The Beaver radical. (Beaver, Pa.) 1868-1873, April 11, 1873, Image 1

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VOLUME V.
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j, s. RUTAN, Proprietor.
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CON'TJKSTX’S:
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Sa:n.Ki.a, Puuticai. & CoBRESPOSDKSCB
i > u £ News Items
: ational A: Scientieic
Aiilg'-TiTOUL
Ml-CEIiANSOO
THE OCEAN TRAGEDY.
\ Terrible Dl*a»ter—Seven Hundred
Lives Lost-The Chief Officer’s Ac
toam The All-Responsible Comman-
der-ira bln Passengers Tale—What
to o id Sea Captain Says.
Halifax, N. S., April 3.—J. W. Firth*
chief officer of the Atlan tic, in reply Ip a
reporter's inquiry, made a statement,
..’istance as follows; “My watch ended
i 11 o’clock on Monday night. The sec
and fourth officers look charge, and I
i-trt- to tny berth. I was aroused by the
;. ck of the vessel striking. The second
i orcamedowntomy room, and said
■ -ship was ashore, and he was afraid
: ’.i- was gone. I put on a few’ articles of
■. ii;ng, got an axe, and went on deck
i t ear the boats. The ship had careened
' ■\r before I reached the deck. I cleared
”o. stuboapd boats. Just then a-heavy
swept the boats away. I was holding
; i the mizzen-mast rigging, and now
' "Jie i higher for safety. The night was
' :-irk, and the spray blew so thickly that
■: u;M not see well what was going on
s.’. ns.
■isiw nun on the rocks, but did not
>•' v they go,i there. All who were
-• "ii hoird were in the rigging when
I counted thirty two
’' in the nrzzon-masl rigging with
il came
m-du ling one .woman. When these
' timt there were lines between the
‘■'i i shore, many of them attempted
-■ f Tivard tu the lines, and in doing
'■vt-hed overboard and drowned.
v shoru by the aid of the
■ ar.-i fishermen's boats rescued many
At inst all had either been washed
• fi-sem <i except myself, the woman,
H h y. The sea had become so rough j
could not venture near us. |
‘.ht-!) iy wis washed off, but he swam |
y reached one of the boats in i
I -Cl a firm hold of the woman [
' 'arc 1 her in the rigging. I could ■
I""; 1 - 1 - on shore and in boats, and
'-hun, hut they were unable tn
- At J "’clock'in the afternoon,
i,i,i i’ujen in the rigging ten
Mr. Ancient, a Church of
' l ' ■ whose noble conduct
■•' v ’ r 1 ■ * iire-1 while I live, got a crew
1 Ui r. t t r,iw him out to the wreck.
H-v
■ Uu< miin ringing and pen
''tn , then advanced as far as be
■'"‘"'•r is me and threw it in me. I
■- ‘h nr.t ic it around my body,
■ tumpptj clear. A sea swept me
•-■'leik, but Mr.-Ancient held fast
i'u’ied me back, and got me
' -f btta', I wasjhcn so exbaust
• d that I was hardly able"
iU .' - ii; it - f->r myself, and but for the
V' 1 ' 11 -* conduct I must bate
„, ‘ ' n Tim woman, afterbearing
, r *^Heritable strength under her
j * Ul ' died two hours before
M, ' n * l i; ‘d arrived. Her half nude
i.isl in the rigging, her
! ■ r U'ji:;g i her awjth foaming—a
■ ' s;>ec?acle, rendered more
• c ' r - :r *st with tile" numerous
jewels which sparkled on her bands. We
had to leave her body there.and it is prob
ably there yet. The scene at the wreck
was awful, such I had never before wit
nessed, and hope never to witness again.
Comparatively few bodies drifted ashore.
Most of them, with such articles as came
out of the ship while I was on her, were
carried to sea.”
?2,00
l,OO
5O
V.. 05
Halifax, N. S., April 2. —The following
is the captain’s statement: “We sailed
from Liverpool, March 36. During the
first part of the passage we bad favorable
weather and easterly winds. On Abe
24th, 25th, and 261 h experienced heavy
southwest and westerly gales, which
brought the 'ship down to 118 miles a
day. On the 3lsl of March the engineer’s
report showed that about 127 tons of coal
was ,6n board,’ We then' 460,miles
east of Sandy Hook with the wind south
west and high westerly swell and falling
barometer, and the ship steaming on 8
knots per hour; considered the risk to
great to push on, as we might find our
selves in the event of a gale abut out from
any port of supply, and so decided to bear
op for Halifax.
At 1 p. m.. on the 31st Sambro Island
was distant one hundred and seventy
miles, ths ship's speed varying from
eight to twelve knots per hour, wind
sooth, with rain, which veered to west
ward at 8 p. si-, with clear weather. At
midnight I judged the ship to have made
one hundred and twenty-two miles,
which would place her forty-eight miles
south of Samhro, and I then left the deck
and went into the chart-room, leaving
orders about the look-out and to let me
know if they satf anything, and to call
me at 3 a. M , intending then to put the
ship’s head to southward and await day
light.
My first intimation of the catastrophe
was the striking of the ship on Mart’s Is
land, and remaining there fast. The sea
immediately swept away all the port
boats. The officers went to their stations,
and commenced clearing away the weath
er boats. Rockets were fired by the sec
ond officer. Before the boats could be
cleared, only ten minutes having clasped,
the ship keeled heavily to port, rendering
lUe Blftrhajird tlOnto ..folooelj (■«•!•((» jjq
! help could be got from the boats I got
! the passengers into the rigging and out
j ride rails, and encouraged them to go
i forward, where the ship was lightest and
less exposed to water.
The third officer, Mr. Brady, and Quar
termasters Owens and Spoakman, by
this lime having established commu
nication with the out laying rock, about
forty yards distant, by means of a line,
got four other lines to the rock, along
which about two hundred people passed.
Between the rock and the shore was a
passage one hundred yards in width. A
rope was successfully passed across this,
by which means about fifty got to land,
although many were drowned in the at
tempt.
At 5 a. m. the first boat appeared from
the island, but she was too small to he of
any assistance. Through the exertions of
Mr. Brady the islanders were aroused,
and by 6 a m. three larger boats came to
our assistance. By their efforts all that
remained on the side of the ship and on
the rock were landed in safety,and cared
for by a poor fisherman named Chancy,
and bis daughter. During the day survi
vors to the number of 429 were drafted
off to various houses scattered about, the
resident magistrate, Edmund Ryan, ren
dering valuable assistance.
The chief officer having got up the miz
zen rigging, the sea cut off his retreat.
He stood for six hours by a woman who
had been placed in the rigging. The sea
was too high to attempt his rescue. At 3
p. m a clergyman, Rev. Mr. Ancient,, suc
ceeded in getting him a line and getting
him off? Many of the passengers, saloon
and steerage, died on the rigging from
cold. Among the number was the purser
of the ship. I placed two ladies in a life
boat, but finding the boat useless, carried
them to the main rigging. 1 left them
and went aft to encourage others to go
forward on the side of the sh ip.
At this juncture the boiler exploded,
and the boat rolled over to leeward, the
ship at this time being on her beam ends.
Finding myself useless there, I went to
take the ladies forward, but found them
gone, nor did I sec them afterwards.
Many passengers at this lime could not be
'stimulated to any attempt to save them
selves, but lay in the rigging exhausted
from fright and exposure. I remained on
the side, encouraging, helping, and di
recting. until about fifteen were landed,
when, finding that my hands and legs
becoming useless, I left the ship, two
othCriboats being close to, and embarked
the remainder.
On reaching shore I despatched Mr.
Brady, third officer, oft to Halifax, across
■ lj ’ • , c .-r-
BEAVER, PENN’A. FRIDAY* .APRIL «. 1873.
the-comity, to telegraph the news of the
disaster, and to obtain assistance. Mr.
Marrow, the Canard line agent, prompt*:
ly responded, and sent two steamers with
provisions to convey the survivors to Hal*
ifax, where they will -be cared for and
forwarded to New York the> first oppor
tunity, ih charge of the first, and fourth
officers, the third officer and four men
being left at the -island tp care for the
dead as they came ashore.
Halifax, N. S. April 2.—Truman D.
Markwald,-a cabin passenger, was inter
viewed by a Chronicle reporter. He says:
I turned . into my birth at 9 o’clock on
Monday night, and was aroused by the
shock of the ship striking. All the men
in the cabin rushed upon the deck to see
what was wrong. 1 went into the saloon
on deck. I observed by the clock that
the time was 3-20. Rockets were being
fired. Within fifteen minutes from the
time the ship struck she careened. The
captain with his officers behaved bravely.
The cry was raised ‘ Take to the rigging ;
it’s your only chance.” At daybreak a
fisherman’s boat came out and rescued a
number of ns and landed them at Mea
gher Island. A handful of the people
there warmly welcomed us. They gave
us food and clothing and did all for us
they could. Edmund Ryan, a magistrate,
Dei nis Ryan, and their wives, were espe
cially active in administering to our
wants.
There were three boats’ crews whose
names deserve a high place on the roll of
honor. The first boat was manned by
Dennis Ryan, Jas. Canlin, Frank Ryan,
John Blackburn, and Ben Blackburn; the
second boat bj Jas. O’Brien, Michael
O’Brien, P. Dollard, Wm. Lacy, and T. J.
Toorg. I regret that I have not the
names of the other crew. To these men
chiefly belong the credit of having, at the
risk of their lives, rescued from death
over 400 souls. They, as well as several
others of whose bravery I have beard,
should certainly receive some record of
their noble conduct. Coming up on the
Delta there wore ringing high praises of
the gallantry of the boats’ crews already
referrefrt<vasr well as of Rev. Mr, An-*
dent, who rescued the perishing chief of
ficer, Firth ; of Rrody and .
opcatiumu, and Of v/WCns, TV A* vr- I7K ©S—
lab'.ished communication with the shore.
The kindness of Ahe people of Prospect
was also universally acknowledged.
One of the oldest of the New York
steamship commanders has written a com
munication to the Post of that city, last
evening, giving his views as the cause of
the disaster. He says;
“A dispassionate view of the loss of
this steamer, as set forth in this morning’s
despatches, would seem to warrant the
conclusion that it was attributable^firstly,
to the most culpable cupidity on the part
of the company owning her, and, sec
ondly, to gross carelessness on the
part of the ship’s officers. When we
bring the charge of cupidity we bring it
on the ground that the ship was not suffi
ciently coaled on account of the high
prices ruling in Great Britain for that
commodity, and it is not at all improba
i b!e that the captain was instructed, in
case his very light supply of coal should
warrant it, to run into Halifax to fill up.
j “It is not an for North
Atlantic steamers through stress of weath
-ler to so exhaust their fuel as to render
I it absolutely necessary to touch at one of
I the Brilish-American ports, but ,In the
case of the Atlantic no such excuse could
be offered; the mere fact thavshe has
j been only nine or ten days at sea proves
| conclusively that, though she might have
t experienced a hurricane, still it was not
! continuous, or she could not have made
1 so good lime, and it is hardly probable
that it she had had four,days’ more coal
left she would have borne up for Halifax,
and if she did not, then it is evident that
she was sent to sea with less than filtecu
days’ coal on board, to make a winter’s
voyage of three thousand miles ! Nelth
er can there be any excuse of want of ca
pacity for storage of coal, for she was one
of the largest ships in the world, and con
sumed less per diem than many of half
her size.
“When we make the charge of gross
carelessness on the part of the officers,
we do it on the ground that on a compar
atively clear night they approached the
most dangerous coast in the world with
out proper precautions; for when Captain
Williams made the light Yvhich be sop
posed was ‘Sambro,’ he deliberately went
below and turned in, and a few minutes
after the ship struck! Now we do not
remember at the moment the character of
the lights on the Nova Scotia coast, but
it would be fairly safe to assert that the
two lights—that is, the ‘Sambro’ and the
one on the Prospect headland were quite
distinctive, being respectively ‘revolv
ing,’ ‘flash,’ or stationary, and we know
of no can be offered by a.com
rounder offtmatherfor not acquainting
himself tfrofp|i|hly of the nature of the
light made so as certainly to
define his position.
ciTComstances may be
broaght(forirtM*btrt atla first glance the loss
of this veftaenu&s very bad look both for
master and owners, And both he and they
will and tninirJte he held to a strict ac
countability ftn it
' I ' _ -
MHO EJECTIONS-
CcßVE&fcSib Ohio, April X—Chas.
Otis, candidatefor mayor on the citizen’s
ticket, was elected by about 800 majority
over John fipniiogdon, republican. The
balance oflbsjirepubncaa, ticket and re
publican cajoNSkJ*teB to the Constitutional
Convention elected.
, April 7.—The election
passed tfj quietly. The returns
come in that anything more
than are useless. The in
dications toMrbsi Ball, Democratic can
didate for J|tyof, Is elected, and Rickieg
and Babefeffcptb Democratic candidates
for the Constitutional Convention, are
probably elected.
April 7,—The election
passed exciteßient. The
ticket was mostly elected.
The couwMahd scbool board are Repub-
and Liberal candidates for delegates to
the Constitutional Convention are elect
ed. King, Hoodley, Freiberg and John
son were on both tickets, and of course are
elected. The returns with reference to
the four Police Commissioners elected
under the new law are more meager.
Gither, Republican candidate in the first
.district, is having large gains, but the
Republicans are by no means sanguine of
his election. There is now hardly a doubt
that the whole general city Democratic
ticket is elected, not excepting Warring
ton, of whose election there appeared
some indications earlier in the evening.
CONNECTICUT BHSCTION
Hartford, April 7 — l This City gives
Haven, Republican, for Governor, }
Ingersoll, Democrat, 3,612 ; Smith, 'feoi
perance, 27; against last year, Jewell, Re
publican, 3,481; Hubbard,"Democrat, 2,-
439; New Brittain gives Haven JB2l, lo
gereoll 954, Smith 54 ; against Jewell 936,
Hubbard 554.
Returns from thirty eight towns foot
up Haven 11,088, Ingersoll 11,509; the
same towns last year gave Jewell 12,339,
Hubbard 11,661. The choice of Governor
by the people is doubful. Hawley, Re
publican, for Congress in this district, is
elected by about 1,400 majority.
Later —Starkweather Republican, for
Congress, in third district, is undoubted
ly re-elected. General Hawley runs
about 1,600 ahead of the Republican State
ticket in his district, and is elected by
about 1,800 majority. Last fall he had
633. Ingersoll, Democrat, is elected Gov
ernor by the people by 2,000 to 3,000 ma
jority. The Legislature will be close.
Latest —In the second Congressional
district Kejlogg has 255 majority; with
four towns to hear from. These towns
gave a Republican majority last year of
145. In the first Congressional district
Hawley has 1,288 majority, with five
towns to hear from, which gave a Repub
lican majority last year of four. In the
third Congressional district Starkweather
is re elected by about 1,200 majority. In
the fourth district Barnum, Democrat, has
1,249 majority, with two towns to hear
from, which gave a Democratic majority
last year of 47.
The Senate probably stands 11 Republi
cans to 10 Democrats. Laa,t year it was
14 Republicans to 7 Democrats. The
House will be very close, the chances be
ing that it is Democratic by a small ma
jority.
Oil Citv is partly submerged by high :
water. The water continues to rise, 1
When the publje finds that it takes four
bushels of wheat to pay for the transpor
tation of a fifth bushel from the producer
in lowa to the consumer in New York,
and nearly the same proportion for every
ton of coal brought from the coal-fields of
Pennsylvania, naturally enough, the
question whether this is necessary acquires
a great importance. From the railroads
themselves it is difficult to get a definite
answer to this question. The railroad
trade has its- secrets, like any other
which those who make their living there,
from are loth to disclose. Fortunately,
however, we have the authentic calcula
tions which will show what is really the
coat of Tail way transportation.
In 1863 a report was made by the
Board of Trade, ~in London, England,
from the returns made to Parliament by
ail the railroads in the United Kingdom
of their expenses for that year. This
average was 2s, 7d. (say 62 cents) per mile
for each train, including “goods, coal and
other mineral trains, conveying two or
three hundred tons, as well as passen
gers.”
The items from which this average was
made are thus given in the report ;
S. D, Cmt*.
Maintenance el way and works ... 0 ll
Locomotive power 0 9 is
Repairs and renewal of carnages.. 0 2*4 5
General truffle ebargea 09 is
Rates and trades, IV4; Government
, doty, 1 o 2«4 5
Compensation for accidents and
, low i 0 y, i
tagai and parliamentary expenses. 0 i
Working expenses not m the above 0 2 4
This means that the average actual cost
of transporting a train, carrying from two
to three hundred tons a mile, was in Eng
land sixty-three cents. How is it in this
country ?
As a rule, our railway directors do not
see the advantage of giving such infor
mation to the public; but still we have
the data upon which it may be computed.
The Saihoay Gazette for March 8, 1878,
calculates from the tables in the Illinois
Railroad Commissioners’ Report that the
expense in that State for carrying a train
a mile amounts to $1.03, and says; “In
Massachusetts, from much more accurate
returns, the average cost per train mile is
put at $1.31.”
: ofjbe jWne
of 354 miles, the average cost per frdnf
mile Is given as $1.12. The excess of ex
.pense between this country and England
arises probably from various reasons,
among which not the least is a want of
economical management. Here there
are the materials for a calculation like
this;
l l V
The cost of mining SOOJtons of coal, at 60
cents per ton f ISO
The cost of transporting It to New York,
say 300 miles, at, to be generous, $1,50
per mile 450
Total cost of 300 tons of coal, landed In
New York s<Bo
Price obtained for SOI* tons, at 16 per ton.. 1,800
Profit made out of the consumer $1,170
—nearly twice as much as the mining and
the transportation r?allv cost.
No w’Ohder, then, that Mr. Galt, in bis
feport of the Board of Trade in London,
said : “When the public come to know
that a passenger can be conveyed one
hundred miles for two pence half penny
(5 cents,) for which he is charged eight
shillings and fourpence ($2,) and that a
ton of coal can be brought from the North
of England for about a shilling (38 cents)
the cost there being six or seven shillings
and the price in London four or five
times that sum, It requires no prophet to
foretell that the days of railway monopo
ly in private bands will in this country
(England) soon be numbered.”— Daily
Graphic.
A Burlington telegram of the sth says:
The most terrible rain, hail and wind
storm ever known here came at a min
ute’s notice this morning, creating fearfu
havoc and loss of life. The storm struck
the city on West Hill, tearing the roof
from one of the school houses and descend
ing thence through the business portion
of the city. Buildings were unroofed and
agreatdealof damage done. The most
horrible part of the catastrophy was the
destruction of T. N. Pond’s butter and
egg depot, on Jefferson street, and the
death of seven persons. The house was
blown down and twenty-five persons were
buried beneath the ruins. Mr. Pond and
three others were taken out dead, and
nineteen others were rescued, more or
less injured. Mr. Pond was a young man
of great promise, who had built up a
large trade, and was well known through
out the State. The wife and two children
of Mr. Steiger, a German schoolmaster,
who lived in the house adjoining, were
killed by the falling of the east wall of
Pond’s bouse. The persons killed were
T. N. Pond, and three of bis employees,
named Pendergrast, Trainer and Neff
RAILWAY TRANSPORTATION.
Terrible Slorm lu lowa.
Mrs. Steiger and her two children. Some
ot the men rescued from the ruins will
probably die. The Mayor am? the police
force have been on the ground ever since
the accident, rendering every assitance
possible.
Believers in the importation of Chinese
as a solution of the much vexed and im
perfectly understood labor problem, will
now have to look elsewhere for a panacea
for the ills of the system. We now have
it on the authority of the New York Ski-
Utiji that the experiment of substituting
Mongolian for home and European worit
men has very generally proved a failure,
the only exception thus far being at
North Adams, Massachusetts. Various
reasons are given to account for the mis
carriage of the scheme. The Chinaman,
it is said, is liable to infirmities and weak
nesses the same as his European
American competitors- Jn spite of bis
apparent docility he manifests a lamenta
ble proclivity for the highest wages going,
and to check this tendency a system of
issolation and seclusion from outside in
fluences is necessary. Intelligent while
men and shrewd Yankees are disgusted
at their keenness in making a bargain*
and the growing difficulty. 0 f overreach-*
log them is a matter of general complaint.
The meek, almond-eyed, strangers who
were lately glad to work for little or noth
ing demand the highest wages when they
have learned the trade. But there is this
difference between them and other work
men. If their demands are refused they
do not sit down lo starve in idleness.
They generally start on their account
next door to their old employer,and draw
ofl bis customers by underselling him in
his own specialty. The average Chinese
laborer is no more virtuous than his white
prototype, and very soon learns the vices
of the “Melikrn roan," adding to them
certain Oriental improvements which do
not make them any the more wholesome.
He is apt to he excessively fond of smok
ing opium, and*, like bis betters, gels lazy,
and disposed to take bis “day off” as of
ten as possible He is avaricious, too, to
a degree, and is by no means a model of
honesty. When be has learned his trade
and picked up a few words of English—
1* I®
tion he can obtain at ever soslight arTTh
crease of wages. Capt. J. B. Hervey,
who has had in his extensive laundry at
Belleville, N. J., 150 Chinamen, has re
luctantly come lo the conclusion that
their labor is not profitable, ami has re
cently at considerable
loss, an order which he had given for a
large addition to this force. Many of
those first imported by this gentleman de
serted in the manner stated above, and
did'hot go empty handed. They had con
tracted considerable bills with •' ~
, _ __ I*"-* t£i6 ftQon*
keepers of „„ strengUl £ f
•«« ?acl that the Chinese were employed
for a fixed number of years, and would
be able to pay. The merchants have in
this vyay lost large sums, and there is no
possiSility of their ever securing their
claims.
3 7 Of 63
The Bulletin mentioned also, the recent
commotion among the Chinamen at Bea
ver Falls, caused by the fact that some
new arrivals from China received a cent
or two a day less than their fellow-coun
trymen who had been at the trade for
years. And what renders this affair the
more curious it says, is the fact »bat the
old experienced hands joined in with the
raw arrivals and could not see why ad
should not receive the highest maximum
pay- —Pittsburgh Commercial.
—The Republican party was never
belter organized in Pennsylvania than it
is today. It is composed of live men,
who know exactly what they are doing,
and when the proper lime comes they
will do it—that is, they will win a victory
for the right. The manner in which the
newspaper organs of the party have con
demned the wrong in Congress shows
exactly how determined the party is to
stand for the right in the future, main
taining its organization to win victories
and not seeking triumphs to destroy that
organization. There is no necessity, at
this early day. therefore, to trouble our
selves about the candidates to be voted
for at the coming October election. At
the proper lime such candidates will be
found, and when the election day arrives
they will be elected. —Harrisburg State
Journal.
—The Rhode Island State election on
the 2d inst., resulted in the success of the
Republican ticket. The vote for Govern
or was—Howard, Republican, 0,273 ;
Chace, Democrat, 3,565, with a few small
towns to hear from. Howard's majority
will be about 5,800.
NUMBER 15
“Chinese- Labori ,,<