Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-08-03
THE CRAIG.
DYING EFFORTS OF THE YACHTS IN
pRIsoSED VICTIMS.
ws,ts m the Inside Of the Cabin OF the
vessel The Body Of Miss Bessie
Merritt Found.

| saws: The pleasure-seekers VINO leit
pb,lsdelphia last Monday on the Sarah
| Craig expected to spend to-day ct AS.
bury Park, where dozen or more OF
their acquaintances were waiting 10
uelcome them. The calamity of FRI
day hight, however, made q sad change
in The programme, and instead ofpass.
ing pleasant Sunday st the Park six OF
them Law dead at Bianchport, another
was being recovered from among the fioat-
ing dtbris in the sunken vessels cabin,
while the survivors we're just beginning
10 recover from the terrible strain to
which they had been subjected. Four
of their Philadelphia friends who are
summering at Asbury Park rode
up to Branchport about noon to offer
their assistance, but they did not reach
there until the bodies had been re-
moved.
The six long zinc boxes we're tender
" carried from Undertaken Morris's
store, at Branchport, at O'Clock this
morning and placed in two wagons out
side. In carriage behind the wagons
sat Messrs. Potter, Jordan, and Bulk
lev, three Of the survivors who had re-
NAMED there to accompany the bodies
TO Philadelphia. They had secured the
necessary permission from Coroner Van
Vert for their removal, and had
pushed their arrangements to leave here
at the earliest possible moment. The in
quest was held late last nightin Coroner
Van Wert's hotel. 1t was merely a formal
compliance with the law, tor, after lis.
;eniDg to the statements of Messrs.
Potter and Jordan, the jury at once rem
dered verdict generating every one
from blame and ascribing the cause Of
death to accidental drowning. As the
little cavalcade passed quickly down
the village street to the railroad station
the sidewalks were thronged with peo-
pie. There is no Sunday-morning train
from Branchport direct to Philadelphia,
so the party was compelled to take the
9:26 o'clock train to Railway, where it
was to be transferred to the 10 O'Clock
train from New York. The bodies
were placed in the baggage car. A hum
bred and more Of the villagers were at
the station to see the departure OF the
unfortunate yachtsmen and their bur-
den.
Meanwhile the wreckers were at work
on the Sarah Craig up at Sandy Hook.
Captain Rutland returned from New
York by daylight with wreckiDg-tug,
and the crew was at once set to work
to raise the schooner. BY 10 O'Clock
she was righted, and after the cabins
were partially pumped out search was
begun for the body of Miss Bessie Mer-
ritt, who was the only one missing OF
the seven victims. AS soon as the main
sail was lifted from the after cabin hatch
way Miss Merritt's body WIS discovered
floating around below among the
mass of stuff which filled the cabin.
Captain Rutland was the first to see the
body. Lifting it tenderly in his stout
arms. be placed il OH the deck. How
she reached the spot where she was
found ia hard to explain. The after
cabin filled when the schooner upset,
and the force Of the water must have
kept the door leading TO the front cabin
closed, at least until the whole vessel
was under water and all inside were
dead. The only explanation that can
he given for the presence of the body
in the after cabin is that it ilOsted
through the bulkhead door, scarce two
fee. wide, when the vessel was turned
by the wreckers this morning.
The Sarah Craig presented mourn
full appearance when she got her decks
above water to-day. She stood oil
about twenty yards from the ordnance
wbaIf at Sandy Hook, about mile
and half down the dreary waste of
beach extending to what is called the
Point" BY her side was the wreck.
ing tug with lis heavy chains dashed
about her, and not ten yards further
out were the bare poles of the fishing
smack Robert E., which had gone down
on Friday night in the same squall.
The cabin presented an odd-looSing
sight when enough water had been
pumped out of 1t to allow one to go
below the deck. 1t was filled with
mass of floating rubbish Of all sorts.
Vslises, trunks, bedding, cooking uten-
sis, and chairs were piled up all around,
and in ore corner the stove stood on
end.
One side Of the cabin showed the
marks of the battle which the imprl-
soned victims made for freedom. The
wooden wall was splintered in several
places by some blunt instrument. This
is supposed to be the work of Chester
Clark, the one man Of the party who
was in the cabin and the only one of
the men who was drowned. Further
along are other marks made by differ
ent instruments. These were probably
used by some Of the ladies, as there
was evidently not much strength in the
blows. The pounding which the survi-
vors say they heard from within during
the two hours before the end came was
undoubtedly the vain efforts of the im-
priSODCu OHtS " ulhho al upCllDS III bho
vessels side. If Chester Clark had
had an axe he might have been success
full, but the instant that the air inside
escaped the vessel would have gone
down, and all on board, both inside
ard out, would have been drowned.
The seafaripg men who live along the
shore have two opinions about the
soundness Of Captain Ruland'S judy
ment in being caught in a squall with
his mainsail and jib flying. One old
tar, who saw the Craig when the gale
struck her aud who afterward helped
to find the bodies, said to-day: 81
would not be surprised if that supper
party on deck is in part responsible for
| the accident. You see, the squat came
up while they were eating, aud the cap
tain furled his small sails without inter-
feripg with the folks but he would have
needed help TO haul in the mainsail and
the jib, and he seems to have let them
stay up on chance rather than
break up the supper. When The rain
and hail fell the ladies' went down be-
low deck. He found IL too late to pull
in his sails, and in two minutes the boat