The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1903-02-26

roof OF the deck-hOuSe to the smoke
stack against which the only life-boar
that had not been washed away wa.
jammed
Captain Witty had managed tc
crawl from the pilot-house to the
boat. us did Chief Engineer Conway
Assistant Engineer Murphy, Purse1
Bell, two colored deck hands, white
passenger, two colored passengers
and the cOlOred steWardess.
These We're all of the thirty souls or
the boat who were given even fight.
ing chance for their lives.
J CoLORED PREACHER PRAYED FOR ETER.
| NAL SALVATION.
From the saloon below could be
heard the plaintive prayer that
George White, cOlored preacher
was shrieking to Heaven for saliva
ton.
TO a Trginian-Piot reporter last
night Captain Witty said that if he
lives to be a thousand years old the
death prayer of the dying minister
will ever ring in his ears.
| And White was not the only one
whose cries reached the ears of the
little group on the roof.
The little Bennett girl, penned in
/ her stateroom with her aged grand
mother, cried for aid that could not
be given. in a way that melted the
hearts of those who heard her.
But the death-greedy waters would
not withhold their strength and one
by one the cries from below ceased
and then all was still save the trium-
plant shrieking of the angry wind
and the slush of the waves over the
| ship OF death.
TERRIBLE SUSPENSE OF THOSE WHO
WERE SAVED.
The minutes that followed were
ones of terrorfor the people who were
grasping for their lives to the uncer-
tain footing afforded by the deck
| house roof
Knowing the awful fate their fellow
voyagers had Just met and aware OF
the same fate staring them in the
face, it was almost maddening.
Twelve people were holding to the
one life-bOat that remained of the
three which the Olive carried. The
Others had been swept away by the
wave which dashed over the vessel
when the wind first struck her.
The question of putting off for shore
| was then discussed by the group of
shipwrecked people,
Captain Witty was obdurate in his
| decision to stick by the Olive. Mar
tha Barrett, the colored stewardess,
declared she would stay by the cap
tain and four cOloredpassengers took
| the same stand
Chief Engineer Conway and his as
sistant, J. P. Murphy, favored put
ting out for land, which, they argued
could not be more than a mile away
on either side
LAUNCHED LIFE-BOAT TO SEEK TOW
BOATS HELP
While the discussion was going on
the lights of a tow boat appeared
down the river, and Captain Witty
then gave permission to launch the
boat and try to reach the tug for
help.
After an hour of the most difficult
work the big life-boat was gotten
over the side of the roof and into it
clambered the chief engineer, assist
ant engineer, purser, a white passen-
ger, two cOlOred passengers and two
colored deck hands. Eeight souls all
told.
They put our bravely for the lights
that seemed to be about a mile and
a half down the river, and were soon
| lost to sight to the five who remain
ed hnddled on top of the deck-house
And gradually the lights, too, grew
! fainter and fainter, until they also
disappeared from view.
| THOSE WHO REMAINED WE'RE ALMOST
WASHED OVERHEARD.
With the life gone, more
| trouble was experienced by those who
remained on the Olive in retaining a
safe hold. Much of the rigging had
been carried away by the cyclone,
and only one mast was left standing.
Around this the survivors huddled
and clung to each other for safety.
Hour after hour dragged by with
awful slowness, and the cold was
causing excruciating suffering to the
soakingwet people.
The wind. while it's fury had abated
somewhat, still ragged and sent biting
showers of driving spray across the
| submerged steamer
There was not a lii ght on the boat
and the lowering clouds that swept
the sky added to the Stygian dark
ness.
Windows, portfolios and scuttles
were driven in, wreckage fioated fal
and near and the hull OF the wrecked
craft rocked alarmingly as each sue
ceSsive billow dashed over it.
The time dragged slowly by. Th
sufferings of those who had watched
through the night increased as eacl
cold blast pierced their water soake'
clothing and stung their flesh.
WITH BREAK OF DAWN REsCUING TU'
APPEARED.
But gradually pinkish glow o'el
spread the Eastern skies and Just be
fore the sun arose to view the wreck
; which had happened while he slun
| bered, the lights of the Norfolk an
Southern steamer, Marie Robert:
J appeared up the river.
Ii The dropping spirits OF the nearl