The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-02-14
CAPTAIN LEFT
IN FIRST BOAT
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For thirteen hours the raft drifted
about helplessly. and when the schoou-
er Cara f. came alongside and res
eued them. every person on board was
covered With ice. Mrs. FeIdman was
the first TO be lifted to the schooner,
put half insane. she leaped from the
hands of her rescuers back onto the
ratt, screaming loudly that she would
not De separated from her husband.
Captain Saved Himself.
A statement by Fred Heirgesen. an
H-year-old boy who WAS returning to
Els nome after having been a runaway
LOT nearly year contained the first
dlrect charges against Captain McVey
ana ms crew. He declares that Captain
McNey's boat was the first which left
the sinking steamer. He said he saw
many women on the hurricane deck
ruShlhg about helpessly and begging
LOT hfe-preserverS. Many women
pleaded in vain with passengers and
crew 10 direct them 10 the lifeboats
MY stateroom was almost at the
point OF the collision on the port side"
says Heirgesen. II was in bed with
my clothes on. and when I rushed on
deck found the officers reassuring the
passengers and telling them that they
were IN no immediate danger.
Negroes Lost Their Heads.
The captain left his steamer in the
very first boat. The second boat was
taken possession of by a gang Of negro
WATERS. These men seemed to have
lost their heads, and so many of them
crowded into the boat that il capsized
as soon as it struck the water and. I
believe. We're lost.
Il got into the third boat with FIVE
other men. There were no oars in the
boat. and we were obliged to drift with
the wind and the waves. We drifted
Tor several hours, and when we were
near land q big wave capsiZed the boat.
Inc i've men who were with me were
drowned, but as soon as i struck the
water l began to swim, and although
my hands We're terribly frozen and my
feet felt like lead. I succeeded in reach
ing the beach. where some one dragged
me out of the water
1t was an awful sight on the hurri-
cane deck of that steamer. I saw a lot
of women running around helplessly
calling for life-preservers and begging
that they be directed to the lifeboats,
nut no one paid any attention to them
and they were absolutely neglected.
i did not see many life-preservers
around. As I left the ship many people
were jumping overheard, just as the
steamer began TO slip beneath the
waves"
One Man Saved by Faith.
David D. Fox of Bridgeton. y J..
declared his sublime faith i'm God saved
himself and others. Mr.. Fox was re-
turning from a Bible convention at
Beverley, Mass. He was on the same
piece of wreckage as that which car
ried the Feldmans away. He said that
has whole experience was so appalling
that he found il impossible to drive it
from his mind. AS soon as the raft
reached the water the despair of all on
board seemed to become so general that !
he spent his entire time begging them
TO have faith in God He assured every
one that if they were only prayerful. !
and not give up. they would be saved. |
Mr. Fox says that as the boat slipped
into the water those who remained
found more room and had a better op-
portunity TO move their limbs and keep
their blood in circulation. Antonio !
OF Central Falls. r.. l.,
entered lifeboat with eight other men.
The boat had scarcely touched the wa
ter when it turned partially over, |
throwing all the occupants into the wa
ter All but RiezukieWitz seemed to
have been frozen to death soon after
they were immersed, for he was unable
to find trace of them when he came
to the surface. He swan to the boat
and climbed in. He said he did not re-
member how he was saved. Finally he
dropped into the water in the bottom
Of the boat and left consciousness.
When he awoke he was at Block island.
Crew Praised by Purser.
Oscar Young. purser of the Larch-
mont, praised the crew. He said there
were eight nfeboats and four RATS on
board, and when the collision occurred
all in his power to save the lives Of the
Young said he left the
steamer in the captains boat. He said
that as near as he could remember ne
had assigned about seventy passengers
to their berths previous 20 the collision
There were many others on board. how
ever, some of whom had not at that
time applied for sleeping accommoda-
tons, and ne believed that some others
planned to sleep in chairs In the saloon.
Young was handed a list OF the pas
sengcrs on board his vessel before he
sailed from Providence. but he left it
in his room and il went down with the
vessel.
Father Survived; Son Perished.
A pathetic story of a pair sitting
and the other perishing. was
told by James Flood. 40 years old, of
New York. Flood entered a lifeboat, /
and at his side sat his son Nathan. "a
years old. The father picked up an oar
and rOwed throughout the night, occa- |
sionally stopping TO beg his boy TO
move his limbs and staye off death. |
however, seemed TO be in a
stupor. and while the father rowed the
70 faNrn
McVey's Explanation.
Captain McNey. commander OF the
when seen at an early hour
this morning regarding the statement
made by Fred Hiergesell, admitted that
it was probable that his life boat was
one Of the first, IL not the first TO leave
the sinking shin. He eXnlainad how