The White Pine news. [volume] (Ely, Nev.) 1906-1910, 1907-02-14
WRECK VICTIMS
FLOAT ASHORE
Bodies of Those Who PeriShed in
Steamship DisaSterPicked Up
on Block Island Beach
UNKNOWN
Captain McVey, Who Saved Himself
Makes Conflicting Estimates Of
Number of Passengers.
SPECIAL To TIE NEWS

BLOCK ISidnu, II. l., req. 10. just
how many persons lost their lives in
the sinking Monday night in the Sound
of the "Larchmont" by coiliding with
the Harry Knowlton' may never be
known. Nineteen exhausted and nearly
frozen persons from the wreck reached
Block island today after long drift in
an open boat under the most cruel con
ditions of wind and weather.
Nearly twenty bodies We're dragged
out onto the beach during the day.
That anyone should have been able
to go through those terrible hours on
Tuesday morning following the col
lision when the temperature was at
zero and a west gale was blowing
frozen spray into the little boat, was
perhaps one of the most surprising
features of the disaster.
The "Larchmont' left Providence
with crew of about 5Oland a passenger
list of 10, but an actual account of the
number of persons aboard the vessel is
impossible at present.
Cities and towns in New England
have contributed list of missing in
habitants thought to have been on the
steamer which totals nearly 70. A
conservative estimate of the number of
those who lost their lives was placed
today at $50.
SPECIAL To THE NEWS
Providence, R. l., Feb. 13. Bodies
of victims of the collision between the
"Larchmont" and the Harry Knowl-
ton" are still floating ashore on the
beach at Block Island. 1t will never
be known how many perished in the
disaster. The captain of the 'Larch-
mont" on which all but ten persons
were drowned, has made conflicting es-
Inmates of the number of passengers
aboard the vessel on the fatal night of
the ,llision. First he said that there
were from $50 to 200 passengers but
later, when again questioned, reduced
his estimate to $50 or 75."
Capt. McVey has told the story OF
how he and six members of the crew,
with four passengers, were able to
save themselves, while all others went
down into the icy deep. His tale
savors more of the Falstaffian philoso-
ply of discretion being the better
part of valor, than seaman-like hero
ISM Capt. McVey says:
"We were off Watch Hill at about II
o'lcock. l had gone below leaving a
good pilot and quartermaster in the
pilot house. | returned to the pilot
house, passing through there on my
way to my room. Everything was 0. K.
in the pilot house and | stepped into
my room and prepared to retire. Sud-
denly heard the pilot blowing danger
signals and | hurried into the pilot
house. There was a schooner on the
port side of US and her crew seemed to
have lost control of her. Without
warning she luffed up and before we
had an opportunity to do thing she
was heading toward us The quarter
master and pilot put the wheel hard
to port, but the schooner was sailing
along before a fresh breeze and in a
moment she crashed into our port side
directly opposite the smoke stack.
! tried to signal to the engineer andmate,
/ but the collision had broken the main
steam pipe, cutting off communication
with The pilot house.
after cutting our vessel in two the
shooner fell away and disappeared to
leeward. In few minuets Our ship
was filling rapidly.
'The officers and crew were summon
ed to their stations and | ordered al
hands to leave the ship. | took into
my boat six Of the crew and -four
passengers. When we were leaving we
made sure that there were no passen-
gers en- board who had not been tax ken
care of. After our boat dropped into
the water we remained in the vicinity
until the steamel sank We found il
impossible to rrw windward, so We
started for Bloc, lsland. The colo
was terrible
1--WE struggled for hours and the
pain from our frostbitten hands ano
feet was almost unbearable. One oi
our men became crazed~ and committed
suicide by cutting his throat. No on
in the boat had strength enough tt
stop him. .