The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1892-02-01
ALL NOBLY RESCUED
For Forty Hours the Webster
Crew Fought Death.
CAPTAIN cLARK's VIVID TALE.
The Tugs Guards Under Water When Aid
Reached Them.

4
| Was Burned to Keep the Pumps GOING
| Frantic Efforts of the Half Frozen and
| Hungry Men to Keep the Tug From
Going Doun--Nothing but Praise for
the Schooner Crew.
VINEYARD HAVEN Mass, Feb. i--Capt.
George Clark who together with crew
of nine was carried out to sea from New
York on the disabled tug Edwin H.
Webster, Tuesday during snow storm
and rescued by the schooner Everett Web
ster, Captain Bower, of Philadelphia,
wildly described to a reported the ter
rible experience of himself and his men
and their daring rescue by the officers
and men of the schooner Webster when
| hope had almost been abandoned.
The captain, after saying that the trip
to the dumping grounds Of the tug and
her two scows was without incident,
continued as follows;
about o'clock Tuesday morning
after the scows had dumped their loads,
we started to return. The wind, which
had been very high all morning, attained
at this time the velocity of a gale.
| Binding snow squalls prevailed, and
before we knew it we got into shoal
water. While attempting to get out into
deep water, the hawser fouled the pro
peller and the boat was rendered help
less.
"All our efforts to get the rope clear
were unavailing, and we hung out dis
tress signals which were seen by the tug
| Nichols She came to our assistance and
endeavored to tow the disabled tug and
scows to New York, but was unable to
make any headway against the severe
gale and high winds which prevailed.
| "The Webster was then anchored and
the Nichols proceeded to New York for
help.
1.-THE anchor of the tug, however,
would not hold, and with the scows we
! gradually drifted out to sea.
about an hour later the hawser hold
ing the scows, which was entangled in
| the screw, cut or chafed itself loose and
the scows drifted rapidly seaward
'"Those on board the scows dropped
their anchors, but they did not appear to
hold and the boats continued to drift
to the northeast
'All that day they were in sight of us,
but next morning they had disappeared
The Webster, in the meantime had con
tinued dragging slowly but surely into
rougher water, and was complete mass
of ice She labored heavily and at length
sprang leak.
''Things now began to look serious and
the pumps were set TO work, while the
crew assisted in the bailing process with
buckets By this means we managed for
a time to keep her clear of water, but
the pumping and bailing had to be kept
up incessantly.
"The steamer rolled badly and coal
was finally washed into her bilges and
under the pumps, choking them up
badly.
a"The men were obliged to stand in the
ice-cold water, working for their lives
in the endeavor to keep the pumps in
working order
/ 'In this way all hands were all more
or less frost bitten.
EAT midnight Wednesday, the supply OF
coal became exhausted, and all available
woodwork, such as berths, flooring,
homework, ETC., was burned, furnishing
4 fuel to work the pumps.
About 3 O'Clock Thursday morning,
while in this precarious condition, the
wind still heavy, fuel exhausted, the
hwater up to the CRATE bars in the fire
room and the crew totally exhausted
from exposure, excessive labor, and hun
ger, they having scarcely tasted food for
forty hours, vessels light was sighted,
heading straight for the Webster.
I "This was most welcome sight and we
frantically waived signal lightsto attract
her attention.
"The vessel, which proved to be the
schooner Everett Webster, saw us, and
she Immediately bore down toward us
Upon learning our condition her cap
tain ordered the stern boat lowered and
this was manned by Mate W M Leeds
and three men
"Ths sea was very high at the time and
the work Of transferring the men from
the Webster was both dangerous and
tedious, and their boat could take but
one man at time.
"By skillful management, however,
Mate Leeds rescued us all from the sink
ing steamer, but it took ten trips and
over an hours time to do it,
when the last man was taken from the
tug her guards were level with the water
and she could not have staid ahoat much
longer "
Captain Clarkis Is high in his praise of
Captain Bowen and the officers and crew
of the schooner. The schooner herself
was solid mass OF ice and was almost
unmanageable.
The Captain is of the opinion that II
large tug had been sent to their as
sistance they and their boat could have
been saved
Captain Clark has no knowledge of
missing scow No. o. but thinks that she
could not sink as she had water tight
compartments running nearly her whole
length. He expressed, however, great
anxiety for the two men aboard of her.
as she was not abundantly supplied with
food and fuel The tug Webster was
abandoped about twenty miles east OF
the Highlands of Navesink.
The crew saved only what they stood in
and are in "a destitute condition.
When they were landed aboard the
schooner it was found that all OF the
rescued men had their hands aud feet
more or less frozen. They have, how
ever, rapidly recruited since and they
! will be In suitable condition to be for
waTded TO their homes to-day.
Lawyer Monaghan starts for Home.
WEST CHESTER, Pa, Feb. l-R Jones
MONAGHAN, the prominent LAWYER and