McCook weekly tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 188?-1886, 1885-01-22
BURNED AT SEA
1he Destitute Crew Of the Brig Belle Arrive
nc PHILADELPHIA.


at Philadelphia.
The steam sailing vessel Wyoming
Oh the Clyde line, Otter. carries barge
Oh coal oil, powder cartridges, ant
other dangerous stuff, and in conse
quence is not allowed to carry passen
gers, says The PhiladelphiG Press
when she arrived at this port, how,
ever, Tuesday night. she did have or
board considerable list OF passengers
They were shipwrecked mariners, and
the slight violation of rules which the
wyoming had made in taking them on
board was a gracious act of kindness.
There were eleven persons, one OF
wnom was woman, and they were
all in sorry state of restitution.
Their story was sad in its details, and
revealed a pitiable view of sea life.
They belonged to the brig Belle, a
Newfoundland vessel from Glaze bay,
laden with soft coal for New York.
The mariners who arrived Tuesday
night were falsely reported by Phil
adeiphia paper as arriving last Sunday
afternoon. The weather was bad all
through the trip, and when within a
hundred miles of New York the vessel
met with an overwhelming disaster.
The entire hold was mass of red-hot
lire. 1t was on Friday afternoon when
Capt. French's attention was called to
what was thought to be steam rising
from the deck. fastening to the
hatchway leading 10 where the coal
was stored he rushed down the steep
stairway and saw volume of smoke
coming up from below. Rushing back
to the deck, he cried: 1.-The coal is
on fire."
At once the men were set to work at
the pumps, but the water froze almost
as soon as it left the pipes, and though
the effort was continued for a long
while the fire could not be extinguish-
ed. At last It was given up and the
crew made ready to abandon the brig.
Two boats were lowered. In one was
placed all the clothing, papers, and
personal property that could be gath
cred. As the. men were busy at this
task the flames from tons of burning
coal worked their way through the
decks and around the cabin. The
woodwork, coated with ice, was at
tackled by the blaze, stripped off the
frozen covering, and little by little
eaten up by the fire. Through the
seams in the deck a long, narrow line
of yellowish black-topped flame pro-
truded. Around the edge of the ves-
sci ran a rim of fire. Over all rose the
sickening smell of coal-gas.
The waves of the sea were freezing
cold and very rough. The great boat
was lowered, and part of the crew
manned it. Then the small boat was
let down, filled with all that the I'M
fortunate sailors and the wife of Capt.
French could rescue from their float
ing home. Some of the men got into
this boat, and then the small crafts
made of.
Those in the boats were Capt.
French, Mrs. French, Alexander o.
sen. William Fower, James Maloney,
John Joy, William Wright, William
Kavanagh, Thomas Wood, Thomas
Carey, Louis Williams, the mate, and
a pilot from New York. Williams and
the captain and his wife are from St.
John, n. F. The others came from
various parts of Newfoundland.
ouCO dG SCft a IdldC ApOliChSO " 40
underg one than had been anticipated.
The abandoned burning Belle and the
little party fioated apart. The brig
soon became a big oblong mass of
flame and smoke. The two little boats
were tossed roughly about, and the
limbs of the men were stiff with cold.
The party in the small boat could not
care for their freight and were COM
PEELED to leave their boat. The small
boat, left to itself, soon filed with
water and was lost. The larger craft
floated around, despair settling down
upon its unlucky passengers.
But relief soon came. A schooner
was sighted, and the crew and the one
woman rescued. This schooner was
the David Clarkson. She took them
on board about fifty miles off Barne-
gat, and soon brought them to the
capes. There they were transferred to
the Wyoming. by which they came to
Philadelphia late on Tuesday night.
Capt. French and his wife stayed on
the Wyoming and the crew were at the
Ridgway house until yesterday morn
ing. Some of the crew left for some
of the sailors boarding houses then.
Capt. French reported at the British
consulate. A pilot from New York
who had boarded the brig to bring her
into New York harbor left at once for
his home. The others of the party ar
ranged to make the journey to New
foundland at once. The loss on the
vessel and cargo has not been defin.
itely estimated. One of the sailors had
several hundred dollars in charge,
which was lost with the other valua.
bles in the small boat.
Genius and Long Life.
There is proverb which says
s'Those whom the gods 1--we, die