The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-05-10
Ehe aoiclta 1ailu Eagle gnsaag orino nag 10, 1892
STORIES OF THE SEA.
A REMARKABLE COLLISION AND a
PERSEVERING RESCUE.

Lct people VINO Inlnk tnere are no dnKet
sailors in these days go down to Fred Col
colts, In South street. 1t is true that one
will find very few Yankees who are sailing
before the mast, but the Yankee captain
| and the Yankee first mate, and the Yankee
second mate. and the Yankee who used to
be one or the other. but has since obtained
a soft berth on shore, gather at Colcott's
to spin sea twisters cit to make the lands.
man gasp.
Ever know Captain Lawson-E. J. Law
son? He's in the carpet department of one
of those big Brooklyn stores now" said
one of the story spinning crew yesterday.
Twenty odd years ago he was one of q
crew of the brigantine Hattie Bishop, Cap.
tain Weber. She sailed out of Portland
one day with plaster for New York. Of
Cape Cod it came On to blow hard, and the
fog was that thick you couldn't see three
ships lengths away. So they headed her
off shore across the Georges, where they
came so near running down fisherman
that it made goose pimples rise all over
them. and then, with only balance reefed
mainsail, lower topsail and two staysails
to keep her going, they held on very COM
fortably until after 10 o'clock
Lawson had the wheel that trick, and it
was the second mates watch. Lawson had
been there half An hour when the second
mate saw light to windward and the
next minute great British bark, running
light and free, doomed out of the fog,
headed right across the bows of the little
brig. Captain Weber ordered the wheel
up, and up it went, while the bark's wheel
was put down, but in minute more Cap
tain Weber saw that it was too late
CAPTAIN LAwsoN's EXPERIENCE.
"'Well, here we go, boysp said he, and
then before any one could say another word
the bark rose over one wave, the brig over
another, and sinking down in the trough
between the two vessels came together,
broadside on, with tremendous crash.
The blow broke off the stanchions all along
the weather side of the brig and knocked
the men of the watch below from their
berths. but by some miracle neither
mast nor yard was injured AS the watch
below came tumbling up on deck the next
wave lifted and parted the two vessels,
but they crashed together a second time
Immediately after, and then within min
ute a third time. Then the two forged
apart, the bark carrying the briggs anchor,
which had in some way caught in her
chains, and hauling out twenty-five faith
oms of the chain cable before the stock
broke
"Then there was a skurrying about to
see what damage had been done A few
minutes later, as the brig pumped her
nose into the sea, man was washed away,
and Lawson heard cries for help alongside
None could be rendered, but the mans leg
caught on a drifting rope and he climbed
on board. Then, to the establishment of
every one, both the brig and the bark were
found tight as bottle. 1t is probably the
only case on record where two vessels col
lided in gale of wind and yet neither YES
sci was seriously hurt"
There is a flag IN the possession of a
sailors wife living out on Long Island"
said another of the party, that was once
the ensign of the brig City Mole, of Port
land, Captain Hugh Sinnett. The flag
was given to the lady as token of eppre-
citation of what you may call the gallant
act of her husband. I'm sorry I've forgot
ten his name.
1.-The City Mole sailed from Savannah
one day in September with hard pine for
Porto Rico. She had eight men all told
on board. The second day out she took
cyclone and got into such rough sea that
there was no keeping the solid water off
her deck. First a wave came over and
crushed in the BOBBY hatch. The next
jumped the flying jibbooin out of her, the
fore and main topmasts broke short off,
the canvas was blown away, and there she
was, as unmanageable as a raft, and the
alter pouring into the hull at every roll.
A THoCGHTFUL CAPTAIN
ro,1rco 81 a within
half an hour, and the waves were making
a clean sweep. Boats, the galley, spare
spars, water barrels and everything NOV
able about deck went overheard, while the
afterhouse was cleaned out, but the roof
remained solid, and there the crew found
refuge. All of them but the captain at
once dashed themselves fast, because the
waves ut intervals made breach clear
across the roof. The captain did So too,
after awhile. He had fallen asleep through
exhaustion when a wave caught him and
away he went. Waking suddenly, he made
a grasp at the housetop and drove a ring
bolt clear through his right hand. His
body swung around over the side into the
sea, but the bolt sticking through his hand
held fast. as did the nerves and muscles of
the hand, and his life was saved.
For three days the crew lay on the
housetop almost helpless. Fortunately,
the ships flag was saved, and this was set,
union down. on a scantling nailed to the
house. On the evening of the third day
little brig belonging on Long Island came
along, and the distress signal was seen.
The water around was strewn with lumber
that had been knocked out of the broken
hull, but the Long Islander got close to
the wreck and shouted that he would
stand by until morning. The sea was
still too high and the night too near for q
rescue.
THE crew had, before this brig ap-
peared, become hopeless, and one man had
gone crazy, for they had had neither food
nor drink since the disaster. Now all but
the insane man were greatly revived, and
the night was passed in comparatively
good cheer. You can imagine, then, how
they felt when morning came and the Long
islander nowhere in sight.
However, that skipper was a genuine
Yankee sailorl He cruised about until
noon looking for the wreck. and then, al
though a wind that would let him lay his
course was blowing, he determined TO sail
thirty miles down wind before giving up
the search. Just at shutdown he overlook
the wreck, which. having the foreyard
crossed with some strips OF the sail on it,
had drifted with the wind.
The Long Islander bad his wife with
him. When Captain Sinnett had been
huisted from the wreck he asked that the
flag be given to the lady, and it was DONE
New York sun.
Steamers Safer Than Sailing Vessels.