The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-02-13
came the old story of the survival of
| the fittcst"
Heart BreakIng Scenes.


| lives in the sinking late Monday nigh
in Block Island sound of the Joy Lin
steamship I.archmont through a col
lision with the three masted schoone
| Harry Knowleton may never be ac
| curately known.
Among those lost is said to have beer
| a little squad of Salvation Army work
| ers from Worcester. This band of Sal
| vationistS. said to have numbered tel
| PERSONS furnished, according to report
| one of the thrilling incidents of the dis
| aster. When it was evident that the
| boat must sink and the frenzied pas
| sengers were endeavoring to get into
| the boats, the Salvationists are said tC
! have fallen on their knees where they
| continued in prayer invoking the Al.
| mighty to save and protect the ship.
| wrecked people. Only one of this little
| band. a woman, is said to be among the
| survivors.
! Mrs Feldman. of Providence, one OF
| the survivors, in describing the awful
| scenes following the collision is quoted
as follows:
MY God. I shall never forget that
moment We all seemed so helpless, SC
utterly beyond human aid. In the ag-
onized cries of frightened women and
the shouting of men 1 suddenly felt my
husband seize my arm and force me to
where they had started to lower the
captains lCng boat. Men were climbing
in, but my husband and some man ]
don't know lifted me in. All my life
can never forget those cries of anguish
and terror that arose from those who
sank with the ship that diSa ppeared like
magic under those white capped waves.
As the steamer sank 1 could hear some
sweet women singing a gospel humn-
it was Onward, Christian Soldiers
Just as we got away from the lost
ship the waves began to break over US
and We were drenched to the skin.
The salt water froze on us and I
began to pray that 1 might die, but
God was very merciful to me. My hus-
band and another man would slap me
and kept rubbing my arms and body. l
think it saved their lives as well as my
own, for it kept our blood in circula-
ton.
After untold sufferings we finally
got ashore at daybreak. and then they
carried me ashore later
One Alive Out of Ten.
Oliver Janvier, "a years old, of
Providence. came ashore with nine
dead men in a small boat. He was
more dead than alive when he landed.
His feet, hands and ears were badly
frozen. Janvier later was able to de-
scribe his experience. He got into a
boat with nine men.
After we started away from the
sinking boat" he said, "a woman
hoated by crying For Gods sake save
met I asked two men that I had
nearest to her. They refused to do so,
and 1 continued to row on. Pretty
soon one of the men fell over with a
groan and died of cold. The others
with another live man and eight dead
men. The other chap looked at me
peculiarly and said: My God! This
is terrible. 1 can not live and might
as well end it now. 1 am going to cut
my throat Before 1 could prevent
him he pulled out a razor and gashed
his throat. He fell on his face in the
bottom of the boat and died with an
insane laugh on his lips.
soon alter 1 saw the Hghth ouss
and sailed by it. The sea was running
too high for me to land there. 1 kept
bathing my feet and hands in the ice
cold water to prevent them freezing.
Soon the wind changed and I was (
blown on to land. 1 jumped out and
waded ashore"
The surfmen who cared for Janvier |
and who found his companions in the |
boat said the bodies were all encrust-
ed with spray and reSembled cakes or
Ice more than human bodies.
The frost penetrated too deeply to be /
overcome by medical treatment and the |
surgeons knife will be the only saliva |
ton of some of the unfortunates. Some |
will lose their fingers. some hands and |
It is feared some will be obliged to |
have limbs amputated. Purser Young's |
feet We're in a bad state and it was
doubted if he could be removed to Prov
dence today.
Captain McVey Jared somewhat bet
ter but he seemed overcome by the
disaster and it's appalling loss of life.
Several times he has been overcome
0y emotion. So serious was his condf-
ion that a representative of the Joy
inc who came here to secure a state
nent, was obliged to leave without Sc
curing it.
A small fleet of fishing schooners and
tug are today searching the waters
'or bodies.
The steamer Kentucky left for Provi-
lence this afternoon with the bodies of
i victims and also the survivors.
YounG's Story Disjointed.
Purser Young can tell only a dis
ointed story. He stated he was be-
ow in. his room going over the freight
ills when the shock came He hur-
led to the deck only to be caught in
confusion. Running be-
ow again he found nearly all the
oOmS and the saloon filled with steam
rom the broken pipes. Passengers
ushed out of their state rooms half
ressed or with only their night
lothes on. The water was rising rap
1ly and soon the beds on the saloon
eek were afioat. The rising water
aught many of the passengers who
fere unable to force their way up the
lready crowded stairs Block Islands
wo life saving stations at Sandy Point
nd at New Shoreham were turned
lto morgues and hospitals during
asst night and the dead crowded the
wing. The boat room floors were
ned with the dead, each one frozen
s stiff as the boards on which it
ested
In the living and sleeping rooms the
urvivors rested on cots and beds. ]
acked with the pain of frozen limbs
nd shuddering with the recollection
the horror of their experiences.
Iany were denied the merciful un- !
onsciousness of sleep and throughout I
ne long dreary night they tossed and '
ried and sobbed and the bowling
ind outside only served to keep fresh | t
their minds the terrors of the storm I
1rough which they had fought their '
-ay to the island. 1t is feared that
one of these survivors will escape un- I
eathed. {
(