Year: 1872




weather was very fair and the sea calm, and no
thing occurred worth OF notice until the morning
az y Ss @ AZ Of Se
and dressed myself At that time The ships sur.
to inquiry, informed me that


THE ON FIRE,


and that all must go Immediately on deck. Wait
ing only to put on strong pair OF boots, went up
and there found on the quarterback the greater
part OF the persons on board the ship Whatever
excitement might have been felt it was wholly
without manifestation. All were busiy, but quietly
dispostng themselves for the dreadful emergency
that none doubted to be Immediately upon u.s.
though none knew whether the interval was to be
measured by moments or longer space of time.
Meeting the captain he told me that the fire was
forward; that the steam pump had broken almost
at the starting, but that they had succeeded in
with some success In smothering the fire. He re-
quested me TO remain IN the gangway and to do all
arise among the passengers Preparations for disem
barking the passengers and crew were progressing
rapidly and smoothly. SO far as as could observe
energy. IL is to be presumed that at that hour
and under the circumstances no one thought OF
refreshment. but. by direction of the captain the
steward prepared and placed on deck coffee and
food and the passengers were directed 10 take IL,
and think that most OF them did.


ABANDONING THE SHIP.


preparations to abandon q ship IN mid ocean Is
not the work OF moment Sir. TO detail the ohi-
GERS and men to their several pests In their re-
spcctive boats to give the information and nstruc-
tlon that are to assist and guide them; to pro
certain duration; to provide instruments
implements, &C, required time All went forward
the CAPTAIN seemed to Inspire both the crew and
the passengers with o like spirit, and when the
time came to lower the ladder there was apparent
among the passengers little disposition to make
Improbable haste All were told that they could
take with them only what they wore on their per,


''The directions were :.As each boat was filled to
proceed to windward and keep or and on till all
were disembarked, when proper adjustments would
be made and all would follow the lead OF the cap
wherein it would be Impossible to follow out this
programme, information was given as to the bear
Ing ana distance ,9r or y, ,,sr .sn


THE ship was In latitude % II, longitude "a 49,
and Waiting Island bore seventy miles south one


-'srhere were boats enough to comfortably and, in
not very rough sea- safely oat every soul on board,
ladder was lowered, the boats brought to 1t as they
were needed, and the work OF decentralization com
/ Best, was filed successfully and pulled away, when
Captain Maury. asked me to go in the next and
o. dy es a and ae
were SO much opened as to take In water some.
what In addition to this, as have been informed
by. the first oilicer, the boat was, on being
counter Of the ship, partially liled and seriously
damaged. However that might have been, SO
IL was that there was good deal Of water in it,
and when filled with persons the vigorous efforts to
trary the boat continued 10 sink. From the failure
OF this boat so far as human vision can extend re-
suited the loss of life which followed. She went
down rapidly to her thwarts, and was momentariy
in danger of upsetiing. Fortunately, at that in
stant another boat was hauled alongside of her,
gers, although some falling into the water were


RESCUED WITH SOME DIFFICULTY.


"NO sooner was this done than the swamped boat
turned bottom upward. The new boat--a stanch,
iron lifeboat-then contained fourteen adult
SIX ro women 3 ard eight men and
ney Baurhte. As directed, we went to windward
q proper distance and held. the. boat to
the wind. Presently another followed. in COM
mand OF Third Engineer Christopher and still an
other. IN command of MIR. Baffey, apassenger in the
employ of the company, who took the responsible
position at the request OF the captain And it win
appear that his confidence in his man was not
quite the smallest of all, and having board ten
men,. The captains boat only remained.
after the swampng Of the boat at the ladder 1t
was found necessary to temporarily overload some
OF the remaining boats in order to make 1t possible
to take all from the ship, the design being to make
stii, after the i've boats had left there more
passengers than could be put in the captains boat


it was possible to take more, the captain ana few
others remaining ON the ship. Mr.: Baifey's boat,
which was large one ana overioaded with thirty
mediately swamped when was presented the hor-
THIRTY-FouR SOULS STRUGGLING IN THE WAVES.
series and prayers arose, mingled with shrieks,
and were responded to by prayers from all in sight
that God would help, for human aid was impossible.
For loaded boat to go to the aid OF those was to
certainly involve them In the same destruction.
There were strong swimmers among them, who
struck out with desperation for the surrounding
boats, and those IN them yielding to the law OF self
preservation, pulled away The captains boat re-
that time broken out, andwere raging aft rapidly,
and it was with difficulty that they escaped.


southeast and fallen In company with the dingy,
which was in command OF Charles WEIGH. He was
boat who belonged to the ship. In our
own boat there was no seaman, and not
H ne hese we nat
seemed more than folly to part company with the
only man who possessed the knowledge and expe-
rience which seemed our last hope. There was no
reason to doubt that the remaining boats a1oat
would proceed in the direction we were taking,
which was that Of Watlings Island, the bearing
and distance Of which the captain had given to Mr..
WEIGH. This, however, proved not to be the case,
and we were destined to see no more Of any Of the
boats.


sAs my narrative must now wholly pertain to our
selves, 1t is time to make you better acquainted with
my companions. Besides Mr.. Baurhite there in
the boat three men-Peter Grant, Michael Hallwood
and myself; and six ladies, Maggie and Ellen Ryan,
With his wife and his wiles sister: We had Q ten
soG Two %eatSooSs % six oars and QUANTITY Of % Sayyard
line The wind was blowing strong, pretty
nearly from due east and what is known as


THE WAVES RAN HIGH


and seemed to us at least to almost constantly i'm
needed, as the combing waves were frequently
daslng over us. In this condition we followed our
leader In general sOuthward directfon-th0uRn
IT. seemed to me his movements were very erratic-
the whole day: Mr. Baurhite steered. with an oar
lashed to ringbolt. The rest pulled four oars,
changing for relief It was plain to me that
we were making very little headway, and, taking
probable tide into account, perhaps none. The OBJ
me, and certainly was, hopeless Of attainment, for
had learned from the captain that the wind had
for weeks blown from the same direction, and It
most certainly would for weeks or months to come
The seemed in the last degree desperate, but
was not yet prepared to thrust In my counsel espe
cially as the rest, both men and women, were dis
posed to be hopeful. During the afternoon we re-
ceived from the other boat ham and half pail or
crackers, and during that time made from Maggie
Ryan's skirt q sail, which with string fastened
to the two boat hooks The work was done in a
very cramped position, and when lifted proved to
be worse than useless In the course were taking