Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1906-01-26

| Thursday, that the rescue ship City OF
| Topeka picked up life raft at o'c. Del
| Wednesday afternoon, six miles of
! Cape Eeale with 20 survivors of The
| Nolencia OH board.
The men were in a pitiable condi 10y
| and almost dead from exposure. The
| rescued are:
| q. ID. Harden, passenger; NJ. r~ar.
| peri. quartermaSter; p. O'Bren. w lit.
er; w. Raymond, mess man; w. D.
johnson, coal passer; J. c. Egals, fire.
| man; c. Fleeme. baker; Frank L.hn
first freight clerk; Joseph Mccartney
passenger: l.. j. WEIGH, waiter, A.
Hawkins, passenger; r. Peterson, Sec
| ond officer; j. Poddent. waiter; John
Johnson. third cook; c. l.. Allison, pas
sengrr from st. Paul; John Cigodas
| fireman; Thomas Garrick, first assist
| ant engineer; G. Willis. passenger; r
| Primer, fireman; II. Dccrty. fireman.
| The condition of the survivors was
| pitiable. They We're half frozen and
| practically unconscious from the eX-
| posufe. The raft was sighted about l.
o'clock, but owing to the thick wealth.
| er. it was supposed to be nothing but 4
| log. At last by the aid of Il powe "fu!
! glass its true nature was determined.
| y terrible sea was running. One MIN
ute the raft would be poised on top
Of a wave and the next it would be
| lost from view in the gully formed by
| the mountainous breakers.
On the fr:til support The men batt!a'l
| bravely with a pair of oars TO re ach
| the City Of Topeka which owing TO the
| dangerous coast could not run in any
| closer.
Within half a nile from the raft a
boat was lowered from the Topeka in
! charge of Second Mate Burke who
with much difficulty. succeeded in MAX
| ing fast line to the raft
The spectators ON the Topeka watch-
| ed tire struggling of the gallant sea-
men breathlcssly. One minute they
were high in the air and the next lost
| to sight. At last they succeeded in
bringing the raft to the side of the
steamer. TAe sight of the poor creatures
on the raft brought tears to the eyes
of the sailors on the vessel. In the stern
| of the raft sat an old man with snow
white hair and pallid features who held
on bravely to his place.
Three others We're lying in sense
| less heap in the rear washed by every
! swell and retained solely by the bodies
| of the other men who were closely
! packed.
, Time and time again great seas swept
over them. sending Z shudder through
| the onloOllcrS who feared TO see them
swept away. The work of rescuing them
was dangerous. The men were too OK
| haustcd to even tie rope about them
selves.
| For a minute it looked as though the
old man with gray hair was gone when
| the raft gave Il sudden lurCn, but the
prcr,pt work of Mate Burke and his
| nen finally got him on deck. This man
was no sooner safe than another faint
| ing form was swept away and was on
J ly rescued by quick work on the part
| of the boats crew. The next man 20
| be swept from the raft managed to
grasp Il line and cling to il 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 off from the wreck
| Wednesday morning on sighting the
steamer Queen and attempted 10 reach
| her. but before they could get within
| sighting distance the vessel put about
| and headed for the strait.
| When the Topeka hove in sight the
| raft was once more manned and again
put forth. The Survivors told terrible
| tales of the wreck Of the vessel. When
| they left the shin there were about
| 30 people on board, most Of them cling
| ing to the rigging. Men, women and
| children Were being swept by every sea.
| IS soon as the men got aboard the
| Topeka. DIR. Il. +. Winding. assisted by
| two nurses and members of the crew
hastily administered stimullnts and
| put them TO bed.
| After picking up the raft the steam
| er went in search of another raft which
| the rescued men said had left the ship
| earlier in the day. The officers looked
| for the raft but no sign of it was seen.
1t is the general impression that this
| raft foundered.
| survivors say that most of the boats
We're smashed to splinters when they
| were lowered. Two of the life boats
| were capSiZcd shortly after launching.
| one escaped the breakers ana put to
sea with eight or nine persons on board.