Page:New Brunswick Magazine Issue 1.djvu/102

two camels were pushed overboard and started to swim to the land, but only two horses reached it. The big elephant, after tramping and bellowing in terror, rushed to the side of the steamer and jumped overboard. In doing this, and in its struggles in the water, it upset a raft of planks and ladders, on which a number of people had found refuge, and several were drowned. Finally, the animal started to swim to the land, but never reached there. Every animal of the caravan, except the two horses, perished either from suffocation in the flames or by drowning.

Help for the perishing people was near at hand, however, for the fire was seen by the U. S. revenue cutter Veto, commanded by Howland Dyer of Castine, which reached the scene half an hour later. This was a schooner of 40 tons, and its boats were so small as to be of little use in the work of rescue. Captain Reed and his men, however, used their boat with the result of saving about 40 more persons. The last boat load was put aboard the cutter at 5.30 and landed at Isle Haut about 7 o'clock in the same evening. By the time the last survivor had been rescued, the burning steamer had drifted five or six miles. It was then a sheet of flame and was being blown rapidly out to sea. The light disappeared from view about 10 o'clock.

A few days later a schooner passed a dead elephant floating out to sea. Later, a traveller's trunk, with about $90 in money in it, was picked up, and on the 12th of November a schooner arriving at Portland reported having passed the remains of a burned steamer near Cash's Ledge. The trunk was the only trace of the effects ever brought to land.

The number of those who lost their lives was 32, of whom 29 were passengers and three of the crew, including Margaret Watts, the stewardess. Among the live cabin passengers lost was Mr. Price, of the St.