The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-11-03
WRECK OF THE PULASKI.
A STIRRING INCIDENT IN THE LIFE
OF COL. r.. ID. WALKER.

which Sailed From Savannah,
June is, 1885, and on the Night of
the Following Day Sank to the
Bottom of Old Ocean-ExpIoding
Boiler Sent Nearly Two Hundred
Gallant Souls Into Eternity-Inci-
dents of the Night From Sur
vivor's Pen-A Catastrophe That
Has Passed Into History.
The death of Col. Robert D. Walker
has brought to the recollection OF old
citizens the stories that were current
in their youth of the wreck and de-
struction of the steamer Pulaski, one
At the most dreadful tragedies that
the annals of the sea present.
Col. Walker was one of the survivors
of that dreadful night when nearly 200
nent. women and children met their
death. Possibly he was the last to join
his unfortunate companions in the
great beyond. He escaped from the
wreck on a raft and after spending
some days and nights at sea at last
managed to reach a place Of safety.
There were o;her parti, v no sue
ceeded in getting away from the sink
ing ship in boats and from the MARIA
tive of a member OF one of these the
following account of the tragedy is
summarized:
The steam packet Pulaski. Capt. Du-
bois. left Savannah at o'clock Wed
nAsday morning, June 10, 1888. She car
RED about ninety passengers and a
crew of thirty seven persons. She ar
rived at Charleston the same afternoon
and departed the next morning at 6
o'clock for Baltimore, with about six
tv-five additional passengers.
OF the passengers about forty-nve
we're females and from fifteen to twen-
~ were children. AS it was the period
IF the wear when the usual summer mi
grafton from the South to the North
was at it's hight, and as the Pulaski
was favorite boat, particularly with
Savannah people, the passengers in
Guided of some of the most respectable
citizens of the two states of Georgia
and South Carolina, embracing in sew
eral instances, every and, in many,
most of the members Of distinguished
families.
Attracted by the reputation of the
Pulaski, the shortness of the voyage
and the circumstance that it would
embrace, "only one night at sea, many
persons had come to Savannah from
distant points to embark in the packet.
Among the Savannah passengers, were
Mr.. G.. B. Lamar, with his wife ana
seven children, being every member of
his immediate family; Mr.. Parkman,
with three daughters and a son; Mr..
Hutchinson his wife and two children;
DR.. and Mrs. Cumming, Mrs. William
Mackay, and two children and many
others.
Start of the Fatal Voyage.
The Pulaski. dressed out gaily in her
flags. passed the bar of Charleston be-
tween 7 and o'clock. The weather was
clear and apparently settled, the wind
blowing freely and coolly from the
southeast and both sky and sea giving
every promise of a safe and pleasant
voyage. The appearance and feeling Of
the passengers were in harmony with
the elements around them, and cheer
fitness and pleasure were depicted in
every countenance. All appeared happy
and disposed to contribute to the hap
piness of others and the observation
was general that to travel in such a
way was merely a jaunt of pleasure.
AS the day advanced the wind in
creased in force and shifted to the
east. During the latter part of the af-
ternoOn the waves became high and
the vessel rolled so much many of the
ladies retired to their berths; at tea
even many of the gentlemen were miss
ing About sunset the clouds began to
muster heavily in the northeast and
predictions were made that a gale was
brewing in that quarter. At 8, how
ever, the clouds had very generally
dispersed and the stars shone out with
great brilliancy above; beneath the sea
heaved in long waves, the inky dark
ness of which was relieved only as the
wind broke their crests into wreaths
or snowy foam. Most of the passen-
gers had retired TO their harfhs
Il could not have been asleep more
more than half an hour" writes one
OF them, when / was suddenly awoke
by deep, hollow and heavy sound like
the discharge of a battery of cannon
at short distance, which was instant
ly followed by a violent conclusion of
the air, a universal tremor of the YES
sci and a loud and general crash, as
if the sides and decks had been, by
some irresistible force, crushed to-
gether. The report and the crash left
no doubt that the boiler had exploded,
and as I sprang up from my berth, the
conviction was strong in my mind that
the vessel was in a sinking condition
Left in Darkness.
The lights having been extinguished
in the after cabin, in which / was. by
the conclusion of the air, 1t was some
moments before / could ascertain the
position of the companion stairway;
ana IL was only aIJer SIunDlQR over
the floor, which was torn up, that,
placing my hand on the table and fol-
lowing 1t down. I perceived the light
at the head of the companion. On
reaching the deck, I proceeded to the
door of the ladies cabin, which was
Immediately above that of the gentle
men, with the intention of seeing two
ladies' who were under my protection,
with the double object of calming their
fears and of placing them where could
ind them. At the door l met the Ia
dies with their children, all in their
night dresses, huddled together, with
an expression of wild d;smav and hor-
TOR depicted on every countenance,
anxiously inquiring what was the mat
ter. ] called for the ladies under my
charge. when one of them, holding her
son by the hand, answered and came
TO me-
The scene of wild destruction that
Presented itself on deck" the narrative
Of this passenger continues, "precluded
AL hope of safety and rendered it GER
tain that the vessel must sink in a
very few minutes. The promenade
deck and wheel house, which were
above the boilers, with the state rooms
on the right side, were all blown on
the decks were ripped up. the barroom
and bulkhead, between the boilers and
The forward cabin, crushed and the
af1 H4r1 hat