The evening world. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1887-1931, 1893-11-29
The Schooner Randall's Survivors
Taken Off by the Merritt.
Lashed In the Rigging Over
Twenty-six Hours.
A Night OF Terror with Life savers
Near but Helpless.

ed schooner Is breaking up and pieces of
the wreck are washing ashore.
The /. j. Merritt passed Fire Island al
10 A. NJ. on her way to the city with the
survivors on board 1t Is supposed that
ten men and one woman were rescued.
The Merritt arrived off Bellport at Q
o'clock last night, but owing to the
heavy wind and sea was unable to get
near the stranded vessel until close on
to daylight this morning, when the wind
went down and the sea was not so
rough
A small boat was then sent out from
the Merritt, and, getting alongside of the
wreck, two of the schooner's crew were
first taken from the mizzenmast. The
small boat was tossed about in the surf
like a cork, and 1t was with great diff
fculty that the boat was prevented
from capsizing.
1t finally got up alongside of the wreck
second time, when the captains wife
and young son, eight years old, were
taken off. The lifeboat put back to the
Merritt and the rescued persons were
then put safely aboard Of the wrecking
steamer.
The boat returned to the wreck and
took off the rest of the crew. This work
was finished at $50 A. NJ. The Merritt
then started for Stapleton, s. l.
The life-saving crew, who worked I'M
til after dark last night trying to shoot
line over the vessel, were unable to
get back to the mainland, and had to
be taken aboard Of the wreciing steamer
and subsequently landed at Fire Island,
twenty miles away. When the sea
became more calm the life-savers were
able to get back to the mainland in the
lifepoat
According TO the latest information
which has reached here from the scene
OF the wreck the schooner sprang a leak
and filled so rapidly that Capt. Randall
was compelled to run her aground on
the outer bar.
Lieut.. w. H. Roberts of the United
States Coast Service. is at the scene
Of che wreck.
The crew, including the wife of Capt
William NJ. Randall, were dashed in the
rigging from 4 o'clock yesterday morn
ing until rescued. They had suffered
greatly from exposure and hunger.
Patrolman Harry Corwin, of the Life
Saving Station at Smiths Point, Great
South Bay, on coming west on his sum
rise patrol at daybreak yesterday morn
down. in four fathoms of water, about
quarter Of a mile off shore.
Only small portion of her forward
bulwarks was above water. Ten per-
sons We're in the rigging. One woman
and three men were In the forerigging,
four men at the foremost head one in
the main shrouds and one at the main
mast head.
Word was Immediately telephoned to
all the stations along the line. The life
saving crews from Fargo Station, Smiths
Point and Bellport FASTENED to the beach
at point opposite where the wrecked
The breakers We're solid, and dashed
like fury on the beach. 1t was impossi-
de to launch lifeboat:. The life-saving
though they were well aimed, the lines
either burned or fell short. The attempts
to send them across the rigging of the
wreck were all unsuccessful, but the
trials were continued until every cart
ridge had been used.
Capt. Frank Rourke arrived on the
scene in the afternoon with two rockets,
but these were Just as Intellectual as
the other shots. The wind was blowing
from the west, and although the rockets
Mere hlG red a aGe Of the me W wH 'ne INES
Mrs. Samuel Newey, the wife of
life-saving patrolman. picked up bun,
ashore during the forenoon. They were
all dated about twelve months ago. and
were addressed TO Capt; ~ p 81: Ramdail'
Boston and New York.
Many of these were of a purely bust
ness character; and We're from .: r.
who was evidently a part owner in the
schooner. From these letters the iden-
tity OF the schooner was learned.
Two portions of an oak and mahog-
any bedroom suit were washed ashore.
which evidently came from the deck
cabins of the Inflated vessel Among
piano frames. tops and ivory keyboards,
and the men on shore think the schooner
might have been laden with partly COM
At nightfall the unfortunate people
were all at the fore and mainmaSt head.
All sorts of rumors We're heard along the
beach. Some people said they saw two
men clinging to a floating spar early in
the morning. but heavy sea struck
then and they disappeared; osso, ,,o u,o-
From the size of the vessel the ire
savers thought there may have been
twelve or fourteen men on board and
that o some OF them were lost citv for tho
Merritt wreckinS steamer, ana the l.
]. Merritt was sent TO the rescue e;, lac,
The wipd was pieTsnsES a e9 soa ia ST
those in the rigging would succumb to
hunger and exposure before morning. onr he
wreck when night set in, and the peo-
pie in the rigging were drenched. When
daylight faded the wreck was scarcely
dscernible and darkness. coming on
swiftly, hid the unfortunate beings who
chung tenaciously to the spars from the
view or those on shore, who were will
ing but helpless to render them any
assistance.
tier midnight the wind was blowing
gale from the northwest. The life
savers on the beach were running about
Il keep themselves warm. The sea was
running high and the breakers were as
solid as ever.
II was impossible to do anything to-
VII rds effecting rescue before morning
rhe Merritt was lying near the
stranded schooner ready to render any
assistance possible.
@. +. Jennings. to whom the letters
washed ashore were addressed. Is a law
yer at 4s Park avenue, He said ., b.
who died a year ago. The family had a
share In the four-masted schooner Louise
wife OF the captain. William NJ Randall
The Louise Il; Randall belongs to
Nov. % for Boston. She was carrying II
was stated. a cargo Of coal. She reg
isterei 1902 gross tons.
She was comparatively new boat,
having been ouit ~ lsI fset a99et year
feet beam and Il feet from deck to keel