The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-01-25

faintng form was swept away and only
was rescued by quick work on the part
| of the boats crew The next man to
/ be swept from the raft. managed to
/ grasp a line and cling to it until he
/ was hOisted half way up the ships
/ side, when his strength gave out and
/ he fell back He was picked UP by
/ the boat.
The raft put out from the wreck.
/ yesterday morning on sighting the
! steamer Queen and attempted to reach
! her but before they could get within
/ sighting distance the vessel put about
and headed to the strait. When the
! Topeka hove in sight the raft was once
I more manned and again put forth. The
/ survivors told terrible tales of the
wreck OF the vessel. When they left
/ the ship there were about ninety peo-
1 pie on board, most of them clinging to
! the rigging.
Men, women and children were be-
/ ing swept by every sea As soon as
/ the men got aboard. DR.. B. F. whiting
I assisted by two nurses and mem bers
1 OF the crew hastily administered slim
ulants ana put them to bed.
After picking up the raft the steamer
/ the rescued men had left the ship ear
/ lier in the day. The vessel ran fully
! 20 miles the other side, looking for the
/ raft but no sign of it was to be seen
1t is the general impression that the
/ raft foundered.
/ All the other boats were smashed to
/ splinters when they attempted to lower
them. Two of the ice boats were cap
sized shortly after launching. One es-
capped the breakers and put to sea with
about eight or nine people aboard.
Story OF a Survivor
The ship struck at 1907 on the
morning of Tuesday January %. I was
on the deck a t the time smoking a cigar
and was looking at my watch when the
first crash came ~ ees
In an instant all was excitement
| There were the shrieks of frightened
men and women the vail of little chill
dren and the hoarse orders of the Off
GERS of the ship The vessel reeIed like
a drunken man, slid over the reef and
struck again.
THE command 10 back her off was
given ard she was astern at full speed,
but it was too late The water was
pouring in like a mill race and with a
sound which drowned all else. The wind
swung the vessels stern to the beach
and her head to the waves. This saved
( many lives as she was then swept back
to the shore and struck once again in
such a position that she remained part
ly above the water and on an even keel.
Every wave now washed clear over
( her and many people who FASTENED OH
deck went to their deaths without time
to murmur prayer.
THE order was given to get out the
/ boats. Two of them on the weather side
were launched and were smashed like
/ eggsheus as soon as they struck the
water. Then came the attempt to get
/ out the lee boats.
''Purser O'Farrel took charge. Four
women and a number of men went in
4 the boat I do not know how many
I but she was practically full Just as
/ they were lowering the other the daVits
4 broke and the stern of the boat fell to
/ the water while the bow hung in the
I 1ss.
Fell Into the Sea.
Every one was precipitated into the
/ sea and swept away in an instant. For
! a second or two I caught glimpse Of
an agonized face, then another and
another. as they were washed by me
/ 1t was awful. The waves dashing over
D the ship started breaking her up. They
swept the deck loose and every swell
/ lifted it. We chung to the rigging and
! deck house. Then an attempt was made
/ to get a line ashore. A fireman named
/ CigaleS agreed to swim ashore He was
/ in the water fully half an hour, but
/ was unable to make the beach. The
| ship struck in a bad spot. She is di-
! rectly at the foot of a precipitous bluI
/ that comes sheer to the waters edge
One man was swept ashore and sue
/ ceeded in landing on a small rock. We
/ shot a line to him and he then tried 10
/ climb the cliff. but he fell and was
/ killed before our eyes.
"One of the most pitiable incidents
was that of little boy about years old.
1 His father, mother and two little sisters
put off in one of the boats. The boat
! capsized and all were drowned. The
! little fellow waded around on the deck
! crying for his parents. The last saw
of him he was clinging to the rigging.
/ There We're many similar cases.
"A lame officer from the Concord &C
| cOmpanied by his two sisters was also
/ in the rigging. By Wednesday morning
the ship was rapidly going to pieces
I Every swell carried away a portion OF
I the ship and the decks rose and fell with
/ every breaker and it was impossible
/ to stay on deck without clinging to
support. The ship was sunk to about
/ the level of the hurricane deck.
In the morning another sad calamity
! occurred. About Is or 20 persons, among
! them one or two women, had taken
refuge in the fore top mast. They ap-
/ peared to be in the safest place as it
I was removed from the wash of the
waves. although the flying spray dashed
over their heads. Suddenly and without
warning the mast tOppled and there
came a shrek from those on it and the
/ next moment it fell with a crash carry
ling its load of human freight to a terrible
| death. / don't think there was a single
| one saved Their bodies were washed
from the ship and we could see them
/ dashed against the rocks.
To add to our misery the last Of our
/ food was washed away. We had no
water to drink, save the bitter cold sleet
sea soon numbed US. Every little while
one of those in the rigging would lose
their hold and be swept away to the
sharp rocks.
8 '.1yheE lrs saE kIe Queen In the uoEn-