Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-04-12
A Summer in Europe.
ETTEp

| How good it seems to be once more
on shipboard, and live again that
| healthy invigorating life peculiar to an
ocean trip. This time it was the Gym
| ric that we chose, and what it lacked
in speed, it made up in steadiness, for
during our nine-days voyage scarcely
| any motion was felt.
The usual games We're INDUCED in
only this time as we had a plentiful sup
ply of Congregational ministers who
were going TO Edinburgh to attend the
| convention, we had impromptu gather
in3s every night after dinner, and We're
entertained by stories not altogether
ministerial.
One evening PurSer Pomeroy gave
| the impressive account of the rescue of
the crew on the st. Cuthbert by the
brave men on the CymriC. Mr. Pom
eroy was an eyewitness of the event
| and here is in brief his account of the
disaster, which was dispatched by the
Marccni wireless to those on shore.
''On Sunday morning the 2nd of Feb
| ruary. 1908, the steamer ST. Cuthbert
was on a voyage from Antwerp to New
York with a general cargo, including
matches, old rags and wicker work
'oIi-1 NouSHL IlIc ut ttlItt y ttOCk Hi TIE
| morning. being two hundred and nifty
miles off the coast of Nova Scotia right
in the track Of the Boston steamers
Second Officer Tuchy was on watch at
the time and detecting smoke immedi-
atcly called his captain. All hands
were called out. but some forward
were unable to reach the after part of
the steamer as the fore part was a
| mass Of flames. The bridge, the cap
tains ard officers quarters collapsed
within ten minutes after the fire was
discovered. Every effort was made to
stop the fire but the task was mpossi-
BE
At about 43O two of the steamers
boats We're launched, one in charge Of
| the second officer and eight men, the
other ore carried another officer and
ten men. The second boat capsized
almost Immediately after clearing
the steamer, all on board being drown
ed as it was impossible to assist them
on account of the mountainous waves
The boat in charge of the second Off
GER was more fortunate, and drifted
away from the steamer on beamendS
TIE occupants of this boat had a try
ing time, as all oars had been washed
out CT broken. Three of the men be-
came crazy while tossing on the waves
SO deplorahle was their condition that
they gave up all nope and lay in the
bottom of the boat exhausted and near
ly frozen to death, the thermometer
being at zero
When daybreak came the St Cuth-
bert was seen some miles off. and as
she was still afioat, endeavors were
made to get back to the burning
steamer. She was reached in safety,
but as the lifeboat was rounding the
stern of the steamer, the ST Cuthbert
was thrown in the air by a great wave.
and in sinking into the trough of the
wave she struck the life boat. sink
ing it and throwing all the OCCUPANTS
into the sea. Out of these, six were
rescued by lines by those on board
after having been in the boat seven
hours.
IhoSe remaining on board fought
the flames all Sunday and kept them
from reaching the after part of the
ship. The fire still continued burning
in the forepart of the steamer, the
hull being red hot.
-hoiadS iioTHlHR broke ana shortly
after 9 o'clock the Cymric hove in
sight. The sailors on board the st.
Cuthbert nearly went crazy, and their
| officers had the greatest difficulty IN
keeping order. AS all the signal flags
had been burned, the ST Cuthbert was
flying a red blanket and cork fender
representing a ball and square flag.
A strong westerly gale accompanied
by high seas and violent snow storms
was raging when the Cymric arrived
on the scene. Her captain semaphored
the distressed crew, who were muster
ed on the stern of the St Cuthbert.
that he would send boat as soon as