Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1892-02-01
THE AWFUL HARDSHIPS'
Suffered by the Men on the Tug That
Was Blown to Sea.
THE VESSEL SPRUNG A BAD LEAK
And All Hands Were Kept Busy Bailing Win
Buckets TIL Their Hands and Feet We're
Frozen and They Became Completely
Exhaasted-A Terrible Experience

VINEYARD HAVEN, Mass, January
3I.-Captain George Clark aud nine men
from the missing tug, Edwin II. Web
ster. OF New York, for whose safety so
much anxiety had been felt, arrived In
this hsrbor Friday night last. They
are still quartered on board the three
masted schooner, Everett, Capt. Howen.
OF Philadelphia.
The Everett was bonnd for Boston
from Philadelphia with a cargo OF coal,
and rescued the ten men when nearly all
hope OF being saved had been given up.
A violent northerly gale has been
blowing since she anchored here, max
ing IL too rough for the rescued TO make
. landing, and it was not until to-day
that the schooner could be boarded aud
full particulars OF the rescue ascertain
ed. Capt. Clark, OF the Inflated steam
tug, told story OF awful suffering.
After detailing how the two scows
were forced out to ocean by the high
wind aud heavy sea, he said:
They could be- seen By the Webster
all day Tuesday drifting 10 the north
east, but the next morning nothing
cOule be seen OF them. The Webster
continued dragging into rougher water,
and was complete mass OF ice. She
lsbored so heavily that she sprung a
leak, aud only by constant pumping and
all hands bailIng with buckets could
we just keep her free OF water.
"The steamer rolled so badly that
coal was washed into her bIlges and un-
der her pumps, choking them up badly.
The men were obliged TO stand Ia tho
ice cold water working for their lives,
endeavoring TO keep the pumps slear
and In working order. In this manner
they were all more or less frozen. Al
midnight on Wednesday the supply OF
coal became exhausted and all available
wood work, such as berths flooring, Join
er work, etc. was burned, furnishing
fuel 10 work the pumps.
about 3 O'Clock, while In this preca-
rious condition, the wind still heavy,
the fuel exhausted, the water up 10 the
CRATE bars In the fire room and the crew
all nearly exhausted from exposure, ex.
cessiye labor and hunger, having eaten
scarcely anything for forty hours, a
vessels lights were sighted. headed
straight for the Webster.
the wercnsso vessel. which proved To
be the schooner E,Ssstt, was siRnalled
b. our lights, aud she ln@es+siel bore
down aud lowered her stern boat, which
was manned by her first officer, w. NJ.
Leeds, and three men. These men by
skillful management rescued the ten
men from the sinking steamer, one by
one, this consuming about an hour.
"When the last man was secured tho
guards OF the tug were level with the
water, and she could not have stayed
anoat much longer. When landed
aboard the schooner II was ascertained
that all Of the rescued men had their
hands and feet more or less frozen"
The captain OF the Webster has no
knowledge OF missing scow, No. 8, but
thinks that she would not sink, being
too large and new, with water tight
compartments running rearly the whole
length OF her. He msniiests anxiety
regarding the two men on board, as she
was not abundantly supplied with food
and fuel.