The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1891-04-01
EIGHT LIVES LOST.
The Norwegian Bark Dictator Wrecke d
OF Norfolk. Va

The Norwegian Bark Dictator Wrecked
OF Norfolk, Va
NoRFoLK, Va, March 27-The Norwe-
gian bark, Dictator, from Pensacola. Fla,
to Hartleypool, England, loaded with pine
lumber, with a crew of fifteen and the
captains young wife and little boy OF
three years, came ashore in a strong east
erly gale this morning four miles south of
Cape Henry and two miles north Of Nir.
ginia beach hotel. The weather was so
thick that the vessel was not seen until
9 o'clock, and then she was in the break
ers broadside on, within quarter OF a
mile OF the shore.
Full crews from two hfe-saving stations.
those OF Cape Henry and Seatack, under
command OF Capt. Drinkwater. were
promptly on hand aud began firing lines
to the Inflated bark. The guns could not
deliver the lines so far, though they were
repeatedly fired.
The ship finally succeeded in getting
line ashore tied to a barrel which the
surf carried to the life-savers. The
breeches buoy was quickly rigged and
sent to the vessel. but unfortunately the
bark's crew were ignorant of its use, and
the rescue was delayed until Capt. Drink
water of the life saving crew wrote in
structions, put them in a 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 directions.
the first man was delivered ashore in
eight minutes, and seven others were res
cued before sunset, four of whom came
ashore in life boat, which was capsized
but the men succeeded in reaching the
shore in hall dead condition, 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 lifeline
would tighten or sl2cken in response
to the motion of the vessel. The
line broke with a man midway 10 the
shore and ne was hauled back to the
bark half dead. The line was mended and
the same man was safely landed. The
beach was lined with people who had
come from the country houses and the
hotel, and to the spectators the anxiety
plainly see the people on the bark and
hear their cries for and.
At nightfall there were still nine persons
on the bark, and among the number the
captain, mis- wife and little child. The
captain had urged his wife all during the
day to take the buoy and come ashore,
but she refused as she would not leave her
husband and child. and only one could
take the buoy at time. The wife and
child were already greatly exhausted ac-
Cording TO the report OF the sailors.
Tonight the work of rescue was continued
and the captain vainly besought his wife
to nuke the attempt for life.
1t has been impossible to get the names
of the rescued tonight, owing TO the fact
that they are entirely exhausted andseem
TO be foreigners. Lloyd's register gives
the captains name rs Jorgonsen. The
bark will be a complete wreck, as she Is
last going TO pieces. and the sea Is still
tremendous. The chances are that by
davDreak tomorrow there will be no YES
sci in sight and al remaining on board to-
night will be lost. All that could be gath
cred from the half-dead sailors as to the
cause of the stranding of the vessel MSs
that they did not know where thev were,
the sun not having been seen for four
and this morning that they struck the
breakers before they could see the coast.
The life savers have worked all day
with great heroism, without food since
early this morning. The apparently slow
progress of the work of rescue is due to
the fact that a lifeboat could not live in
the surf and that the guns would not
reach the bark, and that they could not
use the breeches buoy until they were in
structed from shore, which caused great
delay.
LATER-The bark has gone to pieces and
the seven that remained on her have been
lost including the wife of the captain.
The captain, just before the ship 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
4 total loss of eight lives. The list of
saved is as follows: Capt ]. NJ. Jorgon-
sen, Second Mate Julius Andersen, Amp
ter Barrett, john Stevens, John Patterson,
Yelmer Olsen, John Mall, Carlo Olsen
(broken ARM. Charles Joseph (colored).
The Dictator was trying TO make Hamp-
ton Roads, having been disabled by hurri-
canes since the 18th inst