Rensselaer Republican, Volume 15, Number 2, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 September 1882 — THE ASIA DISASTER. [ARTICLE]

THE ASIA DISASTER.

Miss Morrison’s Story. In the Coroner’s investigation at Parry Sound, Miss Christy Ann Morrison, the only lady survivor of the wreck of the steamer Asia, testified as follows: I got up on Thursday morning feeling very seasick. It was pretty rough all the morning. I think that about 11 fl’olook the first intimation I had of danger was from the noise made by the horses. I asked the mace if there was any danger. Re said they had already thrown off the horses, and would throw off what freight they could I then went back to my berth, and the boat rolled so much to one side chat I got a life-pre-server and put it on. Half an hour, possibly, had elapsed between the first idea I had of danger and my putting on the life-preserver. After putting on the life-preserver I sat by the cabin-door until the water came into the cabin. Then by catching hold of the cabindoor and railing I managed to get on the upper deck of all. The boat then s-emed to be settling down, one side being much the undermost. The life-boat happened to be clese to where I got to. I lowered myself into the water, and the Captain caught me and Jreftl me from sinking till the mate came and helped me into the boat. At that time there were twelve in the boat I did not know any in the boat except the first mate and a Miss McNab, my room-mate. A number of people from the other boats came into our boat The reason why they came into our boat was that they upset The reason why they upset was the roughness of the sea They did not seem overcrowded. One reason that they upset was that they had not a sufficient number of oars. One of the other boats had one, another had not any, ours had two. The reason I know they had so few oars was that they came alongside of our boat and asked the Captain if we had any to spare. I did not see any person left on board the steamer after we left the ship’s side. The boats ran along together for a little, then the other two upset 'Diey upset three times.' Every time they righted a few were missing. The third time I did not see any one clinging to them at all. I only saw two boats beside our own. Six of the passengers of the two boats came into ours. About tw"ity minutes afterward our boat capsized. S.ie.righted. I held on to the ropes, or life-lines going round the boat, so that when she righted I was in again. After we righted I heard some one say three were gone. We then sailed or drifted before the storm. Our boat capsized three times. Each time some were missing. I did not notice any one to be hurt on the boat’s rights ing except the mate, who had got a scratch below his eye. After our number was reduced to seven the boat did not capsize any more. It was because the storm moderated that we cease# to capsize. The last capsize took place shortly Before dark. Before dajjk the mate said he saw land, and after dark we saw a lighthouse which the mate said was Bring Inlet light When we saw the light all cheered up considerable, but soon after one of the strangers died, name unknown. The only members of the crew that I knew in our boat were the Captain and mate. After the stranger died two others died almost immediately together. They just seemed to perish. They did not seem to have sustained any internal injury. I did not hear them complain ofanylnjuiy. About midnight the mate succumbed, and about ten minutes after him the Captain died. The person I have called the mate was nam d John McDonald, who was a second . cousin of mine, ihe person I have called Captain was named John Savage, Captain of tlie Bteamer Asia ,At the time they di d the sea was quite calm, and the wind was moderate. Shortly after daybreak I and Mr. Tinkis landed. The bodies were still in the boat After landing we dre t the boat on shore and walked along a piece, and, finding we could

not walk, we returned to the boat, and Mr. Tinkis took the bodies out of the boat and laid them on the island. We then got into the boat again, and rowed along with an oar we had picked np (having lost our oars when we capsized) to find a place—a habitable place. That was the last I saw of the bodies. I know that we left the bodies of John Savage, John McDonald and three other men on the island on which we first landed, On the following (Friday) night we slept on the rocks. Next morning we again got into our boat auu rowed until, in despair, we gave up. We went ashore again, laid down and slept Then the Indian came along, and we engaged him to bring ub here.