Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1907-02-14

1t was a physical mpossibillty for
any except the most hardened tn
Withstand the cold. which turned ears
and noses white with the frost, and
which so benumbed feet that both the
passengers and members Of the crew
stumbled rather than walked to the
small craft i'm which they were ia
leave the sinking ship.
Shrieks Of pain drowned the roar
Of the inrushing water. Despite the
existing pandemonium the women
passengers were placed in lifeboats,
the male passengers and the crew Sc
lecting the unprotected RATS as their
places of refuge
Captain McVey ordered all lifeboats
and rafts cut away. and before step
ping into his own boat he stood on
the upper deck a moment to see that
his order was executed. Then he or
dered that his boat the largest ON
board, be cleared away
Before the men had an opportunity
to loosen the tackles the bottom of
the boat rested OH top of the surging
sea, which was raging over the hur-
ricane deck, and for a moment ii
seemed as though the lifeboat would
be dragged down before she could be
freed from the doomed steamer.
Every hand in the boat was too cold
to handle knife and cut the ropes,
which, however. slipped through the
tackle and set the boat adrift just as
the vessel became submerged. The
passengers discomfort was increased
greatly the moment they had launch
ed their boat Every wave sent its
dash of spray over them. Soon a
thin coating of ice covered every one.
Those who were fully clothed suffered
from frozen faces and numbed feet,
but there were many who had on only
their night clothing.
One man in the captains boat was
driven insane by his intense suffer-
ing. He pulled a big clasp knife from
his pocket and gashed his throat.
Those who sat near him were too
dazed to interfere. The unknown
mans body fell to the bottom Of the
boat. where it remained until he died
Fishers Point. the nearest land
was not quite five miles to the west
ward of the point where the steamer
went down, and every boat immedi-
ately headed for that place. But the
boats were heavy and the men at the
oars were weak. The boats and RATS
soon became separated, and the only
details of the disaster which could
be learned here were ~iven when Cap
tain McVey's boat came ashore.
Not a man on board was able to
walk. Their feet were frozen so badly
that the life-savers carried the sur
vivors bodily to the life-saving sta
ton.
Captain McVey. shortly after his ar
rival said he had on board his ship
between $50 and 200 passengers, and
a crew of so, Later he said there
were between so and Is passengers on
board the steamer when the vessel
went down. The latter figure, how
ever is far below the estimate made
by the officials of the JOY line at
who estimate the number
of passengers at not less than $50.
The exact number of passengers was
given in a list which was handed the
purser Just before the Larchmont
started on her fateful journey but 1t
is believed that 1t was lost when the
ship went down. p
Captain McVev said that had his
crew been able to make progress
against the northwest gale, they would
have landed at Fishers Island between
II and / o'clock The wind, how
ever, was too strong to be overcome,
and there was nothing left for the
suffering seamen but turn around and
head for Block Island, fifteen miles
away. II was shortly after IL O'Clock
when the captain of the boat cut
away from the sinking steamer, and
it was not until $50 o'clock in the
that it arrived at Block
Island
Captain McVey declared that the
crew of the schooner was responsible
for the wreck. He said that had the
sailing vessel held the right course
which she was sailing when she was
sighted, there would have been no pos
sible chance of an accident.
The schooner however suddenly
Iuffed and crashed into the port SIDE
Of the Larchmont almost before the
helmsmen had ported their wheel
captain Frank p. Haley, of the
schooner. stated that the accident was
entirely due to the steamer. He said
that his lights were burning, and he
held to his course. with the eXpecta-
lion that the steamer. having sighted
him. would pass him with plenty OF
sea room. When he found that the
steamer would not turn out, Captain
Haley said it was too late to avert
1 collision.
AS soon as news of the disaster
reached the JOY line officials, imme-
Hate steps were taken to care for
those who had reached shore and to
search the sound for victims VINO
might have found it impossible to
'each land.
The news of the disaster spread
across the island quickly, and two or
three hours after daylight nearly
every lnhabitant was at the waterside
Drawing the piercing cold and waiting
an opportunity to assist the victims.
Every survivors, face bore signs of
terrible suffering. They still suffered
great pain in the arms and legs,
which hung helplessly as their bodies
we're borne to nearby cottages.
Even while the sufferers were re-
tender care. bodies began to
wash ashore from the direction of the
sunken steamer and soon the res
,uers were busy pulling the corpses
cut of the surf.
When night came to the desolate
beach this evening forty-three bodies
had been recovered, either from the
surf or from the boats which had
1rifted ashore. Inland lights cleaned
In the little cottages far beyond the
usual hour, and the suffering passen-
gers and crew. who, earlier in the
day had been crowded into the life
saving station, were tonight made as
comfortable as possible.
The little fishing schooner Elsie put
In here tonight having on board two
survivors Of the wreck and one body.
The survivors were Samuel Tacunne.
residence unknown, and David Fox. of
n. j. Both men were
picked up on piece Of wreckage.
The body was that of a woman.
The schooner Sneed which came
ashore short time afterwards,
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