New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-12-30

could not do any good Neither boat nor man
could have lived in that surf Even kanaka
could not have gone hundred yards through ~
without being pounded to death.
I'm the meantime we had almost no sleep anu
less TO eat. When the towboat showed up low
ing surf boat knew that another aIenPl
was to be made to rescue us, and that ala us
more good than meal. Captain Nichoisoii' we
knew would not make stick by the vessel any
longer. and we all crowded in the waist unuer
the lee of the bridge. When the SURF BOAT was
cast loose from the tug we threw over q iauuei
TO leeward. and when the boat pulled arouh1
under port counter we piled into her WIN,
cut waiting for further orders. she TOOK OF.
fourteen of u.s. Captain Nicholson ana tne IesI
STAYING board. After we got on the Mofah
we saw some fresh signals bent on by captain
Nicholson asking to be taken off. aithoueh hs
had refused to go with us As We steamed aea
away saw the boats putting Oh iio'i ZIG
beach to his rescue. 49,,
Michael Culvert an A. B.. told much the
same story about what had happened
1--WE stood it all right" he said, until me
boilers were smashed loose That TOOK All the
heart out of US, and did more to disrnay US thah
anything else, after we ran aground me nre-
room gang did their best to secure 1t, and keep
1t from pounding the life out of the Drumelzlef,
but they could do practically nothing. we We're
swept every minute by green seas, and, although
all matches We're of course battened down. the
pounding she was getting and the hogglng OF
her keel opened UP her seams. until there We're Mere
seven or eight feet Of water III her. Lite hheS
were passed fore and aft, but nobody used them
for we kept below or huddled under the bridge.
Between the cold and the snow ana the seas IL
Is a wonder that benumbed and half frozen as
we were. half the crew were not swept over
board"
Cunningham. the cabin boy. now that he Is
saved. looks back on the wreck with poyish
pride at having been through such an eN-
perience. He said:
1--WE had an awful time, but was kept below
by the captain most of the time, and the men
saw that I had clothes enough one or the
seamen gave me a woollen shirt as thick as
board, and another one gave me an old pea
Jacket that would have been warm at the Norm
Pole OF course I was awful cold when L got
hIIt W.
as bad as the men were. The worst or II was
when we could not cook anything. and ali hao
to go hungry Everything below was drenched,
and the awful pounding Of the steamer would
not !et sleep much.
when two tugs were made fast to us on
they did not bulge an inch. We all wanted
to get off then but it was too late, for they
could not get out to us from the beacn by tnat
time. Then she hogged and sasged, and the
boilers got loose. don't think anybody had
much hope of getting out alive after that.
think I was scared when we were IN tne
lifeboat than when was on the Drumelzier.
THE ladder put over the port side, when
was high above the water, the starboard or
weather rail laying close to the water Even
then protected by the hull from the wind and
the surf, the lifeboat was dancing up ana down
did not reach the water. and we had to Jump
into the boat from the last rung. Some or the
men nearly fell into the water. In the sail out
to the towboat came near being bllged
dozen times a minute. Bad as it was getting
into the boat it was much worse getting from
it to the tug. The boat could not get near the
towboat for fear of smashing against her sides.
and we had to wait until she rose 10 a wave.
and then jumped half a second before she
reached its crest"