New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1907-02-13

by the seas or had fallen overheard while they
were slowly freezing to death.
CAPTAIN MVAY's STATEMENT
For several hours after he was rescued Captain
Mcvay was not able TO talk. When he had
partly recovered he communicated with his
home. and later dictated the following state
ment OF the disaster:
We left Providence at o'clock. A brisk
northwest wind blowing and we. were on
Watch Hill at about II o'clock. had gone pc
low to look over the passengers and frelgnt'
leaving a good plot and quartermaster III me
pilothouse I returned to the piothouse, pass
FTervfbin@ was 20 K" in the pilothouse as I
stepped into my and prepared to retire
for the night. Suddenly l heard the pilot dow
ing danger signals and hurried into the pli0l-
house There was schooner on the port SIDE:
and her crew seemed to have lost control OF
her Without warning she luffed up and pc
fore we had an opportunity TO 90 a II!IS SIG
was heading for US The quar- ternlaster atlu
pilot put the wheel hard aport but the schooner
was sailing along before fresh breeze ana IN
a moment she had crashed into our port SIDE
directly opposite the smokestack I tried to
signal to the engineer and mate but the COZ
lision had broken TIE main steam pipe. filling
that part of the boat with steam and cutting OF
communication with the pilOthouse.
After cutting into our vessel The schooner
fell away and disappeared 70 the leeWard.
sent the Quartermaster below. ana IN a rev
minutes he reported that the ship was ming
RAPIDLY. The officers and crew We're summoned
TO their stations. and when / saw that the
LarChmOnt was settling / ordered al hahds 10
prepare to leave the ship. When | saw that
every one was making ready to ESCAPE as faSt
as p0ssible went to my boat which was hang
ing the daVits, and took into II SlN "l me
crew and four passengers When the steamer
had settled almost to the waters edge we
cleared away after we had made sure that there
were no passengers on board who had not heeh
taken care Of After our boat dropped INTO iae
water we remained in the immediate vicinity
until the steamer sank. and then we pulled
away. The boat was a heavy one, and "" found
IL impossible to row to the Windward, so we
turned to the ieeward and started for BLOCK
Island. The cold terrible. We struggled
for hours and hours. and the pain from our
frost bitten hands and feet almost unbcar-
able. one Of our men. n seaman, became crazed
and committed suicide in the boat by cutting
his throat No in the boat had strength
enough to prevent him from doing it. We ar
rived here at S 80 o'clock In the morning very
much exhausted and frozen.
After making this statement Captain McVay
changed his origfna! estimate Of the number of
passengers but he seemed greatly confused He
placed the passengers as low as from fifty to
seventy five in number, though he admitted he
had first estimated the number at from $50 to
200.
CARING FOR VICTIMS.
So soon as the news of the disaster reached the
Joy Line officials, immediate steps were taken
not only 10 care for those who had reached
SnOre. put 10 search the SouIu lot Victims VI
the wreck who might have found it impossible
to reach land. The Scott WreCkng Company, of
New London, Conn, was requested to send tug
to search for bodies, Hfeboats and RATS, and
the lighthouse board was requested to dispatch
any boats at its disposal on similar errand.
Shortly before the JOY Line steamer Ken
lucky left Fall River for Block Island, and she
reached here early in the evening
The news of the disaster spread across the ISL
and, and two three hours after daylight near
ly every inhabitant down at the waterside
awaiting opportunity 10 assist the victims
Nearly every survivor was In a condition so
thoroughly helpless that the rescuers were un-
able to keep back the tears. Every victims face
bore signs Of terrible and long continued suffer-
ing. Scarcely one Of them realized when the
boat was hauled up on the beach that they had
at last reached safety; any who did realize ii
seemed not to care, for they stin suffered pain
from freezing
Even while these sufferers We're receiving the
tender care of the natives bodies began TO wash
ashore from the direction OF the sunken steamer
Soon the natives were busy hauling the bodies
out of the surf. At dark forty-three bodies
had been recovered from the surf and the boats
which had drifted ashore.
The little fishing schooner Elsie put In here
tonight, having on board two survivors and one
corpse. The corpse was that of a woman
who black skirt and white shirtwaist with
short sleeves. She wore gold bracelet around
each arm, and on her left hand were two gold
rings. At a late hour tonight the body had
not been identified.
The schooner Sneed, which came in a short
time later had board the unidentified body
of a coored man. and also the body Of Harry
Eckles, Of Block Island. Both bodies were
picked up about mile off shore. The schooner
Clara Z. brought seven bodies picked up from
a raft.