Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1885-02-20
w-.cL.a,nU U,a.Oc.a.

Battered and sea-worn, the British steamer
Gadiolus got to the bar early yesterday
morning, and went to her East river pier.
She started from Newcastle, England, p
days sgo, with a light cargo. A succession
Of heavy gales struck the ship on the 27th,
2sth and 10Th Of January and broke every
boat but one. On Thursday, the 29tb, sig
mails Of distress were seen, and the chief mate
went of in the only seAworthy boat, and took
of the crew of the Benwsll Tower from their
sinking steamer. The FIRST mate had broken
leg and one seaman q crushed hand and arm.
They were all taken on board the Gladiolus,
and the leg was set and arm dressed by the
second engineer of the Gladiolus. The fee
ble wrecked men we're looked after with the
greatest tenderness. Charles II. Napier, sec
ond engineer OF the Benwell Tower, kept a
record OF the events OF their unlucky voyage.
He said
1T was the Benwell Towers first voyage,
and she was on her way across with general
cargo OF grain and cotton. All went well till
Tuesday, Jan. 27, when the wind increased
to fresh breeze, and soon hurricane swept
the deck from stem to stern. At 6 P. NJ. the
stoke hole was batten, d down, but the seas
didn't mind that, and went down in the en-.
gine room and buDkers and washed the Goals
around. At midnight the topmast was car.
ried away. In an hour more the boats we're
smashed, and the midship steering gear broke
early on Wednesday morning. Two stow.
aways turned up, making 32 in all of us.
The ship lay helpless. ALI hands were clear.
ing away the wrecksge, when another big
sea carried the remnants of the starboard
lifeboats against the chart room and wheel
house, and washed them away, and smashed
the ventilators and skylights.
"A little after 3 O'Clock, when everybody
a l. II.
freshened worse than ever. Second officer
James Pender was working away with the
,ailors getting rid of the wreckage. So was
first mate Robert Thompson. The second
mate saw a bigger wave than any coming,
and he yelled Look out See it coming =
Before any of them could look out the wave
came. 1t knocked of the bulwarks, and
pinned the first mate to the deck under the
timbers with a broken leg, and seaman
Crawler with a smashed hand and arm. Then
it swept away everything and took the sec
ond mate aud a seaman overheard. They
didn't say word, and nobody saw them
again. The big wave struck over the deck,
aud when it had passed they we're gone, and
there were three feet Of water in the engine
room, and the wet coal was floating around
in the bunkers.
capt. Tiddy was on deck for 48 hours,
aud it was a miracle he wasn't washed over
board. There was no mate left, and he had
to do everything. Wednesday forenoon the
after steering gear was coupled, but it was
knocked to pieces The cast iron standards
that are bolted through the deck and
strengthened by wrought iron stays snapped
of close TO the decks. The same sea carried
away two after derricks and the port bul.
warks, and then there was nothing on deck,
and the waves had full sweep over the 1926
feet Of the ships length. She was gradu-
ally settling to port and was unmanageable.
No one was able to get along the deck for
twenty hours. Tons and tons OF water pour
ed down into the engine room. The water
was gradually gaining. Every sea made it
worse, and We expected to sink soon. Not a
boat was left. There was nothing but match
wood. The ten hremen and four engineers
worked to keep the fire going so that the
pumps would work.
"Slowly we settled to port, and when dark
ness began to close In on us that night
every one expected to die. All night we
worked hard and there was no sleep. The
wind lulled a little and we managed to keep
the vessel from sinking At daylight coffee
was made, and for the first time in 40 hours
the men had a bite to eat Then at $3.50 A NJ
we sighted the Gladious. Very luckily she
saw our signals of distress and bore down.
She was in ballast and not damaged so much
as we were. II was dangerous to attempt TO
rescue us, but volunteers were called for
who came aud took us off, We lost our
clothes, except the few we had on, and eV-
eTything.-N y. Sun, Feb IA.