Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-01-03
ROuCH EXPERIENCE.
The Wreck of the Schooner Mile G'
Brown-Other items.
fspecial telegram to the Dispatch.l


NORFOLK, Va. January 2.-The British
steamship West Northumberland, Cap
tam Miles kirkpatrick, from Merrypool
TO Vera Cruz, arrived here this after
noon. having on board the shIpwrecked
crew of the four-masted schooner Mile
q. Cowne. Captain Sidney A. Ellis, OF Bos-
ton, consisting of eleven men and two
passengers. J. NJ. Washburn and George ".
Coleman. of Boston. The schooner was
the largest four-master atloat, and
left Boston for Montevideo with q cargo
of lumber, cement, 'rosin, and kerosene
oil on December 7th. She had fair weather
until she reached longitude 81 degrees and
latitude SO degrees, when a succession OF
gales set in and continued four days, with
the heaviest sort of seas. On December
l4th all the schooner's sails were blown
away, and the next day the wind increased
TO hurricane, blowing eighty. or ninety
miles an hour. The spenker-boom gave
way at o'clock, the spankermast was car
RED away, and soon after followed the
mizzenmast. mainmast, and foremost, car
rying the jib-boom and everything IN the
shape of sails and rigging. One OF the
crew, Charlie Brown, Frenchman. was
caught in the wheel and badly injured.
ou-pAGs.
Captain Ellis then ordered out the oil
bags and threw them into the sea, but tine
oil was blown from the surface of the
water ne fast as it could be put out. and
did no perceptible good whatever. Every
thing on deck was swept away. THIS
wretched weather continued until Sunday,
which daWned beautifully and brought
great cheer to the distressed mariners. A
jury mast was rugged and sail got on the
wreck. The men were almost famished,
and had subsisted on such canned goodsas
could be tished out of the hold, rs every
thing had broken loose below the decks
and was thrown into confused heaps. The
vessel was a perfect wreck. and the hand
some cabins, which were furnished with
Brussels carpets, tasty tapestries. and
comfortable with upholstered chairs and
lounges was waist deep with the water
which had found its entrance through the
companion-way, and had reduced every
thing to an almost unacceptable ruin.
The cabin doors were stove IN by the force
of the waters. and the galley was Hooded
and useless. Monday, as If in mockery OF
the damage which had been done, the day
was, as bright and balmy as any day in
April, though the angry seas had not sub
sided. Work was at once begun clearing
away the wreck of the vessel. The
schooner still lay in the trough of the sea,
and was rolling terribly. Tuesday the
18th by the hard work of the crew and
passengers everything was gotten of the
deck. Nothing else was thought of but to
get something to eat. The crew got
stove in order and prepared something to
eat. after which they commenced to. get
tue eatable portion of the cargo on deck.
SIGNALS OF DISTRESS.
As the sun went down torches of rope
were made and set on fire as signals of dis
tress. The steamship West Northumber-
saw the signal and bore down, running ten
miles out of her course to do so. The men
and passengers were taken in boats on the
steamship and the wrecked schooner was
set on fire. On their arrival in Norfolk the
wrecked seamen were taken charge Of by
the chaplain of the Seamen's Bethel. and