The New York Herald Newspaper, May 24, 1873, Page 4

4 NEW YURK HERALD, ‘SATURDAY, MAY 24, 1873—TRIPLE SHEET. TMD ATLANTIC. atime W~= sours Late eS Wreck. Five Weeks’ Stay of a Herald Corre- spondent at Prospect. THE DIVERS. Their Modus Operandi Beneath the Ocean. The Manner of Discovering and Bringing to the Surface. 428 BODIES RECOVERED. 118 Passengers as yet Unac- counted For. Many Corpses Drifted Out to Sea. BLASTING THE WRECK. Underwriters Intent on Secur- ing the Cargo. Ghouls and Land Sharks Around the Wrecked Steamer. Lobsters Devouring the Body of a Young Lady. “THE HILL OF DEATH.” Horrible and Ghastly Spectacles at the Scene of Interment, Sad and Disappointed Friends Leave the Sickening Scenes. The Public Verdict on Catastrophe. the Great Hawirax, N. 8., May 20, 1873, Some seven weeks,have now elapsed since the ill- fated steamer Atlantic struck the Neva Scotia rocks off Prospect and went to the bottom. The terrible shock and the universal sorrow which fol- lowed when it was known that some five or six hundred lives were lost has been somewhat soft- ened by the lapse of time, but still the world will very properly look upon and remember the disaster Vvelopes the body from the soles of the feet to the breast. Then over all this is plaed a canvas suit, which also comes fom the bottom of the feet to the neck, nis, neck and face are now the only por- as rit ody not absolutely shielded be wate’, and to cover these is next in ore et — nead'S now covered with a large oopper helmet, —«v0 veighs, perhaps, eighty OF ninety poands, and thists tastened vith screws to a copper shoul- der plate vnich weighs between Jorty and fifty pounds. The feet are then encased with heavy Shoes, with solt: of solid lead, each weighing not less than twenty-bve to thirty pounds, In addition to all this lead sinkéa of twenty pounds or more are lastened around mh leg, and then lead plates weighing about twenty-2v« pounds are lashed over the back and across the breast. A metal band, tightened with screws, covers the wrists, and pre- vents the entrance of water. Binally, the lie line is tied around the waist, the air hoge attached to the helmel, and then the glass face piece isscrewed on an THE ADVENTUROUS DIVER DESOENDS. Asmail pump, operated by @ couple o1 stalwart med, supplies the air, a couple of skilful tenders watch the hose and life line and obey signals irom the submarine worker below. Stgnals ior more or less air are given by a certain number of puils on the aose, and si is to let out or pull up are yiven by pulis on the life line. In fact the system 0: tele- graphing by the line is so perfect that almost any question can be asked aud answered. ‘The actual weight o1 the diver, with his suit and lead sinkers, supposing the man to weigh 160, is not far from seven hundred pounds; but with all this burden, when once beneath the water’s suriace, he can Move around and work with about as much ease and iacilivy as if he was on terra firma and clothed in the ordinary garb of humanity. THE LATES! BODIES RECOVERED, as already stated, nave been tivse of the poor steerage passengers, and a majority o1 them were women and children, The condition in which they were found was most horrible. Those rescued irom the vessel were in mauy instances so tear- fully mutilated and bruised by coming im centact with the drifting and surging cargo that it would have been impessibie for their most intimate friends to identily them, To speak of them as ghastly, repuisive and hideous conveys but a teeble 1dea O1 the sickening spectacies presented, Although hundreds had been picked up belore, and harrowing and painiul scenes had been ior weeks abounding in the vicinity, yet with almost every corpse recov- ered there was something tresh and original! in the horrors presented which it is impossible to sorget, Altheugh used to such scenes, even the divers could uot witness them without dropping an involuntary tear of pity. Some died with outstretched arms, as {f grasping for @ floating timber or a helping hand to rescue them from a watery grave; there were others with countenances rendered hideous and startling by appearances of fright and anguish in their final struggle for life; and the supplicating gaze and wild, glassy eyes of nearly ali, seemed to appeal to Heaven alone for mercy and rescue from the threatening and terrible fate, The furious and angry sea which, for over @ month, had washed the remains of these poor unfortunates here and there among the débris of the broken cargo could not destroy the evidences of their terrible tright andanguish when the ship went down. Although their forms were, in many cases, torn almost literally to pieces, yet their countenances, if the face was preserved, indicated a most determined struggle for life. One of the divers found, in the rigging, the body of one who was evidently a Ger- man, with A THREE-YEAR-OLD BOY CLASPED IN HIS ARMS. The little fellow was clinging with all the tenacity of the “death grip; and the fond father, it seemed, woula not desert his kindred even to save himself. An effort was made to bring them to the surface in the same position as round, but the burden was too heavy, and the diver first brought up the child and then the father, and the two are now sleeping in tie same rude coftin in one o1 the Prospect cemeterte: Three bodies found eutside of the wreck seem have suffered more from depredations by fish than those found in the vessel, altuough some et the lat- ter, taken out soon after the disaster, were more or less disfigured from this cause, The remains of a young weman were picked up by a grappler yes- terday, and BOTH EYES WERE LITERALLY BATEN FROM THEIR SOCKETS, and a huge lobster, still feeding upon and clinging to her neck, was only removed with great ditll- culty. It isthe theory of the fishermen that lob- sters and crabs are the only species of fish that will feast upon a dead body, and the lobster deal- ers maiptain the opposite theory. When the. fact was knowa that a lobster had been actually found devouring # corpse one of the principal lob- ster deaters at Prospect approacaed the HERALD reporter and requested that he would not publish the circumstance, remarking, with evident con- cern, that it would have a tendency to ruin his business. The young woman whe was tius being so slowly and surely devoured had about £10 sewed up in a body belt and strapped around her person, and her jewelry ornaments consisted of a pair of heavy gold earrings, a peari finger ring, a Small gold watch and heavy neck chain, Altivugh @ steerage passenger she was evideutly a lady of more than ordinary refinement. It is well, per- haps, for her iriends, in a far oif land, who parted from her while she was beautirul in life, that they were not permitted to gaze upon the ghastly an hundreds of others which this terrible disaster has Qs one of the saddest ever known. Notwithstand- ing the interval since the eventful morning of the 1st of April the scene of the wreck is still a point of mournful interest, Almost every day, up to the present time, there have been daily spectacles which would cause the stoutest heart to melt. Even the harrowing scenes which accompanied and so closely followed the sinking of the steamer have been more than equalled since the wreckers and divers commenced operations. Probably never before in the history of the world has there been such @ SUCCESSION OF HORRIBLE INCIDENTS in one little community as has been inflicted upon the citizens of the little ishing town of Prospect, Within a month over four hundred corpses have been laid upon the shore, and radely buried in and around the town. It is a literal fact that the ceme- teries contain more dead than the town dees liv- tng, and yet, as bodies are being brought up from day to day, the number is still increasing. Of the 646 souls which went down in the Atlantic 428 have been recovered, and nearly all of them have been consigned to the rough and rude graves along the shore where they met their saa fate, Whether or not the remains of the balance of the victims will be recovered it is impossible to say. Undoubtedly many of them will be found, and it is probable also that some have been washed to sea. It is claimed that if proper efforts had been shown on the part of the White Star Line Cempany to stimulate or enceurage the divers te gather up the corpses immediately after the wreck many of those now missing might have been recovered. It is a fact which has been often stated, and never centradicted, that the steamship com- pany has acted shabbily, to say the least, all the way through. To save the cargo, or whatever they ceuld of the remnants of the sunken vessel, has been their chief aim. An indignation meeting on the part of several relatives and friends of the vic- tims ef the calamity was necessary to arouse the representatives of the company her to the slightest effort towards the recovery of bodies, and even this tardy exhibition of humanity was ordered from New York after the proceedings of the indig- nation meeting had been read inthe HERALD, Twenty dollars a piece was offered for the remains of the steerage and fifty for the cabin passengers. Before this offer the divers of Halifax had been unable to bring up anything but valuable cargo, upon which they received a salvage of 40 per cent. The day follewing the offer they breught up forty corpses, another day twenty-seven, and other days the number has variedifrom haifa dozen to a dozen One hundred and two have been recovered alte gether up te this time since the offering of a special reward, Allofthem were steerage passengers— poor emigrants who came te thie side to find a home of pienty, but when almost within sight of the land of promise, of which they had so many happy anticipations, they were hurriedly, almost anconsciously, launched into eternity. DIVING AND GRAPPLING POR THE DEAD, For abuut two weeks the Halifax divers have de- voted themselves exclusively to the recevery of the bodies, while the submarine workers of the New York Wrecking Company have confined them- selves wholly to the recovery of the cargo. The Halifax gang consists of about half a dozen, and the Lieutenant General is a clever and quick-spoken Britisher named Sheridan. The chief of the submarine squadron from New York is Captain Fred Merryman, and it has been under his supervision that the HeraLp cor- respondent has several times explored that por- tion of the sunken vessel beneath the water's gurface. HOW THE DIVING 18 DONE. ‘The perils of a diver are fewer than is generally believed. With ordinary caution while down and | with good tenders above an accident of a serious nature is almost impossible. The most unpleasant feature of the whole business is the intense cold, buteven this is not noticed after a few subterranean journeys. The dressis ponderous and heavy, but this is necessary for the double purpose of shedding water and aiding the diver to keep below the sur- face. First of all two or three pairs of heavy woollen stockings are put on, then as many pairs furnished, A BODY TORN TO PIECES. The other day, while some of the voluntary wreckers—those who prowl atound the sunken vessel for plunder—were fishing with their hooks for whatever they might find of value, one of their number fastened upon what appeared from the feeling to bea bale of dry goods. He tugged and pulied away for aminute or two and then called another stalwart fisherman to help him. The united strength of the two succeeded in bringing oP fragments ofa silk dress and lady’s under- clothing. That they had got hold of a body was certain, and with the stimuiation of a twenty or fifty dollar reward they renewed their efforts with great vigor. After considerable groping the nooks were again made fast, and with diffculty pulled to the surface, butall they brought up wasa lady’s shoe and stocking, and THE FRAGMENT OF A DELICATE FOOT which had been actually fern from the rest of the el) Furtner efforts to recover the body were , and finally a diver went down, but he could gee nothing of it. Probaply the poor victim was held fast by the cargo of the wreck, and the final etforts ef the grapplers so loosened the body that the ac- lion of the sea and heavy undertow soon after- wards released it entirely, and the remains were afterwards washed out to sea. The MISSING BODIES OF CABIN PASSENGERS. There are now nearly a dozen bodies o/ the lost cabin passengers missing, and the chances are that Jew, lf any, of them will ever be recovered. Tnere are a few staterooms which the divers have not ed been able to reach; but it is not generally be- ieved that any bodies will be teund in them, When the ship struck the fatal rock Captain Williams notified all the cabin and steerage passengers ef the penqing danger, and he believes all who. were in the cabin staterooms escaped on the deck and into the rigging. Ii this is 80 the remains of those got already found have probably long since been WASHED OUT TO SkA and nothing more will ever be heard or seen of them. This theory 1s supported by the fact that the body of Mr. Brinley, a cabin passenger and an English crockery manulacturer, was found off the coast of Havenburg, some seventy miles distant from the scene of the disaster. The remains of other cabin passengers have also been found at points more or less distant from where the ship went down. The young woman who met her ter- ribie fave so heroically in the rigging—the circum. stances oi which have already been described in the HBRALp—is generally believed to have been Miss Annie Scrymser, of New York. SBARCH FOR BODIRS BY AFPLICTED FRIENDS. For over @ month there has been a group of mourners here searching for the remains of their beloved ones who were victims of this terrible dis- aster. Notuntil every ray and vestige of hope had disappeared did they turn from the scene of the wreck which has Tendered @ thousand homes mournful and desoiate. after in tair weather and in foul they stood upon the rocks, promenaded the side of the half submerged steamer, and rowed around in small boats, hoping almost Qo hope that every time a diver would come to the suriace he would bring up the inanimate form ef their lost friend. Fathers have been hore in search of their children, husbands in search of their wives, brothers in search of brothers and sisters, sons and daughters in search of their lost parente—all mingling aud sympathizing together in the terrible period of aMiction. The presence of all these bereaved ones and their painful anxiety manifested from day to day have been scarcely less harrowing to witness than Were the terrible scenes accompanying and immediately following the terrible caiamity. Mr. Dorr, of Vermont, who came here in search of the bodies of Mr. and Mrs, Fisher, left yesterday, having remained, as he suid, until hope of ever recovering their remains had van- ished. For @ whole month he was & constant visitor at the wreck, appearing at early morn and not leaving until twilight or darkness compelled the divers w cease their Lf lea Thinking, perhaps, that his relatives had been re- covered and buried without recognition, he had upwards of two hundred bodies disinterred and the coffins opened, but not among any of them did he see the familiar faces of his kindred. Before leaving he offered a reward of $500 for the re- mains of each of his Jost relatives, but it is hardly probable that he will ever have the poor consolation efrecovering them. Mr. Wellington, of Boston, who has been here in search of his nephew, and who has spent the greater portion of his time at the wreck and in prospect, returned home with Mr. Dorr, sad and disappointed. He took with hima large biock of the 1 rock upon which the ship struck, which he intends to have WORKED INTO A TABLET and erected in the family burial lot in @ cemetery just outside of Bosten. It wiil not denote the last Testing place of the poor viotim, but it will, never- theless, be a singular and fitting monument, and one sacred and lasting to his memory. Mr. Scrym- ser, Mr. Dickinson and Mr, Kruger, of New York, and Dr. Webb, of Orange, N. J., all here on the same sad mission, lett for home some da; Sery inser laments the loss of two brother-in-law and sister-in-law by the terrible wreck, They had all been to Europe on a pleasure tour, and were returning in the best of spirits, each and every one of them with happy antici- pations of the cerdial welcome which awaited them in New York. Their friends at home, when looking over the HekaLp in search of the an- houncement of the arrival of the steamer, of heavy pants, and over these there comes a rub- ber suit which ie water tight, and en- learned that she had gone to the botto with nearly all her precious human freight. repuisive corpse as it was laid away with the | The whole quadruple party was lost—Mr, and Mra, Wiliam H. Merritt, Miss Annie Scrymser and Miss Mary Merritt, The bodies of Mr. Me sister Mary were picked w Wreck, butthe remains of Mrs, Merritt and Miss Annie Scrymser (her ister) have not yet beew and robably never will be, found, A portion of their has been recovered and was taken to New Y by Mr. Scrymser some days since, A HARROWING SCENB, Percy Dickinson, who was here in search of the remains of Miss Brody, was standing on the half sunken wreck when her trank was brought up out Oi the stateroom. The sightof it affected him most visibly. The diver whe fonnd {it returned imme- diately, hoping and confidently expecting to find her remains, Els absence of filteen or twenty minutes was as so many years to Mr, Dickinsen. Finally the signal to pull up was given and the submarine explorer slowly came to the suriace. ‘The excitement of Mr. Dickinson was now mest painful to witness. The hotrible spectacies he had witnessed lor 0 many on Oi mutilated corpses alinost created a hope tha} the body of his dear friend had not been found, ynd as the diver’s line was pulled up he turned mvoluntarily from the scene which he longed for, but dreaded to gaze upon, ‘The painful suspense was but momentary, however, for the diver soon announced that tnere were no bodies in any of the staterooms which he had entered. Later in the day the same diver brought up a peculiar napkin ring, which the steward of the Atlantis recognized as the one used by Mr. John Price, one of the lost, and a friend of Mr, Dickinson’s, ‘Chis, a8 well as a trunk of Mr. Price's, was turned over to Mr. Dickinson. The latter contained a large number of costly presents which Mr. Price had purchased in Europe lor friends in New York, Among the other articles of baggage which the divers brought out o: the Staterooms were one tmnk and three valixes be- longing to Mr, Merritt, one trunk belonging to Miss Agnes M. Barker, of Orange, N. J., another belong- ing to John Brinley, of England, and another belonging to Mr. Fisher,of Vermont, THE RELATIVES AND FRIENDS OF THE AGE PASSENGERS who have come here to look for their friends are comparatively 8ma}l in tumbers. in ‘act, very few of the emigrants had more than acquaintances in the Unitea States. They had generally emigrated to a iand which they hal fondly bebeved abounded in streams of miik anc honey. They had heard of the thrifty North, the stnny South and the plenty- laden West, and hitherthey haa come to enjoy iree institutions, and by bor and indnstry gain an honest livelihood and lave an inheritance for tie children who shouid come after them. Whole fam- ilies were numbered among these anxious and ven- turesome steerage vidims, and in a multitude of cases all were lost. The little bey John Hindley, whose Piero screams fer help finally brought rescue, is, pecnably, the only one saved who formed the part of a family among the steerage passen- gers. The trunk belosging to his lost father was breught up by the divers yesterday and was an ob- ject 01 much attentior, It was taken in charge by the New York Wrecking Company and will be for- warded to the orphan in New Jersey. Among the very lew relatives and fr.ends of the steerage vic- tims who are here awating tidings of the bodies of their lost kindred is ONK YOUNG HAN FROM BOSTON. He 1s in search of the ‘emains ef his mother anc sister, and as he has gazed upon the wrecking operasiens day alter bey he has wept bitterly as the chances lessened of ever beholding, even in death, the features of those whom he loved. Anotier man, an eideny person, named Clark, 18 still now lingering sround the wreck, waiting patiently and anxiously .or the divers to bring up the body of bis wife, who was one of the steerage passengers of the ill-tated ship. The poor fellow seems overwhelmed, almost insane with grief. Over a hundred and flity collins have been opened for his inspection; but still he has failed to find the remains 01 his loved companion among the bodies which have been recovered. His destitute circum- stances having been made known some of the philanthropists of Halilax made up @generous purse in his behalf. “THK HILL OF DEATH." It is an appropriate name—*“The Hill of Death” — which the rude fishermen have given to the locality where the greater portion of the victims of this terrible calamity have been buried. Never, proba- bly, in the history of the world, has a@ ceimetery received 80 many interments in such @ space of time, Even during the American War, when the opposing armies slaughtered each other by tens of thousands, there never was a time when go many dead were recovered and buried together. It is a startling fact, and one which has been before stated, that the dead lying beneath the sod in the dismal town of Prospect number more than the living inhabitants. The manner of burial, the long trenches, the hasty obsequies and all the terrible and heart-rending incidents have been described time and again, and it is only sufficient to say that the same meurnful ceremonies have been enacted al- most daily ever since the ill-fated ship went down. The bodies recovered to-day are brougkt up on the hil, their valuables taken in charge by Deputy Col- lector Kerr, of the Custom House. Pie3es 0 can- vas are thrown over their faces, and they are leit in the open air until the next morning. Then, if there has been @ safMlcient number of coffins or boxes prepared, the pver victi! are placed in them, the cover nailed down, and, with -a brief burial service, they are consigned forever to the trenches, The Protestants and the Catholics, as jar as possible, have been buried in cemeteries of churches o1 their own faith, Rev. Mr. Ancient om- ciating at the obsequics of the Protestants and the Catholic priest of the town attending to the inter- ment of the victims of the Romish faith, THE CORPSKS ONLY HALF BURIED. The work of interment, as may be supposed, has been done most imperiectly, The graves or trenches in many cases are scarcely deep enough to allow the cofting to rest more than a few inches belew the earth's suriace, Heavy rains have washed away what littie earth covering there was, and to-day there are hundreds of the coffins ex- posed to view. A littie rivulet gathered so much jlorce from rain and meiting snow the otner day that it broke away from its natural course and flowed down the line of one of these trenches, and it Was necessary to place heavy rocks on some of the cofins to prevent them trom being washed down to the foet of the hil. In many lustances two bodies are crowded into a single box, and in some cases even three, and in order to economize in the matter Of space they are often placed in the treuches two and three deep. The weather tuus far has been of such a frigid nature that there have been ne unpleasant results from the shabby and shameful manner in which the bodies have been interred, but with the advent of Summer it is almost sickening to even anticipate what the censcquences will be. To walk once over this terrible mountain of the dead creates a teeling which will never be forgotten. Huge rocks, like ghosts o! the victims, loom up everywhere, and the breakers of the sea dashing against them seem to chant @ requiem to the souls of the departed. Here there are no intricately carved canopies, no lofty monuments or costly tombs, but right at the very feet of the shaboy graves and the rude coffins are the nodest tablets which recerd the painful sufferings and heroic deaths of hundreds of brave men, confiding women and innocent children, The pale sun sends down a pensive afterglow upon them, and the wild ocean continues, and will ever wees its ceaseless music over the city of the lead, NUMBER OF BODIES RECOVERED AND MISSING, Up to tuis time the total number of bodies re- covered of the 546 lost is 428, which leaves 118 now missing. As near ascan be ascertained about a dozen of those missing are cabin passengers and the rest are steerage. Of the latter probably man, more will be recovered, but, as beiore stated, it very doubt(ul if any of the corpses of the missing cabin passengers will ever be found. BLOWING UP OF THE WRECK, So far as the Waite Star line is concerned, what was once the fine steamer Atlantic is now virtually abandoned. In fact, the vessel herself is given up by every one as a total wreck and complete loss. hat 1s lett of ner is at the mercy of the waves and the New York Coast Wrecking Company, and the latter, under the direction of Captain William Merritt and his corps of divers, is making au energetic, and, thus far, very suc- cessful, effort towards the recovery of the most valuable portion 01 the cargo, The Wrecking Com- pany, it should be understood, is the direct repre- sentative of the underwriters and insurance com- panies, and all their operations are confined ex- clusively to the recovery of tne goods which were on board the ill-fated steamer. Besides a large steamer—the Lackawanna—Captain Merritt has here @ couple Of schooners, a steam hoisting a] aratus and all the paraphernalia used in tite azardous and uncertain business of wrecking. The weather tor the past two weeks has been ex- ceedingly unfavorable, the heavy sea not permit- ting of more than one or two days’ work a week. For a couple of days the divers did what they could by groping around in the dark, and finally it was determined to blow up the ship and thus secure light, allow the débris to float away and in otner ways facilitate operations, THE BLASTING was done under the direction of Captain Fred. Merryman, of New York, and was very successtul in every particular, art the iron sides of the submerged steamer were blown away, and then the bulkheads and partitions, after whicn the work of getting out the cargo was commenced and carried forward very rapidiy. On the occasions of the blasting there was a fleet of thieves an lunderers in the vicinity whieh would almost ‘ighten an ordinary navy. At the end of each explosion they would swarm around the wreck in their small beats and dories like so many crows or vultures upon @ heap of carrion. In some instances they got away with valuable cases of ds, but generally they were thwarted by the vigilance of the Dominion Custom House officials. Every fish- erman for miles around seemed to have been at- tracted to share in the grand gala day of blasting and plunder. Every conceivable kind of craft was brought into requisition, and one greedy and veu- tursome rascal even converted one of the rude coffins which he found on shore into a sort of skiff, and in this rowed areund, grabbing whatever he could from the wreck. The cargo, as fast as re- covered, is placed upon a schooner, and, when @ fall load 1 obtained, it is forwarded to New York, there to be disposed of under such circumstances and tn such manner as may be hereafter determined upon. The goods re- covered intact will probably be turned ever to the parties to whom they were originally consigned, and those recovered in a damaged condition will undoubtedly be sold at auction fer the benefit of the underwriters. But THR STORY OF THE WRECK will never be half told. Volumes havebeen writ- ten about the terrible disaster, and mere may be produced in the future, and still the world will never appreciate the awful events which were LOST STEER- crowded into tew shert moments on the night of the terrible calamity. Over dve hundred lives wore lost in the space of half an honr, vessel and ot less than. turge milion aokars’ ae me more directly the consequence of or in- efficiency. Whether it was this man or that, tne sorrining. Gentine Williams, or the dead second omicer, Metcal!, who is responsible for the calamity which has cast sugh a mantie of sadness over the world, 18 & matter of little consequence now to the unfortunate victims or their afflicted iriends. The Captain of the floating charnel house has been tried betore a legal cemmission and the mild punishment of @ two-years’ suspension from ger- vice has been inflicted, and this is all the satisiac- tion that the community will ever have, If the suspended officer was innocent of negligence or incompetency every one will agree that his tempo- rary removal is unjust; but if he was really responsible for the disaster, there are few who will not claim that the sen- tence is disgracetul to an enlightened com- munity, In adjudging Captain Williams guilty and the infliction of such a trifing sentence for sacrificing the lives of over five hundred passen- pers and periliing the lives of as many more, the insignificance with which the British laws and tri- bunals regard the safety of humanity is most lai entably demonstrated, Here, in Halifax, proba bly, a8 well as everywhere else, the belie! is gen- eral that both the commander and the company should have been held responsible for this great calamity, and that no suspension of certificate can ever atone for the carelessness which culminated in ine Joss of the Atlantic and over five hundred souls, CAPTAIN WILLIAMS, SINCE THE CALAMITY, has remained in Halifax and the vicinity of the steamer, which was wrecked while in his com- mand. Hts conduct has been such as to show that he appreciates his own position and sympathizes deeply a8 &@ man Can with those who were plunged into affiction by the sad event for which he is set down as wholly or partly responsible, If he was negligent or incompetent \it can- not be said of him that he is not a brave and feeting man. Although a cripple, and only able to hobble around slowly, with the aid of a cane, he did much more to save life on the night of the wreck than he hasever been credited for, and he was among the very iast to leave the sink- ing vessel. Since the disaster, too, he has mani- fested a sorrow, contrition and manliness which the bereaved friends here in search of the bodtes of their dear ones have frequently admired and re- marked upon, The story of the terrible night he cannot allude to without feelings of emotion, and the grief which bears down upon him at times seems to almost drive him out ofreason. He has watcned with mournful tnterest the various opera- tions of the divers around the wreck, and more than once has been noticed passing the hali-sunken vessel with his eyes filled with tears. “How this ever could have happened is more than I can tell,” he remarked to the HERALD re- porter the other day, when the almost nude body ol a poor German woman was hooked up. “Why,” said he, “Ihave carried over a million passengers across the Atlantic, and never lost a soul nor had an accident until now.” WHEN THE VESSEL STRUCK. It will be remembered that when the vessel struck the rock the Captain was in the chart room, and Second Officer Metcalf was on deck. Extra watches were aiso on duty, and yet poring was seen to denote danger or an approach to the rocky coast until too late to avoid it. The second officer was lost, and it is well to let the mantle of charity fall, even ifit was through his dereliction of duty or absence of vigilance that the disaster came about, Captain Williams is reticent upon the matter of the dead officer's responsibility, and saysthat he prejers rather to huve the whole blame rest upon his own shoulders than to reflect in the slightest degree upon ene who cannot cals for himself, Another officer whe was among the saved, in talking about the suspension of the Captain, remarked to me that if Mr. Metcalf was living it would have been him — instead ef Captain Willams who would have been the victim of the late investiga- tion, The real explanation of the disaster, so far as Ican learn from frequent conversations with the surviving officers, never came eut at the in- vestigation, They nearly all admit that there were no “lookouts’—no watchers fer dangers—that all who were on duty at the time were faithless and poaugens: and that the first they knew of approach- ing danger was when it was almest, if not quite, upon them. Even Captain Williams himself says that as he was leaving the chart reom he thought some- thing was wrong, and wken he got out upon deck he was of the opinion that he run inte another vessel. All stories, however, as well as all opinions and all theories, fail to remove a certain responsi- bility from the Commander, and it is possible that the worst feature of his negligence may consist in having placed too much confidence in the vigilance of his officers. The suspended Captain will leave for New York in a few days, and sail thence to Liverpool, where he has a wile and three children, ART MATTERS. Antiquarianism at Clinton Hall. The author of “Pelham” begins that high-flown and affected but brilliant novel with the remark that Lady Frances, the hero's mother, was a woman of taste and particularly fond of diamonds and old China, We hope that she had an oppor- tunity of gratifying her taste—particularly that part of it which lay in the ceramic line—and that the auctioneer to whom she gave her custom was at least as fond of Delft and Dresden as the Leavitts are. But it is not your woman of fashion alone who is addicted to pottering and pottery. Dr. Dryasdust himself might roam with relief among the fantastic antiquities which now deck Clinton Hall, and one might almost be justified in expecting to light upon Old Mortality in quest of crumbling tombstones. Among so heterogene- ous @ mélange of pre-Adamite mirrors and imme- morial bronzes, hoary cubinets and venerable side- boards, majolica dishes well stricken in years and bellarmine bead jugs that have reached the turning point in life, it is dificult to realize that so prosaic @ thing asa sale of all these decrepit dainties is to come off next Tuesday and Wednesday nights. It is far easier to imagine that they are collected simply and solely ior the behoof of the public, out of pure largeness of heart on the part of the aprile | nd isposition to give Mrs. Partington her fill of “bigotry” and “virtue.’’ Igraffito ware, that Josiah Wedewood himself might take off his hat to, graces Tight and left, and the repousse metal work is as fine as @ versation from Miss Austen, and as bril- Mant @ metaphor by Alexander Smith. The display is not as gorgeous and expensive as the loan Collection at the Douglas mansion, but it is quite as varied and almost as unique. ‘The enthu- siasm with which the Delft ware is inspected looks as though a fashion of the last century were to be revived and all our first houses to overflow with these curious outcomes of Dutch genius, A spin- net, which Hawthorne might have written about, Tests demurely in one corner. It was once in the family of Bishop Berkley, of Providence, R. 1, and, being centennial in age, ought to find a Philadel- phia purchaser forthwith. Among electrotype reproductions of objects in the Kensington Museum and the Louvre are symbolical and medallioned plates, arabesque plateaux designed by Gunkel and in imitation of Beriot, Arabian buckets, Italian shields, Persian candle- sticks, Roman cups, French tazzas, English gob- lets, Japanese cloisonne and Dutch bones. Ever; eed and nationality writhes itself into this exposi- tion. You may sit in a Cbippindale chair on a Meerish rug, veneath Turkish tapestry and at a Chandos table; you may write trom a celadon Wedgwood inkstand, keep your clethes ina Queen Ape cupbeard and time yourseli by a Saardam clock. You may rock your baby to sleep in a bur. master’s cradle of the fifteenth century, and give pap with a Pompeian spoon out of an old biue Worcester gravy dish. Youu may warm your soles at a carved Dutch foot-stove and cool your sillery in @ Jardiniére brass tub. A sparrow-hawk screen will protect your cemplexion, and a Peruvian bottle hold your Orlentalcream. Lecterns and altar cloths attract the réligteuse, and pilgrim water bottles tell in quaint pottery the tale of the Span- ish peasant’s superstition. Mr. and Mra. Veneer- ing, we are aware, can have no Smpeshy, with what is not spick and span new, ey would ignore an Etruscan vase and pass over a Greek cameo. But all our auction frequenters are not of the Veneering stamp, and more thanone young housewife has wandered with hungry eyes among of bargains, fixing wistful looks on the [gy landers ware and lingeringly handl! ie celestial blue china. Fortunately we hi nothing to do but to consider the question from an art aspect, and to intimate the fact that no exhibi- tion precisely identical in kind has during the past season been made in this city. From antique sec- retaires down to ash-holders, from speon cabinets up to Cambridge chiffonnieres, the display is as eccentric and rich as it is useful and artistic. The Di Cesnola Collection. The Di Cesnola collection of Cypriote antiquities, together with the loan collection of pictures, pot- tery, carving and antique books, was thrown open yesterday to the members and trustees of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and to the press, Many delighted visitors were attracted. Upon more than one occasion we have so thoroughly treated of the Di Cesnola portion of this display that further comment for the present must be de- layed. The loan collection is varied, eg ed and bod interesting. The public will be admitted, we believe, on Monday. The Third Congre al District Exam- ination of didates. ‘The examination of pupils tor a cadet from the Third Congressional district, represented by Gen- eral Stewart L. Woodford, was commenced yester- day, in the rooms of the Brooklyn Board of Educa- tion, before ©. J. Whitiock, President of the Board, David H. Cochrane, LL, D. Pres- ident of the Ag and General Silas Casey, of the regular army. The boys were examined in the common branches of education—spelling, readi writing, arithmetic, eography and grammar. Boye resented themselves for exami! examination will be continued to-day, and the re- sult will be announced by the exemiaing col \t. tee on Monday or Tuesday. (From the Hanover (N. H.) Anvil (Dartmouth press), May 22.) All those who are interested in the fate of the HERALD correspondent (and they imclude every friend of the press) have fresh cause for indigna- tion in every development of the cowardly, inexpil- cable policy of Spain. The removal of O'Kelly from Manzanillo to Santiago de Cuba was opposed to the expressed wishes of himself and his friends, but the last order for his transfer to Spain is even more unaccountable. What is the object? Is the case too intricate for trial in Cuba? No specific charge has yet been preferred. If it is thought to escape the notice of Engiand and America thus, it is not a0 easily done; the former has the rights of a subject to defend; the latter, the cause of free jour- nalism, Perhaps he will be made to play the in- former against the Ouban insurgents, or submit to some inquisitorial torture. (New York correspondence of the Philadelphia Evening Journal, May 22.) THE GREAT JOURNALISTIC FEATS, The one topic of conversation in newspaper cir- cles to-day is tne fact that the HERALD alone, of all the New York papers, contained the news Saturday morning of the loss of Captain Hall’s Arctic expe- dition. Itis true the Times and Sun had a few of the details in their later editions, but these were furnished them by the HeRaLD. Such feats as these are what give the latter paper its reputation for enterprise. No matter whator where anything turns up on the face of the globe, the HERALD appears to have “Our Correspondent” on the spot atthe very moment, One might think that the Paper employed a miilion, more or less, of “Our Correspondents.” But this is the way the thing is done:—There is nota vessel leaving New York which is not supplied with the HERALD. There is not a Minister, Consul or American government representative of any character living upon the face of the globe who is not supplied, free of cost, with HERALD files. The managers see to it that every person in oficial station who can be of any use to them at any time is furnished their paper and given to understand that they will be paid most handsomely for any intelligence they may contribute any time to its columns, What is the result? The HERALD has an “agent” in almost every government official. LITERARY CHIT-CHAT. + “POLITICAL WOMEN" is the taking and season- able title of a forthcoming book, in two volumes, by Sutherland Menzies, the author of ‘Royal Favorites.” Mrs. SOMERVILLE’S posthumous work will be “Personal Recollections from Early Life to Old Age." Mk. J. 0. HALLIWELL, who has absurdly taken the name of his late father-in-law and 1s now J. 0. Phillips, will in a few weeks put to press the first volume of the “Life and Times of Shakspeare,’’ upon which he has been many years engaged. It will be printed 1n folio to range with the poet's works, and will probably run into several volumes. Evogng O’CuRRY’s posthumous ‘Manuscript Materials of Ancient Irish History’ will be shortly given to the public, THE COMPETITIVE EXAMINATION SysTEM is being utilized by the landlords of Continental hotels,who insist upon candidates for waiters passing compet- itive examinations in the English language. The results are highly curious, Mr. WILLIAM ARTHUR has in press, under the singular title of “The Medern Jove,’ a review ef the cellected speeches of Pio Nono. WALTER BaGEHor will bring out his description of the money market ef London, under the title of “Lombard Street.” Mr. J. C. HOTTEN proposes to produce shortly a new edition ef Charles Knight's “London,” with additional information up to the present date. Tae Corywricut of Keble’s “Christian Year,” which, published originally in 1826, for years brought the author a royalty of more than £800 ($4,000) per annum, has just expired, and numer- ous rival editions are already in the market at re- duced prices. MR, SIDNEY LAMAN BLANCHARD, barTister-at- law, 1s about to start for Bombay, to edit the Times af India, ACCORDING to the Zpoca more than twelve thou- sand letters from place-hunters have been lately received in the department of the Spanish Minister of Finance. We call these chaps eflice-seekers in America. Mr. J. De Lerrpg, an admirable and graphic chronicler of Dutch achievements, has published “The Great Dutch Admirals,’’ in which the lives of Van Tromp, De Witt, Heemskerk, De Ruyter, &c., are well told. Mr. ADAM BLACK, the veteran publisher of Edin- burgh, whose “Guides” to Scotland, England, Ire- land and Wales are the best in existence, has withdrawn trom business at the ripe age of ninety, leaving three sons to carry on the publishing trade. Says the London Publishers’ Circular :— Bret Harte, Mark Twain, Artemus Ward, Josh Billings and the other American humorists owe much to Mr. Hotten (the London publisher), for he it was who first introduced them to our kngush public and gave them European reputations, Now it strikes us that Mr. Hotten owes much more to Mark Twain and the rest of the “‘American humorists" than they can possibly owe to him, for he has printed their best things without their leave and pocketed all the money made thereby, besides slashing and altering their productions whenever it suited his sovereign pleasure, and at- tributing to some of them things that they never wrote, THe LATE MR. GeoRGR CATLIN had a favorite hobby, which was not Indian, although derived from the Aborigines. His idea was that breathing through the open mouth, in sleep or otherwise, is highly injurious, and even destructive, to the vital powers. His little book in support of this theory has had great vogue, and the fifth edition of it ts just announced in London, entitled, “Shut Your Meuth and Save Your Life,” by George Catlin. THE diMiculties (consequent on the death of Sir Henry Bulwer, Lord Dalling) which retarded the completion of the ‘Life of Lord Palmerston” have been overcome through the energies of Mr, Bent- ley; and the third volume, bringing this life down to 1857, will appear next September. Lord Dall- ing’s “Sketches of Peel, Melbourne ahd Lafayette” will also appear at the same time. MUSIOAL AND DRAMATIO NOTES. M. Arséne Houssaye’s new play, ies Trente- six Vertus”’ has been hissed from the bards of the Ambigu. Mile. Trente-six Vertus is the nom de guerre of a courtesan who passes her life in mak- ing fools of men, and in making men make fools of themselves, who makes. her Duval belleve that a pure and gentle girl to whom he was bethrothed was in the habit of passing her nights dc the Calé Anglais, A very old playgoer, Baron de Chamerolles, bought, so long ago as 1827, @ Itfe ticket for the Gymnage Theatre (then called ThéAtre de Madame), at the price, which now, after nearly half a cen- tury’s enjoyment, must seem moderate, at £40. He ‘was sent away on the first night of bumas’ “Femme de Claude,” there being no vacant stalls, sued the management and failed to recover damages, One of Byron’s pieces was recently produced at Liverpool, the waits being unusualty long. After the second act the ‘wait’ was almost unendur- able, but presently a harsh, grating sownd was painfully audible from behind—the sound of a saw struggling through wood, “What 1s that noise?” impatiently asked @ gentleman of the; author. “Weill, I can’t say,’ answered Mr. Byron! mourn- folly, “but I suppose they’re cutting out the third act.” SMOKING AT THE OENTRAL PARK GARDEN, To THE Epiror or THe HERALD :— If smoking is offensive to your ‘Lady’? corre- spondent, who patronizes Thomas’ concerts two or three times a week, she had better not go\there 80 often. The gurden adjoining the hall sfforiis ex- sepent Lge fae for those to blag Mohn ick clouds of smoke” are disagreeabl Fei hibit smoking would be to take away the jyrincipal Pleasure for which these excellent entertainments di ROSA ¢ | Mr. ? TAPAN. The American Diplomatic Mission and Present Position of Minister De Long. A Missive from Washington with Reasons for His Bemoval—The Case of the Ship Maria Lus and Governmental! Relations to Pera— Native Christians Set Free from Prison—The Industrial Ex- hibition at Kioto Yoronama, April 22, 1873. The news arrived out here by last steamer that Mr. De Long, the present Minister of the United States, was to be removed, or, rather, that he was requested to resign, by April 23—that is to-mor- row. Inthe letter from the American State De- partment conveying the request Mr. De Long was told that he was removed, not because the govern- ment was dissatisfied with his course in Japan, but the “political exigencies” re- quired that he should make way for’ another. De Long is by no means an idea of & diplomat, but he has made a geod Minis- ter to this country, He has been watchful and energetic in looking after American interests, and at the same time has rendered great service to the Japanese government in aiding them with his ad- vice and counsel in their attempts at assimilation to other civilized mations, He has done con- siderable toward cementing and increasing the friendly feelings already existing among the Japanese toward America, and has, it is said, proved the best Minister America has had in Japan since the days of Townsend Harris. Why, then, has he been removed? or, why are ‘political exi- genoies” allowed to interfere with a man whois competent for his post? WEAT THE JAPS SAY. The news of this intended removal has created a feeling of uneasiness not only among the American residents but also among the Japanese. It was ru- mored among the latter that the cause of Mr. De Long’s removal was that he had induced the Mikado to allow the Rey. Dr. Hepburn to present His Majesty with a copy of the Bible, Mr. De Long asked permission for Mr. Hepburn to do this, and that permission was freely granted. Yet the State Department at Washington thought fit to disap- prove of this rather innocent action of the Minis- ter, Mr, Fish believing that such action would be distasteful to the Mikado, How far Mr. Fish’s sur- mise was correct may be adduced from the follow- ing letter which was sent by Soyeshima, the Ja- anese Prime Minister of State, to Mr. Mort, at ‘aghington, with orders to lay the same before the United States government :— Sin—I have received your last despatch informing me that Mr. De Long’s action in regard to the presentation of a Bible to His Majesty the Mikado by Dr. Hepburn has disapproved at Washington, and Iam told that, by 's advice, Mr. De Long will forward his resigna- e next California steamer. I have laid facts before His Majesty, who apprehends that such ofticer as Mr. De Long, who has xalned great, experien by a long residence im our country, 1s wanted by the present pelicy to advance our ‘relations with for- eign Power, and that the residence of | such an officer in our country will bind the friendship existin, between Japan and’ the United States more close! will promote the interests of both nations. His Majesty has, therefore, directed me to say that h earnest hope ‘that upon reconsideration of Mr. De Long's resignation may not be accepted, and this officer may be ailowod to remain at ost perma nently it possible. You are directed to read this despatch to His Excellency the Secretary of State, and may leave with him a copy in caso he desires it. Youra, fo, SOYESIHIMA. To Mr. Mort Anniogi, Charge d’Affaires of Japan at Washington. ACTION OF AMERICAN MERCHANTS, Besides this letter the American merchants of Yokohama, representing nearly every dollar of American capital that invested in Japan, have sent a telegraphic letter to the President of the United States, in which they state that ‘Mr. De Long has cared for and advanced the interests of our country and civilization in Japan with great Sagacity and ability 5 and we would respectfully ask that nis recall ht be postponed until after the new treaties, now shortly to be discussed, have been concluded, as we consider that the faithiul- ness and patriotism which Mr. De Long has dis- Plagod, and the knowledge of Japan and the japanese he has acquired, will be most advan- tageous to such interests in negotiation of the new treaty.”” Whether these letters of request will re- ceive any consideration at Washington is doubtful; the probabilities are that ‘political exigencies” wi overrule them. THE RBLATIONS TO PERU. Captain Garcia, of the Peravian Legation, has submitted his case of the ship Maria Luz to the Japanese government. It is rather a beg nd document and rehearses all that has alread; en put before the readers of the HeraLp in this correspondence relative to that case. G ints out the peculiar circumstances under which he vessel came into this port, shows where the rae ee government undoubtedly infringed upon international law, and demands a very moderate pce mcionoed for the detention of the vessel and the interference with her voyage. At the same time Captain Garcia is very emphatic in asserting that Peru is exceedingly anxious to maintain friendly relations with Japan, and if the Japanese will only meet him and his views in a conciliatory ae be entertains no doubt that a settlement of this vexed question can be arrived at to the mutual satisfaction of both the Peruvian and Japanese governments, PRESENTS TO THE CROWN. AS an earnest of this Captain Garcia nas pre- sented, on behalf of the President of Peru, to His Majesty the Mikado about fifty cases of presenta. Among them are several unique works of art in go and silver, a collection of ancient and modern eruvian coins, some curious antiquities, some maps, charts and books descriptive of Peru and specimens of many natural products of the country. NATIVE CHRISTIANS RELEASED, A letter from a French missionary, dated Naga- saki, 3ist March, states that the native Christians who have been imprisoned in the Province of Owart have been released, and that there are grounds for belief that ail the other native Christians that were deported from their homes in 1868 and 1870 on ac- count of their faith have also been restored to lib- erty. The writer expresses his acknowledgments, on behalfor the Catholic mission, to the ioreign Tepresentatives, through whose zeal and devotion, he thinks, this happy result has been achieved. A BRITISH DIPLOMAT'S RETURN. Sir Harry Parks, the British Minister to this Em- pire, with his ‘amily, arrived here on the 27th ult., after an absence of nearly two years. He hag alre resumed the duties of his office, and I vei much that if Mr. De Long is recalled Sir Harry's and British influence will again be disproportion- ately in the ascendant. ART AND INDUSTRY, The Kioto exhibition was opened on the 12th of last month. Except that greater facilities have been given to foreign visitors and exhibitors, and that the travelling accommodations have ' been greatly improved, the account given last year in e columns of the HERALD will amply suffice for ht this, BARTHQUARE. A very severe Mae et occurred in this region on the night of the 15th, at about midnight. ie shock lasted nearly forty seconds, and the direc- tion seemed to be north and south. The peculiarity of this shock was that there was a positive and ap- parent pause of several seconds between the orig- inal shock and the subsequent vibrations. A few houses in Jeddo were tnrown down, but I have heard of no other casualties resulting therefrom. BANKS AND BANKING, ‘The Japanese are commencing to start banks on the foreign plan. Three have been started in Yokohama and Jeddo during the last three weeks. What capital ny? have as basis it is impossible to ascertain, but itis rather a safe prediction that these banks will come to grief unless the conduct of them differs materially from that which prevails in the Treasury Department of this Empire. KELLY PRIZE DEBATE. The Kelly prize debate between the literary so- © cleties of the College of the City of New York waa held at Steinway Hall last night. The hall was crowded with an intelligent audience, who listened attentively to the arguments pro and con, Gene- ral A. 8 Webd presided, and the platform was oc- cupied by many gentlemen of prominence con- nected with the college. The ind played the overture to “La Gazza Ladra” and “Sweet Spirit Hear My Prayer” before the debate began. Mr. Benno Lewinson, on the part of the Clionian So- ciety, then commenced the argument, claiming that “luxury was the source of national deca- dence.’? Mr. William S. Church, on the part of the: Phrenocosmian Society, argued that luxury was not the gource of natiomal decadence. He endeavored to show that luxury develo} the arts and industries of a nation. Mr. Solomon Kohn maintained that the decline and fall of the Roman kmpire was owing to the depraving Influence of luxury ; but Mr. Henry Leip- ziger maintained that luxury was a source of national prosperity Was the decadence of Spain to luxury, he asked, and how could it be as- serted that Ireland's decadence was caused by too much luxury? Mr. Kohn, in his second argument, claimed 7 that luxury destroyed all energy, and wound up by big | that America had pro- duced such men as Franklin, Morse and Fulton. Mr. Fred. A. Lyons repiied, on the part of the Phrenocosmian Society, that Franklin, Morse and Fulton had nothing to do with tie question whether luxury was the source of national de- cadence. The band played the ‘Artists’ Life,” and the argument was then continued until the speakers had,exhausted the subject, The judges— Judge William E. Curtis, Henry J. Scudder and Feadane SPU acavenh ol tae tng e wi aw @t the annual commenveinent. \