Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1888-12-08
A STORY OF THE SEA.
Capt. Ross Description of the
Wreck Of the Ethel n. Davis.
AT THE MERCY OF THE GALE
Three Men Were Washed Overheard by
an Enormous Wave, and the Survive
ors Were without Food or
Water for Four Days.

NEW YoRK, Dec. s-Another thrilling
shipwreck. involving loss Of life, occurred of
Cape Hatteras during the height OF the late
hurricane The particulars were furnished
on the arrival at quarantine OF the Norwe-
ginn bark Artemes, which had the survivors
on board
The story as told by Capt. Ross, the com
mander OF the lost vessel, is as follows:
The American schooner Ethel NJ. Davis,
OF Portland. Me-, "a vessel of sos tons regis
ter, left Laguna In Mexico, on Nov !. She
was loaded deep with full cargo of mahog-
any consig ed TO well known shipper OF
this city. Nineteen days OF moderate and
favorable westerly winds were experienced
after clearing port, and on Nov 20 she had
reached to a point n little south Of HatteraA
Or that point a violent wind set in, which
soon after became heavy northeast gale.
On the 2lst the gale increased, and with
tremendous cross sea threw the Davis about
IN every direction. On the morning Of the
Gath the gale moderated and there was fine
weather. 1t was short lived however, and
townrd evening of that day the wind shifted
to the northwest and in a few hours increased
10 hurricane. -
At midnight the sea had worked itself to
fearful height, and every wave that struck
All that night the navigators managed to
keep the crafts head well up into the eye OF
the wind, but as she continued to labor heav-
lily and ship tons of water, it was decided to
ease of and send her before the gale as soon
as daylight arrived.
When dawn came to the freezing mariners
new and greater danger presented itself.
Ono of the crew, following directions, had
sounded the pump well throughout the night
and each time reported 'all well" Imme-
diately after daylight, to his horror, he found
the well filed with water and the sea rush
ing in with great rapidity through some un-
known break in the hull.
Capt. Ross ordered all available hands to
the pumps. They were wasting their en-
ergy, however, for the pumps refused to
fetch up the water with any freedom. The
men were FOR leaving the cNssel and taking
their chances in the open boats, but the cap
tain declared that, as the vessel was wood
laden, she could not sink, and the chanccs
were better there than on the open sea-
the sailors continued to work at the pumpa
throughout the day and well into the night.
but their efforts as dusk came on were feeble
and ineffectual, and ten hours after tho leak
was discovered the hull was entirely water
logged aud the upper decks all awash.
Sea after sea rolled across the deck, and at
midnight the schooner was at the mercy OF
the wave aud wind. At a. m. on the Goth
a sea larger than any other struck the hull,
capslzing it. Two seamen and the steward,
whose names are unknown, were standing
near the fore hatch at the time.
a second large sea followed, and the vessel,
now being on her beam ends, it had no diff
Guilty IN working over the bows. 1t broke in
the midst of tho steward and his companions,
and when it cleared away the three men
were missing They were never seen again.
Az best they could the remainder of the
crew then set TO work to cut away the stand
ing spars. This operation consumed several
hours, as the men were very weak, but once
done the hull righted to an even keel. Then
the captain, his mate and two sailors, the
survivors, crawled aft and dashed themselves
to the top of tie after house.
For four days tn y remained there in semi
conscious condition, suffering great hard
ships from the cold and the constant beating
of the seas over their wet forms During the
whole OF these four days they were entirely
helpless and not n drop of water or food
passed their lips.
An hope was gone and the men were more
dead than alive when, late on the - h, the
Artemes, Capt Moe, bound from Liverpool
for this port, came along and rescued all
hands The schooner was abandoned in lati-
tude 50 As, longitude 70.52.
The Artemes herself had a tough time be-
fore she fell in with the Davis. In a series Of
gales which she met, she hal her cabin
flooded, deck fixtures damaged and sails
badly split and lost