Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1893-08-26
WENT DOWN AT SEA.
Loss Of the Reading Steamer
Panther and Eleven Men.
CAPT. ]. B. NEwLOvEoF NEW CASTLE,

and He Was Drowned aud His Body
washed Thrilling Story of the
Only Conscious Survivor of the Dis
aster.
PHILADELPHIA, Aug. co. Seventeen
souls out of a total of twenty, who con.
stituted the crews Of the Reading Rail.
road collier Panther and the coal barge
Lykens Valley, which were wrecked of
the Long Island coast near southampton,
early Thursday morning, were lost AL
the members of the Panthers crew
shipped from Philadelphia. Most of them
have families living in this city. The
members of the Panther's crew drowned
as reported to F. w. Taylor, agent Of
the Philadelphia and Reading Transpor-
tstion Line in this city, are:
GEORGE w. PIERsON. captain, No. l3
East Lehigh avenue.
JOHN B. NEwLOvE. mate. No. 1890 swair
street; body recovered.
OTTO NJ. JOHNSON, second mate, No 3l2'
Clifton street.
WILLIAM DALEY. steward, No. 25i5 Sal
mon street.
FRANK FIELD. mess boy, residence un
known; body recovered.
ARvID JOHANsEN, seaman, No. 2j50 Rich
mond street.
ANDREW JOHNSON. seaman, No. 1854 Rich
mond street.
FREDERICK LARSEN. seaman, residenc,
unknown
KARL ERICKSON. ordinary, No. $3.50 Rich
mond street.
HENRY c. MOORE, engineer. No. $50
Memphis street.
ELY JEFREYs. fireman, No. 81 Huntington
street.
FRANK WILHALIE, fireman. No. 205
Richmond street.
WILLIAM PLOTOMEY, coal passer, No. POI
Richmond street.
The only members of the crew of tn
Panther saved were Albert Smith, assist
ant engineer, 244l Clearfeld street
Victor England, seaman, 1850 Richmon
street, aud Edwin Cummings, f1eman
1856 Richmond street. The members o
the crew of the barge Lykens Vale
we're all lost. They were:
ALFRED F. SYLVESTER, captain. No 4
Prospect street, sommeryille, Mass.
HIRAM BLODGETT. cook, North Brook
vile, Me.
PETEK RIDEOUT. native Of Newfoundlan,
deck hand, address unknown.
ROBERT Abe, engineer. Newark, n. ].
How the Panther Was Lost.
Assistant Engineer Smith was seen g
his home yesterday afternoon and ga,
detailed account of the disaster. Wit
the exception of feeling sore and wea
he is none the worse for the Thrill
ing experience through which he has ju
passed. He is a strong, robust man {
middle age and is an expert swim
mer, which fact largely accounts for h
survival when so many of his fellow
were drowned
1--WE struck the gale that caused Il
disaster" began Engineer Smith, %
midnight, Wednesday, of Shinn eco,
Lighthouse. We were about six mil
off shore, proceeding to Newburypo
with the Lykens Valley. The wind .wl
blowing from northeast and the SCI
were running high. We weathered tl
1
when the wind shifted to the southwes
The wind increased in violence and Il
seas began to sweep the decks. III
Panther then began to labor more al
/ more heavily.
1--WE were drawing toward the bea,
all the time and the captain. fearing II
shore, hauled the steamer off couple
7 points A few minutes later an immen
wave struck the steamer on the portsid
washing the engine house away and Il
= water began to pour in the engine ROOF
Fireman Jeffrys set to work to patch
! up and was badly cut about the hei
with the flying pieces Of wood and SteV
, ard Daley had his leg broken. At
I o'clock the water was waist high in d
/ engine room aud the fires went out. Tit
= she began to fill rapidly. Thinking POI
sibly that the barge might pull throul
1 we cut the hawser and let her 60. Thl
we put on the life preservers.
! Steering Gear Carried Away.
/ II helped the steward get in the ri
ging and then climbed on the main hou.
z where the captain was. At this junctu
the pilot house and the steering &c
0 were carried away. Then she began
6 go down rapidly and the men soug
r suitable stations from which to iu mp,
order to get away from the suction. S
= sank bow first and went down almo
. perpendicularly. The captain and spra
n out as far as we could in order to :
= away from the suction. But we VIZ
\ drawn under eighteen or twenty feet.
a "When reached the surface the ca
| tain was alongside of me, while abe
. us were the different members Of {
crew struggling for their lives. Il v
!, not merely a question of wind and wa
n that threatened our lives, but the gr,
- amount of wreckage that was all arou
us. trod water greater part of
time and used up a great deal of
n strength in trying to keep it away fr
U, me. Every moment l expected
be knocked senseless, but for
wv nately managed to keep clear of it.
ly guess the captain was alongside of
for an hour before large wave carr
us under. When l came up he '
ly gone. did not not see him after th
lie The other men had all disappeared.
rn coal barge was rapidly drifting tow
the shore and the waves were wash
% over her. A short while after had b
W in the water / saw no life on her VIII
l - I.ot 81 aH D,