I then stood down for the wreck, lowered boats and picked up the living and dead, continuing this sad duty until 3.45 p.m., when night coming on and medical aid being required for those of the rescued who were exhausted, I put the vessel back for Stonington, the nearest port, having no hope of finding any more living persons and seeing no dead bodies remaining afloat. I reached Stonington at 6 p.m. with forty-two rescued persons and seventeen dead bodies which we had recovered from the deep.
Being a stranger in Stonington, I was at a loss to know what I should do with my precious cargo, but at the wharf I met with unexpected aid in the person of Mr. J. P. Bigelow, chief of the Loan Division of the Treasury Department, who, upon my wants being made known to him, procured proper relief, obtaining through Mrs. Bigelow and ladies in the town, clothing and proper care for five women who were rescued in a state of entire nudity. The men rescued were taken charge of by the citizens, who did all in their power to relieve their distress. All the rescued were greatly exhausted, having been in the water several hours.
I take great pleasure in informing the Department of the noble and untiring exertions of 1st Lieutenant Joseph Irish, 2d Lieutenant A. D. Littlefield, Chief Engineer Whittaker, Pilot Joseph Case, Boatswain E. F. R. Denison, and each of the crew in saving life, recovering bodies of the drowned and caring for the sick and wounded.
In the cases of several of the shipwrecked life was apparently extinct, but by the efforts of those on board they were resuscitated. The women were rolled in blankets, and all in our power was done to make them comfortable. Many of the rescued were very weak, and I doubted my ability to get them into port alive.
I was ably seconded in my work of boating by Captain Crandall, light house keeper at Watch Hill, and his noble crew, they having picked up fourteen living and dead.
After the last body had been taken on board a sea caught their boat under this vessel's quarter and split her open.
The boat was the private property of Captain Crandall, who, on beholding her destruction, simply remarked, "She has well paid for herself."
Five of the dead bodies were identified by those saved on board, and when the living women were clothed and brought to identify their friends, a sad scene presented itself, one recognizing a lost husband, another a sister, two men their wives, and one man his two children.
The corpses were all numbered, and together with a description list, were delivered to the authorities of Stonington, a copy of said list being retained on board.
On the morning of the 31st ultimo at daylight, kindly accompanied by J. P. Bigelow, Captain George B. Hull, Superintendent of New York and Providence Steamship Company (one of the rescued), and John McGuire to assist my worn-out officers and men, I again stood for the scene of the wreck and cruised in that vicinity, with lookouts stationed aloft, extending my cruise as far as Block Island. The wind was blowing strong from the northwest and constantly increasing, with a heavy cross sea from the southeast, breaking over and completely covering this vessel.