The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1954-04-16

1
as one of the most famous wrecks
of the century. The t'Metropolis'
had set sail from Philadelphia
with 248 people OH board. Three
miles south of Currituck Light
she struck the beach with a loss
of more than 100 lives. The de-
parture of the metropolis" under
Captain Ankers was quite an
event in Philadelphia. She was
the second ship dispatched by P.
and T. Collins, bound for Brazil
and carrying machinery for the
building of the Madeira and
Mamores Railroad, with stores for
the substance of workmen.
According to the Philadelphia
Times, the long wharf of the
Reading Railroad at Willow
Street where the departing
steamer lay, was filled with an
immense concourse of people
whose numbers could only be
computed by thousands. The ma
jority of them were Irishmen,
women and children assembled to
give a long sad goodbye to their
husbands, fathers, brothers and
friends who were about to bury
themselves for eighteen months
at least in the dense and somber
forests of the upper Amazon. The
scenes were such as the quays of
Queenstown and Londonderry
witnessed in the days of half
a century ago when the Stalwart
sons of the Green Isle babe tear
full and tender farewells to their
friends and relatives and en-
barked on the vessels, which
were then about to convey them
to land much a terraincognito
to them at that day as the heart
of the Southern continent is to
the migrants of the Metropolis.
Sorrowful Farewells.
Continuing, the Philadelphia
Times said: "The sorrowful part
ing of wives and children brought
tears to the eyes of bystanders
unused to the melting mood. One
fine looking woman, the wife OF
one of the foremen, after a dozen
passionate farewells, fin ally
chung to her husband with such
intense sorrow that the latter was
compelled to remain on the wharf.
A stalwart Irishman clasped to
his heart a fine manly boy-a
motherless boy of seven years,
and begged with tears in his eyes
for permission to take him along.
"You won't part us" the father
entreated. at is impossible for
you to take the boy" replied Mr..
Collins. "Then I can't 60, won't
CO." said the father. The little
fellow knew of the stern want
that was driving his father away
to distant lands to earn the bread
so hard to win here, and the fu-
ture man welled up in him as he
said, in spite of the sorrow of
the parting; "Pop go, and I'll stay
with Uncle Jim. He'll take care
of me-" and the father, now by
far the weaker of the two, sailed
away.
"There were on the wharf and
on the steamer, embracing and
kissing, tears and cries of sorrow
until the steamer cast off her
moorings and started on her way
to sea and such a pressure at the
gangway that several of the pas
sengers were left behind and
others taken away in their places.
The police arrangements were
excellent, a detail of fifteen men
under Lieut.. Albright of the
Seventh District being in charge
of the wharf. So much pleased in
deed, were the Messrs. Collins
with the lieutenant and his men
that they gave him a cornpI-
mentary dinner"
Trouble Soon Started
The vessel set sail from Phila-
delphia at 9 AM, January 20. At
| 8 PM. on the next day the vessel
started a heavy leak in the rud-
der case. The captain, finding
they could not gain on the leak
with pumps, concluded they
could tighten the steamer by
throwing over her cargo of coal
and bearing away for Hampton
Roads. At the cold and fearful
midnight hour the circulating
pump gave out. The passengers
were frantic and in awful terror.
At 8 o'clock a heavy sea boarded
the vessel, carrying away the
smoke stack, life boats, engine
room doors and the forward sa-
loon. A large body of water be-
low, the ship was completely un-
manageable. All other hope was
gone other than to drive the
vessel ashore on that rough and
inhospitable beach. At 6 o'clock
the steamer reached the beach
The fires were out, the engine
had stopned and all the sails had