McGee's Sons, of
St. John, N. B., and the body of a sea-
man. All four had life belts around
them. At short intervals along the beach
eleven more bodies were found, making
fifteen discovered up to noon today.
They had all evidently come ashore in
the lifeboat and were killed ON striking
the beach, not one escaping. The re-
mains so far identified, in addition to
the four enumerated above, are:
Robert Olive, purser of the steamer
son; Deck Hands Johnson, Levi Nicker-
son, Robert Nickerson, Van Renenberg,
Austin Wickens, James Cole, John E.
Whitmore, Stanley Ringer, Winslow
Ringer, Harry Copeland and David Ben
ham.
MANY BODIES UNIDENTIFIED.
The watches in the pockets of two
of the men stopped at 12;45 and 1925
o'clock respectively.
The body of Captain Harding of the
Monticello has been found at Picnic's
Point, encircled with life belt and fully
dressed. An unknown body, supposed
to be that of a traveller for a western
boot and shoe firm, has been found at
the same place, with the bodies Of Elsie
Mcdonald and Second officer Murphy,
recovered yesterday. Of the members OF
the crew whose bodies were secured,
Copeland and Benham were not known
to be on board until their bodies were
identified They were not on the ships
articles, having Joined for the trip only.
Several bodies are still unidentified
One body was recognized this evening
as John Richmond, of Essex, N. J.,
traveller for a boot and shoe firm He
was not before known to have been
passenger. This swells the known death
roll to thirty-two. Benham took the
place of Whitmore, previously reported
lost. Copeland was also a substitute,
but for whom 1t is not known.
It is a coincidence that the ship Peter
Stewart was wrecked off this shore
few years ago III the month of July and
a boat load of men came in where the
Monticello's boat was found. Half OF
the men were dead before the boat
touched the land and many believe the
same true of those in the Monticello'S
boat. The fury of the surf is appalling
in this region.
The body of o. N. Coleman, another
commercial traveller, who was not prev
iously known to have been on board the
Monticello, has been washed ashore and
identified. He represented Levi Bros. q
Co., jewelers., Hamilton, Ont, and car
ried samples in trunks worth $4,000.
One trunk has been found Wreckage of
all kinds filters the shore, boxes, barrels,
pieces of ships, boats and part of the
superstructure of the steamers.
James Ball, a merchant of Yarmouth,
who was supposed to have been on
board is safe, he having missed the
crossing the bay from st. John to Var
mouth to rejoin his own steamer CHIEF
Steward Hopkins of the steamer Var
mouth persisted, he having taken his
REGULAR HANDS ESCAPE FATE.
Sven Johnson was taking Elisha
Cooks place as quartermaster and Fred
Vanenburg was substituting as cook for
his father. The absentees were off to
vote at the elections and to this ctrcum-
stance they owe their lives.
No trace of more than three women
having been on board the Monticello
can be obtained. They were placed in
the first boat One of them, Stewardess
Smith is one of the four survivors and
she is too i'll to make a statement.
Elsie Macdonald was drowned in the
surf and her body has been recovered.
The third woman was a negress, named
Lawrence, and her body was seen in the
breakers this afternoon, but could not
be reached
some dificulty has been encountered
in figuring out the total loss of life. as
a number of passengers Joined the Mon
ticel1o at ST. John without first register
ing at the booking Office. They bought
their tickets on board.
A revised list of the members Of the
crew prepared at the head office of the
Yarmouth Steamship company here,
shows that the officers and crew num-
bered twenty-eight, Of whom Third Oh1-
Ger Fleming, Wilson Cook, a deck hand,
and Miss Smith, the stewardess, were
saved.
The total number of people who were
on board is now placed at thirty-six-
The four survivors are Captain Smith,
a passenger; Third Officer Fleming,
Quarter Master Wilson and SteWardesS
Smith The three men saved agree that
the cause Of the disaster was briefly:
''The steamer was pounded for hours
by sea and gale, sprang leak and
filled; became unmanageable, broke
apart anu foundered.'
The sea is not remembered to have
been so heavy on this coast for many
NOT A SAFE SHIP
The City of Monticello belonged to the
Yarmouth Steamship company, and had
been engaged in traffic from st. John, |
N. B., to Halifax by way Of Yarmouth
and ports along the south shore of this |
province. She was a side-wheel iron |
boat. She registered about 1000 tons, |
and was built at Wilmington. Del, in |
1866 by the Harlan & HollingswOrth |
company. She was formerly known as |
the City Of Norfolk Captain T. H.Hard- |
ing, a well known navigator was the |
commander.
The Monticello's disaster is the worst |
in the long list of steamers wrecked |