Norwich bulletin., 1919-08-30
E|S F E F. F Y

- | More than . thousand friends and Irel1tivea attended tho funeral of Ser- geAnt Wtlttam Irving McGoyan. the heroic yonng soldiaks scsted for distih- gtiahed hravery cn the battlenelds of Ffanees and who w1a hst Wednesday by hetng c9ught In an elevator at the Nintgret mju. whore he was employed. l Tho high mass of requiem Efid2y in ISk Nieh3Ars church, rawehtuclk. was
 osrtes a SS % .rtin h1'sa a s5ssln.n ncy s same ns Jesus, Lovar. of My Soul and after tho 11nal ahpolut1on That Beautiful Land on AtGh Wae sung by Mira. Thos. IHugAes. Nearer: Axy God. to Thee Nss borne from the church.
 Saventy-dvo members of Harold Merrill post American Legion. recent ly formed and composed of f1youug men honorAhly discharged from the United fStates forcAa. served as escort from the homo Of the parents of the de- ceased to the church and thence to St. Michaers cemetery. Prayer was of- fered by Father Lyddy at the grave, and BuGler Burdick sounded taps. Sergeant McGowan was member of the old Fifth company. Westerly. Coast Artillery Corps. and shortly af ter being mustered into the federal service was among the first to volun- teer for actual overseas field service. He was appointed sergeant and as- signed to Battery A. 103d Field Artjl-
 lery, and tosa machine gun company. He was in charge of gun detail in
 the aercest battles of the great war, and his immediate comrades declare that no braver man ever stood by a sun. The bearers were six intimate comrades of tho deceased who served with him in the Fifth company. and who were with the overseas forces: Leo Gaffney, Moses Payne John Saw yers, Joseph Purtili. James Donohue IT The eb besutifai napasr fierai tributes in. cluded standing wreath of assorted aSters. red roses and gladioH from ths employees of the Westerly Textile com pany: standing wreath. of asters. Co., corhrade, Michael J. Mccarthy Jr: standing cross of pink asters, pink roses and white Crysanthemums from the Ninigret mill crossed cannon. of leaves; gates ajar. of asters. white roses and gladioli. from the family; wreath on easel. of asters and red roes from Westerly Textile company: wreath on easel. of asters. Maryland roses and cycas leaves from former shopmaucs of United States Torpedo Station5 Newport; large wreath of Ophelia roses and pink asters from the Providence comrades of Battery A.
 In respect to the memory of Sergt McGowan the plants of the Westerly Textile company and Ninigrer com pany suspended operation on Friday morning. He was employed at the Niniaret mill at the time of his death.
 Friday, Aug. 2s. 1872, just forty seven years ago to day, the wreck of the Metis occurred. at point between the lighthouses at Montauk point and Watch Hill and near the latter. The propeller Metis was bound from New York for Providence. with 145 persons aboard, and a cargo of freight. At about o'clock in the morning Yarid during the prevalence of gale. the steamer stopped ana the mates went Cushing, nearly abreast the pilot house. Just after the collision the steamer stopped and the water went below and reported that no water was coming aboard. IL was considered the damage was slight and the Metis pro cecded. After a few minutes the steamer began to fill rapidly and she was headed for Watch Hill. Half an hour after the change in course the vessel sunk.
 ed and one of the boats was swamped. The upper deck and pilot house. that held about fifty persons broke away and drifted with the gale. At about o'clock this floating deck drifted on the beach about half mile from the Watch Hill lighthouse.
 The surf was very high and the danger was Increased. A large num- per or persons assembled on the beach but could render no assistance. In a few minutes the raft broke up and all were thrown into the surf. Some clutehed to parts of the wreckage and were dashed about 1t the mercy of the sea. while out beyond were per sons supported by bales of cotton and other floating freight.
 The people at Watch Hill gave cv- cry possible aid and comfort to the | and in recovering the bodies l of the dead. Just how many were | drowned has never been given. but | seventeen dead bodies were. picked upl and taken to Stonington by the rev enue cutter Moccasin. 1
 Before the raft struck bottom and | parted, five men volunteered to risk | their lives in the hope of saving the | lives of those on the raft, and they made the start in a lifeboat owned by | the government, which had been at 1 and never used. Frank Larkin was the ! first man aboard. He was followed by | Jared Crandan. Albert CrandaH. By l ron Green and Daniel F. Larkin. An hour later John D. Harvey. Courtlandl 1ayitt Edwin M. Nash. William H. Nash and Eugene Nash went out in a | dshing boat. Before either boat could | reach the raft. 1t struck off East Beach. The iifeboat crew picked up seventeen persons alive, while the other boat rescued fifteen persons and | picked up six dead bodies. These were put aboard the Moccasin. In addition, the MoccaSin rescued two. and gath cred eleven dead bodies. making a to-