Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-02-11
ALL HANDS SAVED
Continued from page u

| account of the heavy sea. At about
| IL o'clock, one of the Madiana's boats
was lowered, but before anyone could
get into it it was smashed to bits. The
other ships boats were then launched
with better success. The passengers
were attached TO ropes, the, .won3en
first, and lowered into the life boats
1T was a dangerous journey to the
Gladisfen. The officers and the re-
| mainder of the crew with some of the
passengers light baggage followed US.
The wreck was abandoned and we We're
landed here .a. ..,.-,.s,.a.a +,a *
Theodore w. ,Noyes. of the, Washing
ton Star, and Otis III. Luke of Boston,
and many other passengers confirmed
the particulars given by Mr.. Crowfut
and emphasized especially the fact that
there was no panic on board. In fact
to illustrate the GOODNESS displayed
by the officers and passengers in spite
of the danger and discomfort of the
situation, a passenger said:
1T all passed off as though it were
part of the program of the cruise"
Theodore w. Noyes of the Washing
ton Star, gave the following interview
to The Associated Press:
AT 10 minutes of o'clock, this
morning, the passengers of the Ma
diana We're. awakened !. by crashing,=
grinding sounds, and a jar which set
every inch of the steamer quivering
land brought every passenger to his
feet III his stateroom. A continuance
of these sounds set the passengers
dressing, and soon the cry of All on
deck, brought every one, many in their
night attire, into the social hall.
1T was found that the steamer had
run on the reef to the north of Ber-
muda and the first efforts to back off
the reef and extricate the ship had been
unsuccessful, she was fast on the rocks,
which We're tearing out her bottom. The
water rushing in quickly through the
rents, put out the fires and JisuFged
through the halls and; staterooms of the,
main deck. Those passengers who came
out in pajamas and night gowns, fear
ing that the vessel would founder inn
mediately, found within Is minutes that
they could not return to the lower
staterooms for warmer apparel or valu-
ables.
THE surf beat fiercely against the
starboard side of the ship, which had
settled down with the port side high on
the reef. The listing grew more Sc
rious each minute and the waters be-
gan to surge into the social hall where
the passengers were assembled. n this
room the more self-possessed of the
passengers urged calmness and a short
prayer was Offered up. There was
never a company of men and women
assembled in circumstances of extreme
peril who resisted better the impulse
TO panic in unselffish consideration for
one another. This was shown in a
number of ways.
Soon, the passengers We're called to
the hurricane deck. The sea had
smashed three boats on the steamers
exposed side. The other three We're put
IN order for lowering. but they could
not hold the S0-odd passengers, to say
nothing Of the officers and crew. The
high surge of the surf began to sweep
over the sliding surface of the hurri-
cane deck. drenching over and over
again the ill-clad women, some of them
very old, who huddled there. The
stewards made their way to some of
the staterooms which were, compare
lively speaking, out of the reach of the
waves and brought blankets, overcoats
and wearing apparel of all sorts which
were distributed according to their
needs among the shivering. Bread,
cakes, coffee and whiskey were also