COLLISION AT SEA.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XIV, Issue 4900, 28 June 1887, Page 3

COLLISION AT SEA.

-*. SCENES OF HORROR AND DISMAY. BRAVERY, COWARDICE, AND PAJL'HOS. Ok the fatal collision botween tho White Star steamships Britannic and Celtic tho following graphic report, taken from the New York Herald of May 23, will be read with interest : — Tho two monster White Star steamships, Britannic and Celtic, crashed together in a dense fog 350 miles oast of Sandy Hook, at a quarter past five o'clock on Thursday afternoon. Both ships are still afloat, but the blood of five mangled steerage passengers redden tho stout deck of the Britannic, and the bodies of tho victims are rolling at the bottom of tho Atlantic Ocean. It is one of the most thrilling stories that ever the mighty waters gave vp — a story of horror, of marvellous bravery, of unspeakable cowaidice and of melting pathos — at once a tribute and a reproach to human nature. The Britannic was on her way from New York to Liverpool. The Celtic was coming from Liverpool to New York. Tho Britannic carried 170' ca'nn passengers and about three hundred steerage passengers. The Celtic was crowded. A white fog had snowed down upon the ocean, and both vessels kept up the monotonous chant of the steam whistles. The ollicers of the Britannic heard the whistling of the Celtic and soon the two steamers were engaged in an awful game of blindman's bull. Crowds of the Britannic's passengers ran from side to side as the sound of the Celtic's hoarse warning came weirdly, now from one direction and now from another, through the damp, thick vapour. Both vessels slackened speed as they approached nearer and nearer. THE DREADFUL CONTACT. Suddenly a huge shadow loomed up. There was a general cry of delight as the majestic Celtic swept grandly into sight. It was followed by shrieks of terror. The sharp giant prow of the oncoming steamship was headed straight for the Britannic. The Celtic reversed her engines. It was too late. Aa the two Teasels struck there was a terrific roar, and the sea was churned into foam by the shock. The prow of the Celtic struck the port side of the Britannic abaft the mizzen mast, tearing a gap four feet wide in her side at the water line. It was a glancing blow, and as the Britannic plunged ahead with her helm hard aport, the torn prow of the Celtic swept back along her ponderous rival, groaning and tearing away the massive iron bulwarks of the main deck like so much brown paper. With blanched faces and soul-piercing cries of terror a crowd of steerage passengers on the main deck fled through the iron-covered gangway at the side of the vessel below the hurricane deck. The heavy curved iron plates were twisted up, and fell with a mass of shattered timbers on the passengers beneath, mutilating them horribly. One man was torn in two. The head of a little girl was cut off, and the fragments of her body spattered the clothes of her wounded brother. She had been smiling in her mother's face a moment before. Two other men and a woman were dashed into eternity as the grinding timbers and plates were hurled in all directions, wounding as they fell. DECKS RUNNING WITH BLOOD. The speed of the Britannic turned tho Celtic around, and as the latter bounded back the air was tilled with fearful cries. The deck of the Britannic ran with blood. Huge waves swirled against the whole in her side, and tho ocean poured into compartment No. 4, where the single men of the steerage slept. Horror reigned below. " Hush !" cried the steward, as the first shock came, and the vessel shook from end to end. " There's no danger. It's all right. An accident has happened o the machinery." Sick women, with their infants in their arms, crawled out of the steerage bunks, and stared with bloodless countenances. The rough men rushed on deck, children began to cry. (Continued on fourth page.) "ROUGH ON ITCH."— " Rough on Itch cuits skin humors, eruptions, ringworm, teter, salt rheum,, frostnd feet chilblains, itch, tivy poißon barber 8 itch ■'ROUGH ON PILES." Why suffer Piles Immediate relief and complete cure guaranteed. Ask for " Rough on Piles." Sure cure for itching, pro-

Suddenly the steward roappearod in tho steerage. Ho looked liko a corpse. "Up on dock for your lives," h.> roared, "the ship is sinking." Thun .-iroau a wild, uv\d rush for tho boats. Two of thorn had been smashed by the prow. of the Celtic. Captain Porry ordered tho' sailors tolowr away all the remaining boats and take the women and children off first. But the masculine brutes fought thoir way to tho front, trampling on tho weak aud helpless as they went. The fog grew thicker and thicker aa the savage sceno grew more tumultuous. Tho women wore pale, silent *nd heroic. Throe noble sisters of St. John the B-ip'ist stole about in their black robes exhorting thoir sister passengers not to fear death if they had t > go down with tho ship, but to pray for courage. COWARD KEBUKED. Many of the cowardly men sprang over the sides of the Brittaniac into the lifeboat*. One sailor <>r fireman forced himself into a b.-afc. Then the trumpet voice of Captain Perry rang out : " Y«>u coward !" he cried, "«iine b*ck on this ship. Look at me. Isn't my lif as precious as yours V There wan a flash of col; atoel as the brave commander drew his revolver and loaded it in tho presence of the mul titude. "The next man that goes over the side of this ship will be shot dead." All the men shrank back. While the work of transferring tho women and children to tho boats was going on a force of cabin passengers and sailors were at work tearing away the mass of wreckage that pinned the dead and the dying to the deck. Many of the women fainted with terror when the bloody corpses were dragged into view. Captain Perry signalled to the Celtic to send all hor lifeboats. The Celtic's brave tars were soon rowing toward tho Britannic. Meanwhile several women had lost their senses and jumped overboard and were with great difficulty rescued by the mon in the boats. A stalwart young man Blood with his arm flung lovingly around the waist of his Bweetheart on the Britannic's deck. As the excitement increased he stealthily left his fair companion and sneaked over the side of the vessel, climbing down a rope toward the boat. "Cut that rope,' shouted tho captain, sternly. A sailoi leaned over the bulwark, a cold circle ol light flashed from him, and tho next in^ stant the young man dropped into the heaving sea with one end of the parteci rope in hia hands. A compassionate sea man dragged him out of tho water. Sooi six boat loads of the Britannic's passenger; were safe on board tho Celtic, which hac suffered no further damage than hei broken bowa. Then the remaining passengers cooled down somewhat. STOPPING THE LEAK. Down in the hold department a gallani crew were stopping up the hole in tin ship's side with mattresses and driving wedges in a great crack that gaped to ware the deck. The pumps on the port sid« were rendered useless by the collision, anc Captain Perry had the water tanks emptied in order to lighten the vessel, a: seventeen feet of the sea had entered the injured compartment. Then a big pad ol canvas was drawn by chains over tho out side of tho hole in the side. Tim entirelj shut out tho sea. By midnight the Britannic started for New ifork, accompanied by tho Celtic. Both vessels blazed witli electric lights and fired minute guns, sc that neither should loso the other. JIANOLED UODIES SEWN IN SACKS. A man came do\v among tho women ii the sti'ora^o at two o'clock on Fridaj morning. There was no color in his fact and ho shivered. "My God!" he cried. " they are sewing up the dead people in sacks." It was so. Under tho pallid gleam of the electric lights a group of seamen were stitching silently at dark bundles. A few men stood around. Tears Btolo down the bronzed faces of the sailors as they did their solemn work on the wide, lonely ocean. Then each bundle was lifted tenderly and reverently to th< bulwark and placed upon a plank. Splash ! Splash ! Splash I The rough men wiped their eyes, and Captain Perry buried his face in his hinds. Splash 1 Splash ! Tht ■winds howled, and the waves splashed, aud the mother vi the little dead girl wailed over her wounded boy. When the morning sun rose in splendour the sea was calm and gentle. The haggard passengers hung over the rails of the twe riven vessels like sorro starved host on the walls of a boseiged city. A NEW DANGEK, Then the steamer Marengo, of tho Wilson line, hove into sight. She was signalled for help, and, turning about steamed as an escort between the White Star vessels. All day Friday the journey was kept up. The passengers on the Britannic became more and more uneasy. It was feared that tho cargo of wheat, being wet, would swell np and burst tho ship. A SOLEMN ASSURANCE. At last Captain Peny called them all together on the deck. " I want to tell you," he Gaid, solemnly, " that there is no immediate danger, but wo cannot tell what may happen to-night. We may have to take to the lifeboats. If wo do, I want to say that the first man who tries to jump into a boat before the women and children are taken off will be shot dead. But in tho presence of C4od I promise you that I can aiiswer for tho safety of the ship for a long time yet." A wild cheer greeted his noble words. Towards nightfall tho Inp^ .n line steamship Biitish Queen was .»l)ted. As tho British Queen drew near he Britannic her passengers broke into deafening cries of good-natured welcome, never dreaming that anything was wrong. Suddenly they caught sight of tho signal* of distress and there was a dead silence. £ 'I the flags of tho British Queen were ijwered to half-mast as tho captain learned the tragic story by signals. Tho British Queen then escorted tho Britannic while, the Marengo escorted the CeUic. So the four vessels arrived at the Sco- and Li r 'htBliip at one o'clock yesterday m jrning and anchored. Holloimi/a Ointment and I'ilh ~A fre queutCiiuaeofriieuinatisrn is theiuflamniatory state of the bloed, attended by indigeatioand general debility. A few doses o f , a PiJJa taken in time is an effectual pr- . against gout and rheumatism. ' oventwe has an attack of either sh- who way's Ointment also, the - jUI ? , uae L ?°' io ; whbl., combined with powerfd action ol Pills, must infalli*-' - the operation of the Pills act direct' effect a cure. These purify and ; yon *^ c b ' 00 "> which ih< y the seve*' .mprnve. Having once subdue 1 with * lf .V °f these diseases, perseverance pi" the Ointment, after fomenting the ,iected joints with warm brine, will spmlilv relax nil stiffness au.l prevent any permanent contraction.