The advocate. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1901-1913, 1907-02-14

Il -.
! pS into the fSsss III 81 tSs ss Ale,
fslsns Sound SseSoS u as SsSsua 1G ins
S1aspt until she was we'll ebeam Of
Watch HUI AnHtishln nve oSkAix miles.
LOT Fishers Island 81 CSbtain ! George
NcVey, who had remained in the pilot
n.a until The pRg@ had been
was, preparinE to fVEfTX Utter 4 turn
ground HIS ship whssaate swasr startled
ny Several blasts OF the steamers
whistle: He rushed SO the pilot house,
lphiAted out III KrsSs Astad schooaer.
ks&idtbg easswSSIE Me- ~ ~ krong wind.
l6ATrySs Mo- itsG. aIs Siatsn : itnM
Saph Amboy for AS6ton, had been;
ls6& linH AsRhG On haE course whe0 shbe,
tsahme ds tlIanfS 10 lpR up and hsad,
lky*JEAtl 1nss he. SteanosF. Again several
a8ss M e6atn&AdsO4 the steamers
hlsliSs T. and Quarterm8star
az tue faNAnS pnalneys whirlinEz th1kxs
wheel haFdS hnnrt lha mad endssHar
70 avert a nollisien, But Is the EarSA.
moht WAS SLOWLY yeariag aroppd In
RESPONSE 10 her halEp. the schooner
came on I With 2 sRAed' That. almost
pushing her toWAESAX Boston. =,
Even before a wHSa,nr sIrnal could,
be- sounded On the kAamer's whistle,
theS schaonAE Ga Ashad into the mort
side of the LarchnQnt, and the impact
OF the big vessel Was so terrific, that
the big clumsy box. OF the sailing craft
forced it's way m0Ge than halt the
breadth OF the 1archmont. When the
lorsss Of the impact had been spant,
the schooner temi&prarily remained,
fast in the steamAras. side, holding in
check for moment. the inruBhing
waters, But tho pounding sea seon
separated. the vessel and as they
backed away the water rushed into
the gaping hole in the steamer with
q, velocity that could only mean the
swift, doom of the passenger vessel
There Was no watnr tight compart-
mants, to be closed and therefore, the
Aood could noty8he confined to the
damaged section and 1T poured In over
! the, Gargo, and daSsn into the hold. AS
gEeat ~e clouds ofe1 sr osae and dof t6e
panic stricken 4<nAssengers, many of
whom had bee throw nsa8ronf their,
! hunks by tie 'c0IifSiod; were flrst un-
der the impression that a fre had
brokeps. out on, beard. Unfortunately
the point of, collision was Ia that part
| Of the steamer wheaa, was located the
signalling apparatus connecting the
| engine Room sy, ptfot< s,hoa1se.
Captain lMcVey, fsisdiiSs in the pilot
house. could net &a Communicate With
and theSefore waessunable to deter
mine the extent Of She damage. The
Equarte rsuaster was hurried below ITO
make rasSi 5Rvest igatfon. The nassen-
gers ;tReah&htle Hsafied> to the deck.
Few oEAsthem had<ewalted, to clothe
themselYeSss.T TIL ose @wlo 4had not stop
ped to5Glothe themselves now found
1T inNossibie tossIaturn below, and
dress. ;tEEheir fooBaa were flooded soon
after they had bean deserted and the
steapeFs ADunderjnp around in the
high seas, was sinking with rapidity
that sent terror toS.ths' heaGts of the
officers and crew. These men were
prompt in answering CAPTAIN Nc,
Vey's call to quarters u, ,,t,
4 .-Whike some seam6n held back the
i 9rantic passengers bgabgnte strength
others were preparinGesfo. loWer the
life boats and, rafts. Hhere was. 20
time ito think of, the Comfort of. any
one. It-'was q physical impossible
'ty for any but the most, hardened
to Withstand the cold which turned
ears and noses white with frost and
/ which 80 benumbed their fAet that
i both passengers and n9smbefs Of the
lcrew stumbled rather aban. walked to
| the small craft in which they were
to leave the sinking ship,
.shrieks OF agonizedspafn drowned
the roar: Of the inrushing water.
PaRdemonillm reigned. but in, spite
lOF e. he aIfRP Il no
more Intensely than the. men, were
placed In the life boats, tn male
passengers and members Of the crew
selecting the uhprotectea RATS as
their means Of escape.
| Captain McYey remained on the
upper deck directing his officers and
crew until every one. ON board ap-
peared TO have been cared feg, 3 He
| ordeyeH all the life boats: and rats
I cut AWAY and before stepping !. into
His OWN ,hoa& stood, on the upper
deck A$momept. to sees that his order
was exscatetS,< Then, he Or deEed that
1 his, boat the largest on board, boSbe
I ;clearetsS aMay. Rhe spittablax enRa1-
! ton of;Ahe ipassen gers, was Increased
! a. hundred fold the 1n9mexst they, had
Launched the boats Every. wave
! sent it's dash Of spray over the boats
aud their contents. Soon "a thin
locating OF ice envetoped eyed one.
THOSE who. were fluffy clothed SUI
fered from frozen faces. and nurnhed
feet, bun there were many who had
on only. their night clothes, One man
in the captains boat, although dresS-
ed warmer than many Others was
suddenly driven insane by intense
suffering. He, pulled a big clasp
knife from his pockeB and gashed
his throat, Those Wig sat near hi9h
either. were too, dazedsto, interfere or
looked upon the act OF self destruc-
! tonnes justified, The, unknown mans
| body fell to the bottom Of the boat
where It remained upheeded.
Fishers Point, the nearest point
of land, was not quite five miles'%te
the westward Of the point where
the steamer went dowp, and every