Year: 1878

MR.. BROOKES NARROW ESCAPE-ANAIEIf FOLLo"-


ING THE DISCOVERY OF THE LEAK-How THE


FIRST NINE MEN REACHED THE SHORE.
IBY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNE.l
NORFOLK, Va. Feb. 1.-The steamer Cygnet ar
rived this evening from the of the wreck of
the Metropolis, with Richard w. Brooke. of Ger
mantown, Penn, survivor, OH board He was at
once driven to The Landmark office, where he gave
the subjoined details Of the sad tragedy.
Mr.. Brooke is young gentleman, little above the
medium height with blue eyes, light hair fair COM
pexIon and high check bones. He is modest in ap-
pearance, and while giving all the information In
his possession respecting the wreck and its horrors,
the particulars of the terrible tragedy were mar
rated with downright simplicity and evident truth.
Mr.. Brooke was born in Philadelphia, and is now
twenty-three years of age. He has wife and
child living. He is bricklayer by trade and went
on the steamer as foreman of one of the gangs OF
labOrers


From him Mr. Brookej it IS learned that the i'll
fated vessel had not gone very many miles when it
was discovered that the movements Of her machinery
produced general jarring, which made the officers
anxious respecting her arrival at her point OF
destination. When it learned that her
seams were widening and the water was
forcing its way into the ship, and If she continued
on her perilous voyage the combined efforts OF
passengers and crew could not save her from sinking
forever out of existence, it was determined to
beach her.


When the news was broken to the excited crowds
swarming her fated decks, eagerly waiting to hear
the probability of their fate, loud cheers arose from
that immense throng and rang out above the
howl of the fearful gale that was driving them
on to that fatal beach, on which but
a few short weeks before had perished the Huron's
gallant crew. The joy beaming in the faces of the
passengers and the prolonged shouts that rent the
air upon the announcement seemed panacea for
all their present ills Angry bllows madly surging
and boiling and breaking between them and land,
to plunge into which was death to so many,
seemed to enter not into their calculation.
A leap into the water. few bold strokes. and
then their feet would again press the solid earth.
and wife and little ones be again clasped i'll their
loving embrace. This hope of safety accounts for
the cheers with which the poor fellows had hailed
the announcement of land, which in their minds
was associated with safety


This is the third time Mr. Brooke has
been wrecked. In 1869, when quite lad
he sailed as cabin boy In the bark
Young Curio, from Philadelphia, and when
oil the coast of Australia. accident hap
pened to the vessel which rendered her
helpless; but being almost within sight
of shore she succeeded in reaching it without
material damage to crew or bark His second
venture was in the steamship Preciomium, bound
for Philadelphia to Hong Kong this time as a
sailor before the mast, and it his return trip
that the vessel driven ashore in a gale
in the China Sea- and completely wrecked, the crew
barely escaping with their lives. In his account
given to The Landmarks to-day, Mr.. Brooke said:


We had only three women board, one of
whom was the wife of the chief engineer
the other the wife of Mr. Harrison, the stew
ard. The third ones name was unknown. When
several miles out from the Breakwater, at about
o'clock y. M, on Wednesday, the first mate name
unknown) found the ship had sprung leak,
and the men immediately put to work
throwing out coal to Tighten her. After getting rid
of from fifty TO sevcny-fve tons, aud being then
unable to find the leak, Captain Ankers ordered all
hands to put on life prcservcs as the ship was max
ing water very fast and putting the fires out.


On Thursday morning, about 3 O'Clock, all hands
were called to raise SAIL and the ship was headed
directly for the lighthouse, which We supposed TO
be- t. Charles light. At $3.50 p. m about 200 yards
from the shore, the ship struck. The waves imme-
diately commenced washing the decks from stem
to stern, breaking in the weather side. We
all stood this for about two hours when one man, a
fireman. started 10 swim ashore. The first mate





ashore after a hard swim, landing about half mile
above the place where the ship struck. We found
no one on shore to afford us any assistance.


After three men reached the shore, all were so
weak az to be unable hardly to move boat with
six men put off from the ship and succeeded IN
reaching the shore with all aboard. All of us mine
in nmbcll then started up the beach follow
ing the telegraph poles in search of any one
to ren ler MS aid. The only living thing saw was
a cow and she Immediately ran away. We, how
ever followed her up till We got on sand
hill, from which We saw the lighthouse. After
running mile through brush and briers
in our bare feet. with nothing on but
shirt and drawers came to the Currtuck Light
house Club Mr. William Jones. one of the en-
ployGs received Us, and told us to take off our wet
Clothes and he would give us dry ones.
After doing this, he Immediately started
a boy on horseback to the lighthouse
to inform the keeper of the wreck, and TO
send the lfc-Sayng apparatus to tho scene After
getting on dry clothes proceeded to the wreck.
accompanied by Mr.. Jones and four men belong
ing to the fe-saving station, who carried
ammunition and mortar. We followed
the beach and found il covered with bodies and
portions of the wreck. Upon getting opposite the
ship, the mortar was placed in position and line
was thrown over the t0p-sail Of the vessel


d Iff.e,s,