News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1890-01-09
A SAD SEA STORY.
Loss of German Ship Shake
Speare.
The Entire Crew Perish In q Fearful
Gale.
Gallant, But Unavailing Efforts to Rescue
Them.

The steamship HISTORIAN from Glasgow,
which arrived at Halifax the other day, re-
ports the details of narrowing shipwreek.
On the morning of Dec. IS, vessel was
sighted apparently waterlogged.
The steamer, Notwithstanding that q regu-
lar hurricane was blowing, bore up for the
vessel, when it was found to be the ship
Shakespeare of Bremen, Capt. Miller, which
sailed from Hamburg Oct. %. Only her
mizzen-lowermast bowsprit and jibboom
were standing, while her bulwarks were
bad Y smashed, her cabin nearly unroofed,
and everything movable about the decks ex-
cept ole large boat had been washed away.
The crew were huddled together aft, some
lashed to the rail, and others holding on to
the mizzen shrouds, the only standing rigging
left on the vessel.
Attempts TO signal the German were fruit
less the sole thoughts in the minds of those
aboard apparently being to leave the vessel.
The HISTORIAN signaled that she would stand
by them and Captain Trance began to look
about for means TO rescue the unfortunate
people.
To launch a boat was madness. Waves
broke over the steamer ceaselessly. She
steamed to windward of the ship and let out
q half-inch line, with signals for those aboard
to catch it as it swept by. The line swept
down toward the ship, and was caught.
Then larger line was fastened to the smaller
one on board the steamer, and the ship
1t was frances Intention to take one off
the ship at time, and he so signalled the
German captain. But the latter had either
lost his code book or did not understand the
signals, so he tied the end of the hawser TO
4 terrific gale came along, swept the yes
sells wider apart; the small line was unable
to stand the strain, and it snapped close to
the steamer, letting the hswser into the sea.
The result of over four hours work was
thus lost.
At daylight next morning the gale was
even heavier than on the day before, with
cross sea that was positively frightful In Its
velocity and size. An attempt was made to
consumed in the attempt, but cross seas BAT
fed all the steamer captains calculations and
it was given up as impossible.
The seas broke completely over the wrecks
hull, and fully three-fourths of the time she
was entirely under water.
Just before dark the gale subsidized little
and the HISTORIAN managed to get line to
the ship. 1t was fastened to her windlass
forward. The HISTORIAN rugged 1t up with a
tackle and prepared to hang on to the wreck
all night. The people were again signalled
that they would not be deserted, and the
darkness shut her from view.
Toward midnight the gale backed to the
westward and blew again with terrific force.
At O'Clock Capt. Trance came on deck and
took look at the tackle holding the hawser
been seen since midnight. 1t did not seem
10 have the strain it ought to have and it was
carried to a steam windlass, where 200 feet |
Of it was hauled in and there it ended. 1t
had parted during the night and the ship was
lost.
The steamer remained lying to till daylight, |
when in the undated gale she returned and |
searched for the vessel most of the forenoon, |
but without success.
At noon on the goth the HISTORIAN gave up
the search and bore up for Halifax.
An hour after the HISTORIAN arrived the |
sandman from Liverpool came into port. |
she reported that ON Dec. %, she passed the |
shakespeare. The seas were making clean |
break over her and only the mizzenmast was
standing, the bowsprit and jibboom having |
apparently been lost. There were no signs |
Of life aboard of her, and the boat which she |
mad aboard when the HISTORIAN saw her was |
llso gone, which led to the belief that the |
rev took to it when the HISTORIAN disap- |
peared.
As the weather has continued stormy ever |
,ince, the entire ships crew is probably lost. |