The suburban citizen., 1900-11-17

Four Were Sayed-.A Thrilling Expert
ence.
Halifax, N. S. Especially One Of the
worst storms of the season, excelled
in severity only by that which swept
over this coast last month, descended
upon Nova Scotia's portion of the At
lantic seaboard. There had been heavy
rain all day, but at midnight the wind
broke into a gale and soon became
violent hurricane.
The first report of disaster Is story
Of death and destruction worse than
any on this shore for years. The Var
mouth Steamship Company's side
wheel steamer City Of Monticello
struck a reef four miles off Chegog-
gin Point and sank among the break
ers. The passengers and crew num-
bered 81, and except four all are dead
The City Of Monticello made week
ly trips between Halifax, Nova Scotia
and st. John, New Brunswick, calling
at Yarmouth and other points. The
steamer was lost about 10 miles from
Yarmouth, on her way there from ST
John. She left the latter port at ii
o'clock .. m. just as the storm was
springing up, which continued through
out the night. She made her way
across the Bay OF Fundy in the face OF
a fierce southeaster and was four
miles off Chegoggin Point, one Of the
capes in the vicinity of Yarmouth.
The coast here, as everywhere on
this shore, is rocky and dangerous,
abounding in hidden reefs and varia-
BILE currents. The City of Monticello's
machinery was not powerful enough
70 keep her off the perils of those
eaters when once the hurricane and
currents had got her so near the
breakers.
Captain Harding is dead and will
never be able to explain how 1t was
that he struck the Chegoggin Reef in
broad daylight as he did, but he must
have lost his reckoning and been car
ried there by an unknown current.
The steamer had got through Petite
Passage all right, as her officers
thought, and was heading for Yar-
mouth light. But six miles from there
she struck a reef off Chegoggin. A
tremendous sea was running and ter
rife breakers beating on the shore.
The decks were being washed every
few seconds and the water was pour
ing into the hold.
1t did not take many minutes to
show that there was no hope for the
steamer ever getting off. 1t was evil
dent that She could hold together only
for a few minutes. Captain Harding
had two boats, and it was decided TO
launch them in the forlorn hope Of
getting through the awful surf to the
distant shore. One Of the passengers
was Capt Norman Smith, of the Bat
tie Line steamer Pharsalia, lying at
st. John. Two boats were launched,
and one Of them was placed in charge
Of Captain Smith.
In it with him were four others.
There was room for more, but the ter
ror-stricken passengers and crew
mOmentsrily hesitated to leave the
ship. That moment was fatal, for the
boat put off and left those on board
to their fate. A second boat was
launched at the same time, but no one
knows who got into her nor what be-
came Of her. The survivors have no
hope that she lived in the angry sea.
Captain Smiths boat had got only
a few yards off from the City of
Monticello when a sea more awful
than any that had gone before struck
the steamer, sending her completely
over on the rocks and washing every
soul who clung to her rigging into the
sea. Those below decks were engulfed
in the torrents of water rushing up
from great holes in her bottom and
pouring down her matches and COM
panionways in cataracts. The other
boat was not seen after the steamer
went over.
That in charge of Captain Smith
lived for only a few minutes, but it
carried them along on the crest Of q
great wave till 1t broke on the rocky
beach, and all hands were thrown into
the surf. Three of them were carried
up to the shore, where they were able
to hold on and were safe, but Elsie
| Mcdonald and Second Officer Murphy
were drawn back by the undertow
The next wave threw the Mcdonald
girl high and dry on the shore, but
Murphy was hurled against a bowlder
and instantly killed. Those who were
saved sustained only trifling injuries.
sUaoutue tao.c..,t Nh