The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-02-11
WRECK AT BERMUDA.
Story Interestingly Told by I.
w. NOyes of Washington Star.


Hamilton, Bermuda. Feb. 11-Theo-
dore w. NOyes of the Washington Star
gave the following interview to the AS
sociated Press regarding the wreck OF
the Madina:
AT ten minutes of 4 O'Clock the pas
sengers on the Madina were awakened
by crashing, grinding sounds and a jar
which set every inch of the steamer
quivering and brought every passenger
to his feet in his staterOom. Soon the
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 having
been unsuccessful she was fast on the
rocks which were tearing u her bot
tom The water rushed in through the
rents, put out the fires and surged
through the halls and staterOoms from
deck. Those passengers who came
out in paJamas and night gowns, fear
ing that the vessel would &c down i'm
m~ediately. soon found that they could
not return to the lower staterOOms for
clothing or ~valuableS-
The surf beat fereely against the
~starboard side of the ship, which had
settled down with the port side high on
the reef.
THE listing grew more serious each
minute and the waters began to surge
in the social hail where the passengers
were doSEltiDiGQs III Inns 4OOiAi the uiDIC
self possessed of the passengers urged
calmness and a short prayer was Of
fered up. There was never a company
of men and women assembled in cir
cumstances of extreme peril who resist
ed better the impulse to panic in I'M
selfish consideration for one another. In
a number of ways this was shown.
Soon after he passengers were called
to the hurricane deck. The sea had
smashed three boats on the steamers
exposed side. The other three boats
were put in order for lowering out they
could not hold the eighty odd passen-
gers to say nothing of officers and crew.
The surf began to sweep across the
sliding surface of the hurricane deck,
drenching over and over again the ILL
clad women, some of them old women,
their way to- SEINE Of the state rooms
which were comparatively out of reach
of the waves and Brought blankets,
~overcoats and wearing apparel of all
sorts which were distributed among the
shivering. Bread, cake, coffee and
whisky were also supplied, the stewards
force doing their duty admirably. The
Officers were courageous and steadfast
and behaved well. The crew. it is I'M
derstood, was assembled hastily for the
cruise. They were not drilled to life
boat duty and in some cases were I'M
successful. A number being foreigners
who showed a lack of discipline.
1T al Gods mercy that the passen-
gers We're not compelled to run the risk
of taking to the boats as their only sal
walton from the raging waters. The
surf and the wind heat the steamer
steadily 3On the reef. not permitting
her to slide off and sink in deep waters.
After a long period of apprehension il
became apparent that the greatest dan
ger was that the ship might break in
two The passengers lay or stood OF
the hurricane deck, beaten by the surf
for four or five hours, in dread and suf-
fering, with the lights of Bermuda in
plain sight. We could see the lights OF
the lighthouse and sailors and we all
interpreted them as being relief ap-
preaching the wrecked ship. This hope
and time again. Steady and frequent
meanwhile was going on without seem
ingly attracting attention from the
shore.
AT last. between 9 and 10 o'clock, a
tug approached within one and a half
miles and the passengers were trans
ferred to it in the ships boats by g
slow and painful process. We were Their
brought to Hamilton. After the acct
dent occurred the captain and officers
were everything that could be asked,
considerate for the passengers cOmfoT
and courageous in their bearing. The
passengers cannot understand where
1.-The fault lay in a reasonably clear night
in a known %tortuous course. There wac
no legal pilot aboard. This difficult
channel is clearly not properly lighted
and the arrangements at for
receiving and promptly acting upon sig
nails of distress from wrecked vessels
are distinctly inadequate"