The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-01-18
Rescue Of the Schooner Maggie $
Grew During a Gale.
FIGHTING A NORTHWESTER.
The Crew of the Schooner Alert
Picked up at Sea.
ABANDONED ON THE OCEAN,

1cled IN the HERALD yesterday, came up from the
lower bay last evening She went to Hoboken J. A.
Horsey, of Beaver street. being the agent here The
terrible storms which she encountered during her
last Transatlantic trip have SCARED her consider
ably. Captain swartrdee made several unavailing
efforts to gain this port during the prevalence of the
fierce Northwestern that attended the birth Of the
year. He was driven down in the neighborhood
of the Bermudas and roughly handled by the winds
and waves Each attempt to hold on his course
proved fruless. The vessel on her
beam ends. lost sails and strained herself, and
at length compelled to before
the gale. On the 10th of January the laboring bark
fell in with companion in still greater misfortune.
This was the schooner Maggie Vandusen from Smith
vile. N. c.. bound for Baltimore. The weather was
bitterly cold. the running mountains high and
the schooner waterlogeed. She rolled in the heavy
surge entirely unmanageable. her rudder having been
swept away Captain swartridge, DESPITE the danger
in which his vessel at that time did not neglect
the signal of distress flying from the masthead of
the disabled schooner. He lay by for nearly twelve
hours until opportunity offered the next day to
send assistance to her crew.
A GALLANT RESCUE.
After desperate tight with the waves the boat of
the bark reached the schooner and brought off her
successfully accomplished. The five sailors and their
captain who We're rescued We're profuse in
their Acknowledgements Of the sallantry of the
ners were brought on board every attention
was paid to them. Captain Thomas. of the
schooner said that never in the whole of his
seafaring life did he experience such terrible weather.
From the time he left Smithville the sd of jan
uary there scarcely cessation to the fury of the
gale. Sea after sea broke over the schooner and
swept the decks clear the boat being carried away,
| water casks bursted and rudder ground to pieces.
| For six days the labored at the pumps, the
| water gaining upon them all the time The destruc-
ton OF the casks left them without water hit to drink,
| and their sufferings intense. Two out of the
five terribly frost bitten that they
sunk down almost insensble at the pumps. To COM
almost constantly at the wheel, was struck
| by one of the seas that washed over the vessel
and injured i'll the head and side On the sixth day
| the sore distressed people began to give up hope
when the welcome sight of bark to wndward
aroused them. They hoisted signal for assistance
and We're ovcrjoyed to find that it was responded to-
Under crcumsta which would have daunted many
others the captain of the bark remained close by the
| pershing crew and saved their lives The transfer
Captain Thomas and his men from the waterlogged
wreck to the boat attended with extreme diff
Guilty yet not only their lives but their clothing
and personal effects were saved Rarely has Il
gallant and perilous action been performed on the
stormy seas that wash our coast.
THE SCHOONER ALERT DIsMANTLED AND LOST
HER OFFICERS AND CREW PICKED UP AND
BROUGHT TO PORT BY THE STEAMSHIP GALE
donna.
The steamship Caledonia, OF the Anchor Line Cap
tain J. D. Allison arrived at her dock, foot of Dcy
street. yesterday afternoon, at o'clock from Glib
raltar having on board the master Captain Winches
teri mate and the crew. numbering six men, of the
schooner Alert which abandoned at on Tues
day last Captain Allison states that the Caledonia
had very rough passage. He left Gibraltar Deem
Der %. and. owing to the heavy weather which
steadily met him. he tiv days behind the usual
time of the Caledonias trip. On the morning Of
Tuesday last at about o'clock. he sighted the
disabled schooner Alert, in latitude 40 deg 80 mn
aud longitude "a deg, and, bearing down. spoke with
her. Learning from her master that she dis
abed and sinking. he sent out lifeboat to the
schooner in charge of his mate NIr. Oden and four
of the Caledonia's crew, and, after giving them
reasonable time to get ready. took the crew of.
The mate of the Alert gives the following story of
the loss of the schooner :-"On the morning De
cember the Alert left Barbados. in ballast,
her return trip to Digby. Nova Scotia, where she
hailed FROM and nothing occurred to mar the voyage
until January 3. when a violent storm arose
in latitude AZ deg. 5s min, longitude Is
the vessel hithcr and thither and the waves dashed
against her with relentless fury At length the main
boom and sail yielded then broke and swept out
OF sight by the foaming that washed the bull
warks. The storm somewhat abated during the
night; but again. on the following day, 1t gathered
renewed herceness and at early hour the jibboom
and all sails attached broken and carried on.
Then the schooner squared away before the wind.
ne vessel i, IN one ar , Tor several
tnued rough. she had a hard time of it. She
had already. sprung the foremast and started
tho bowsprit, and in this disabled condition
ten days were passed the ocean. await
ing friendly assistance. Two vessels passed
her, which she hailed; but either they did not see
her were unwilling to delay. On the morning of
the 14th the Caledonia sighted her and went ut
to the rescue Had the Alert been left much longer
without relief she would assurcdly have sunk and all
on board must have persisted. The provisions had
nearly given out. and the vessel leaking badly.
Captain Winchester, her master, owned consider
able share in her, and, as the insurance is very
light. he loses heavily by her abandonment.
The officers of tho Alert, well the
crew, were treated Hospitality on board the
Caledonia. When the mate OF the Alert was asked
how the behaved themselves during the days
the schooner drited about the he replied that
one board felt the slightest uncasiness. A
little wonder sometimes manifested that the
Alert did not strike the path of pass
ing steamer, but fear OF ultimate loss of life was
experienced. On the morning tho Caledonia in
sight the man on tho lookout had been promised 81
from the mate and 81 from the captain il he the
first TO sight passing vessel but he lost the money,
the Caledonia had been first observed by Off
GERS, which goes to show that there no great
dread of an ocean grave on board the dismanted
schooner.
ABANDONED AT SEA-
The brig Princess Beatrice, which arrived at Brook
Ign from duadaloupe yesterday afternoon. had
board CAPTAIN +. NJ. Chase and seven men, the crew