The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1891-04-01
BATTLED WITH WAVES
WRECKED ON vIRoINIA'S DES-
OLATE COAST.

the Captains VITO and Child and Sin
Sailors Find watery Graves-Heroio
Rescue of Nine of the Crew of the III
Fated vessel
The Norwegian bark Dictator, from
Pensacola, Fla, TO West Hartlepool,
England, laden with pine lumber,
with a crew OF fifteen and the
captains young wife and little boy
of years, went ashore I'm strong east
erly gale four miles south II Cape Henry,
Va and two miles north OF the Virginia
Beach Hotel. The weather was so thick
that the vessel was not seen until
o'clock a. m, and then she was in the
breakers broadside on, within quarter
OF mile OF the shore. Full crews from
two life-saving stations, those of Cape
Henry and Seatick, under command Of
Captain Drinkwater, were promptly on
hand and began firing lines 10 the Inflated
bark. The guns could not deliver the
lines so far, though they were repeated
ly fired. The ship finally succeeded in
getting line ashore tied 10 a barrel,
which the surf carried to the life-savers.
The breeches buoy was quickly rugged
and sent 10 the vessel, but unfortunately
the bark's crew were ignorant of its
use, and the rescue was delayed until
Captain Drinkwayer, of the lfe-saving
crew, wrote instructions, put them in
bottle, and sent IL 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 10 carry out
the directions.
The first man was delivered ashore in
eight minutes, and seven others were
rescued before sunset, four Of whom
came ashore in a life-boat which was
capsiZcd, but the men succeeded in
reaching the shore in half dead condt-
ton, one man having his arm broken,
During the entire day the ship rolled
and pitched terribly, and made the work
OF rescuing the unhappy sailors exceed
ingly difficult and slow, as the life line
would tighten or slacken in response 10
the motion of the vessel. Once the line
broke with a man midway 10 the shore.
ana 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
had como from the country houses
and the hotel, and TO the spec
tators the anxiety and suspense was
awful, as they could plainly see the
people on the bark and hear their con-
slant cries for succor. At nghtfall
there were still nine persons on the
bark, and among the number the cap
tain, his wife, and little child. The
captain had urged his wife all during
the day TO take the buoy and come
ashore, but she steadily refused, as she
would not leave her husband and child,
and only one could take the buoy at a.
time The wife and child were already
greatly exhausted, according to the re-
port OF the sailors At night the work
OF rescue was continued, and the captain
vainly besought his wife TO make the at
tempt for life 1t has been impossible TO
get the names OF the rescued tonight,
owing TO the fact that they are entirely
exhausted and all are foreigners
Lloyd's register gives the captains
name as Jorgonson. The bark is COM
plete wreck and went 10 pieces fast; tho
sea was tremendous. All that could be
gathered from the half-dead sailors as TO
the cause OF the stranding of the vessel
was that they did not know whore they
were, the sun not having been seen for
four days, aud the weather so thick last
night and this morning that they struck
the breakers before they could see the
coast. The life-savers worked all day with
great heroism without food since morn
Ing. The apparently slow progress OF the
work OF rescue is due TO the fact that a
life-boat could not live in the surf, and
that the guns would not reach the bark,
and that the crew could not use the
breaches buoy until they were instructed
from shore, which caused great delay.
The captain, just before the snip went
TO pieces, sprang into the sea with his
son strapped TO his back and reached the
shore alive, but the boy was lost, making
total Of eight lives The Dictator was
trying to mako Hampton Roads, having
been fifteen days disabled by hurricanes.
WENT WEST FOR NAUGHT.