Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1885-08-06
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\ THE REHBOLD WRECKED.
Struck by the Tornado and EeveIIed
Ia the Wnter's Edge = T'he Pilot
RECOMMENDATIONS Missing.
The steamer Major Reybold. owned
chiefly by William Reybold, was in the
direct track of Mondays terrific tornado
at Philadelphia, and was almost entirely
wrecked. The wind raked the vessel
fore and aft, and tore away the upper
decks, exposing all her machinery, &c.
The captain and pilot were swept away
with the pilot house, and thrown into the
river, where the pilot, Emery Townsend
of Salem, N. j., was drowned. Captain
Eugene Reybold of Delaware City, was
rescued from the water and found to have
received only few cuts. There were
between SO and rs persons ON board, and
only three or four were hurt. The escape
of the others seemed almost miraculous
when the wreck of the boat is examined.
1t is believed that at least a doz,n per-
sons were blown overheard. Purser
Wood claims to have seen two women go
over, and another man, whose name was
not learned, told the same story on the
ferry boats Monday night. He added that
he saw heavy timber go about the same
moment, or an instant after, and fall
where the women struck the water. Four
persons, believed to have been ON the
boat, are missing, and circumstances
point to their death.
These were Thomas and Mary Atkinson
of No. SIT Washington street, Camden,
and Ella and Agnes Wilmot of New
Castle. The two latter had been on n
visit to the Atkinsons, who were about to
i ....k n. 4 A
| the parents of Thomas, .Jr. and Mary. were
making an anxious search Mooday night
| for the missing children. They left home
at O'Clock in the afternoon 10 take the
| Reybold, and nothing has been heard of
them since. 1t is alleged that a tug COM
manded by Captain Skellinger of
Camden. picked up three persons i'll the
river Immediately after the wreck of the
Reybold. The names of these were not
learned. The story of the purser and the
| disappearance OF the Atkinsons and Will
burs seem to be good reason for the be-
lief that more were lost than was ut first
supposed.
The boat had just passed the Glouces-
ter ferrybuat Peerless and was approach
ing Greenwich Point, when the captain
and pilot, who were together in the pilot
y
peculiar appearance of the southwestern
sky. Then the pilot called the captains
attention to the fnct that two blasts u
wind coming from opposite sides of The
river had met just ahead OF the Il, ybold
Turning suddenly to the right the captain
pointed to the southwestern Shy nsuiil,
A whirling black column thai arlu.I Il
reach from the earth to the heavy ladei
clouds in the sky was trayclin with
terrific speed over the land toward tn,
river and coming directly at the RI yhold,
81 began to feel very anxious aud
apprehensiye," said Captain Rcybold.
''when l saw that but there was not
| much chance to think about what had
better be done. Almost before / could
say anything the big black column was
on us. Suddenly it grew black as night
in the pilot-house. The terrible wind
seemed to come from all sides at once.
looked over toward Townsend and saw
his deathly white face shining in the
| darkness. was afraid he would lose his
| nerve and called to him as loud as /
could For Gods sake, Townsend, hold
| fast to that Wheel The wind roared so
/ don't believe he heard me at all. Just
then the timber began to crack and in
another instant we went overheard with
the pilot-house."
Fortunately the passengers were mostly
on the main deck. The boat careened
under the heavy strain. There was crash
after crash. The CONSERVATION among
the passengers was frightful. They hud-
died together around the engine room
with blanched faces. No voice could be
heard above the bowling of the wind and
the rattle of the rain. In second or two
last tremendous crash came and the
whole of the upper cabin went by the
board. A second or two later the dark
ness began to clear and the boat righted.
The cyclone had passed on to further
work of destruction, and the Major Rey-
bold floated- pilotless, helpless wreck, in
the middle of the river.
The experience of Captain Reybold and
young Pilot Townsend was terrible. The
captain told it graphically Monday night j:
after the pilot house went over" he
said, 1--WE must have been blown some
distance. The next thing remember
after being struck was of being under
water. My first idea was to catch hold of
something. l struggled to the surface
and caught q board, but something hit
me and knocked me under again. When
came up was again knocked under by
flying timbers and still again the third
time. Then | thought l was done for,
but just then my hand struck tiller rope
and chung TO it with all my strength.
When / got my head above water !
clutched the pilot wheel and managed to
get rid of my gum coat and undercoat,
and then felt lighter. Some distance off
| saw Townsend just as tugboat passed.
| hailed her and she might have saved us
l lr1f oh mn i
picked up by the steamer Jersey Blue,
but by that time Townsend had disap-
peared. He was undoubtedly drowned.
If he had not been | would have heard of
him by this time. A very peculiar thing
happened. You see that wheel there on
the wharf. It's the wheel of the Major
that l chung to and left floating away
down the river when l was picked up. A
little while ago it drifted into the slip
here, where the Major is tied"
The damage is estimated at SIS, 900.
Morris Doyle of Salem, the engineer, WINS
placed in very critical position. When
the shock came he stopped his engine
and raked out the fires, and then dis
covered that he was penned III the engine
room by the fallen timbers. II was with
great difficulty that he was liberated.
The following is list of the dead,
wounded and missing, us far us can be
ascertained:
| DEAD.
Emery Townsend, aged % years; resi-
dence Salem, N. j. Married. Pilot of
the steamer Major Reybold. Drowned.
Body not recovered.
| INJURED.
Eugene Reybold captain of the steamer
Major Reybold, cut about the head.
| William Gessner, residence, Salem, N
j.. passenger on Major Reybold, wounded
in the head and rupture of temporal
artery.
Wilmer Joseph, colored steward of the
Major Reybold, cut in the head.
Doris Else, residence, Salem, N. u;
passenger ON the Major Reybold, slightly
cut.
Morris Doyle, engineer of the Major
Reybold, scalded.
Thaddeus Elsh, aged %, Pennsgrove;
lacerated nose.
MISSING.