The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1891-04-22
LOST IN THE WRECK.
The Bark Dictator Founders Of
Cape Henry, Va.
The Captains Wife, Son and Six
Sailors Perish.

The Norwegian bark Dictator, Captain
Jorgensen, from Pensacola to West Hartle-
pool, England, laden with pine lumber, with
crew of fifteen and the Captains wife and
boy of three years, went ashore on the Vir-
ginia coast In strong easterly gale few
mornings ago, four miles south Of Cape
Henry and two miles north Of Virginia
Beach Hotel. Eight lives were lost includ-
ing the Captains wife and son.
The weather was so thick that the vessel
was not seen until o'clock. She was then
in the breakers broadside ON, and within
quarter Of mile Of the shore. Full crews
from the life-saving stations--those OF Cape
Captain Drinkwater, were promptly on
hand, and began firing lines to the il-fated
bark. The guns could not deliver the lines
though repeatedly fired.
The crew finally succeeded in getting. q
line ashore. It was tied to q barrel, which
the surf carried to the life savers. The
breeches buoy was quickly rgged and sent
to the vessel. Unfortunately tho crew were
ayed until Captain Drinkwater Of the life
saving crew wrote instructions, put them In
bottle and sent It to the Dictator by the
line connecting the vessel with the shore.
The men on board broke the bottle at
once as could be seen by glasses from the
shore, and proceeded to carry out the direc-
tious. The first man was brought ashore In
eight minutes, and seven others were rescued
before sunset, four OF whom came In life
boat, which was capsized, but tho men sue
ceeded In reaching the shore In half-dead
condition, one man having his arm broken.
During the entire day the ship rolled and
pitched terribly, and made the work Of rescu-
Ing the sailors difficult and slow. The life line
would tighten and slacken In response to the
motion OF the vessel. Once the line broke,
with man midway to the shore, and he was
hauled back to the bark half dead. The
line was mended, and the same man safely
landed. The beach was lined with people who
tel near by. To the spectators the suspense
was painful. They could plainly see the
people on the bark and hear their cries for
help At nightfall there were still nine per-
sons on the bark, among the number being
the Captain, wife and child. The Captain
urged his wife all day to take the buoy and
come ashore. but she refused. She would
not leave her husband and child, and only
one could take the buoy at time.
That night the work Of rescue was con-
tinued, and the Captain, after vainly be-
life, took his half-dead child and strapped
him to his back. The father said farewell to
the wife and leaped into the sea. The father
reached the shore; but the son was lost.
Late at night the bark went to pieces. All
on board were. lost including Mrs. Jorgen-
son.
All that could be gathered from the half
dead sailors as to the cause Of stranding was
that they did not know where they were, the
sun not having been seen for four days, and
the weather being so thick that they struck
the breakers before they could see the coast.
The life savers worked all day without food.
The list Of the saved Is as follows: Captain
j. NJ Jorgensen, Second Mate Julius Ander-
son, Ampler Barrett, John Steven, John
Patterson, Yelmer Olsen, John Mall, Carlo
icoloredj. The Dictator was trying to make
Hampton Roads, having been disabled by
hurricanes.