3528.

curse you; I hope you may live to repent of your guilt; but if God in his providence should preserve my life, which I feel assured He will, I will meet you again.’

“After being deserted by the boats, the passengers once more commenced bailing, but found their labours of no effect. They got a light upon the wheelhouse and com- menced ringing the bell in hopes that it might possibly be heard by some one who might be able and willing to render assist- ance. The greater number now assembled together on the upper deck, conscious that no efforts of their own could avail them, and endeavoured to await their fate with forti- tude. The steamer at length settled down, with a list to leeward, until more than half of the main deck was under water. Two men were seen floating from the side of the wreck on pieces of plank. Doctor McKenzie and another passenger were washed over- board but succeeded in catching hold of ropes that were thrown them and got on deCk again. The upper works of the steamer at length began to give. way, something breaking with'the surge of each wave, until about one o’clock, and it might be an hour and a half, or three-quarters after; the boats leaving the vessel, she was struck by a wave, gave a tremendous lurch and appeared to part in the middle, precipitating all the pas- sengers into the sea, except Mr. Pineo, and Mr. Parker, who were well aft on the upper deck, and succeeded in holding on, that part of the vessel having become detached from the wreck and floating off. Mrs. Marshall was shortly after thrown by a wave on this déck, now converted into a raft, and Mr. Wilkins, Mr. Lydiard, the two boys and one of the hands, also succeeded in getting upon it. None of the rest were seen afterwards, except Mr. Cameron, and it is supposed they

PAST AND PRESENT OF

all perished. The whole of the upper deck abaft the paddle boxes remained in one piece, and was large enough to have floated all the passengers left behind by the boats. It was composed of thin spruce planks, care- fully fastened together, covered with tarred and painted canvass, firmly tacked on, and with a hand railing or bannister running around three sides of it. From the moment of getting upon the raft, so firm did it ap- pear, that they all felt confident of their ulti- mate escape, and finally after eight hours of exposure to the storm and cold, they were cast ashore on the north side of Merigomish Island, some twelve or fifteen miles from the scene of their disaster.”

The evidence of the others was unim- portant, being largely embodied in the fore- going.

A public meeting was held in Charlotte- town on the 19th of the month after the catastrophe, at which strong resolutions were passed condemnatory of the “base and inhuman conduct of the captain and others of the crew of the steamer Fairy Queen, who treacherously took away the two boats, capable of containing all the passengers and crew when the steamer was in a sinking state.”

The Hon. Edward Whelan, at the time Queen's Printer, said in the Royal Gazette: “The deplorable loss of life which attended that casualty was owing to the criminal neg- lect, the cowardice and inhumanity of the crew, rather than to the weakness and rot- tenness of the vessel. The captain, it ap-. pears, exercised no control over his compan- ions, but this fact was not known to the pub- lic until the evidence which has since been published, described the insubordination that existed on the night of the disaster. Had