Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1892-05-05
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Remarkable DrifiiBg Of a Schooner Thai
was Abandoned = Year Ago.

Remarkable DrifiiDg Of a Schooner That
was Abandoned q Year Ago.
The wanderings on the north Atlantic
oceau Of the Philadelphia schooner Wyer
G.. Sargent. which was abandoned March
81. 1891, 200 miles east of Cape Hatteras,
as marked ont on the pilot chart issued
by the photographic Office, has attracted
considerable attention in shipping cir
cles. Buffeted, as the Sargent has been
for twelve months, by the fierce storms
that have swept the Atlantic Of late, the
fact that she has withstood them all and
still drifts around at the viii Of the ele-
ments is considered remarkable by sea
faring men.
When Captain Danse and his crew
abandoned the Wyer @. Sargent on the
night of March 81 they did not think
she would float until the next morning,
her condition was so serious. Her
matches had been washed of, the water
was pouring into her hold, the main and
foremasts were gone and hanging along
side of the wreck and the vessel was
waterlogged. The crew was landed at
Nuevitas and nothing was heard from
the vessel until May 4, when passing
vessel sighted her some 300 miles to the
eastward of the position where she was
abandoned. She was then in the same
condition as when the crew left her, the
seas sweeping over her deeply submerged
hull
The next report of the derelict was
gotten here in July, when a vessel that
arrived from Europe reported passing
her on July 2 in latitude of 40 degs.
and longitude about 81 degs.. which
would place her just 200 miles east of
Philadelphia. She was then drifting an
easterly course, which would have
brought her upon the coast of Portugal.
Aug. she was again sighted, and by
this time she had drifted in a southeast
erly direction to the latitude Of about 39
degs., longitude 40 degs. According TO
reports received from time to time by
vessels who passed the derelict ON their
way across the Atlantic it was learned
that she pursued a zigzag course, until
Sept. IA, when she struck off in the di-
rection of the Canary islands. She held
this course until Oct. 20, when she went
off again in southwesterly direction for
the north coast of South America.
Nov. % she was headed around by the
winds and currents due west, and made
about 500 miles in this direction when
she came around north to latitude "a
degs., longitude 40 degs., where she was
sighted by the British steamship W. l.
Radcliffe. She was at that time, ac-
cording to the captain of this steam
ships statement, in remarkable state
of preservation, but lay deep in the
water, with every roll of the sea going
over her. Her bowsprit and part of her
jib boom were standing as was also
about six feet of the mainmant.
Since this time nothing has been heard
of the wandering derelict, and the hy-
drographers are keeping a watchful eye
over an the ships logs turned in for in
spection with hopes of getting still more
information regarding this interesting
vessel
There are numerous other derelicts
adrift in the western ocean at this time,
but none have withstood the storms as
long as the Sargent, and shipping men
say she must be a vessel of wonderful
construction. She was laden, it is said,
with light cargo.-Philadelphia Press.