Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-04-25
FOUNDERED IN THE STORM.
The Peril OF Those Who Go Down to the
Sea in Ships.

| The Peril OF Those Who Go Down to the
Sea in Ships.
In the fierce easterly gale that piled the
breakers high on the shelving Jersey coast on
Thursday the coal-laden barge Plymouth
foundered and two of her crew and the wife of
her skipper, Capt A. Wyman Of Brooklyn.
were lost Capt Wyman and two men were
saved by the fearless crew Of the ocean tug L.
Luckenbach, which arrived at New York Friday
towing the crippled barge Corsica.
Capt. Harry Williamson of the Luckenbach
told the story of the giant tugs tussle with the
great gale off Barnegat. There were three
barges, the Corsica. the Milton and the Ply
mouth, in the tow which the Luckenbach
hauled out of Norfolk on Tuesday morning
storm struck them on Thursday and at 10
a. IN. the foremost Of the Corsica went by the
board, carrying with it all her headgear She
became unmansgeable few minutes later when
her steering gear was carried away, and she fell
broadside into the trough of the sea.
Capt. Williamson brought the Luckenbach
around and headed down the Jersey coast. with
the gale over his port quarter. He got the
three barges Strengthened out, and to give them
chance to make better weather of it. he
steered to the southeast so that the force of the
seas would be on the port bow.
SIGNALS OF DISTRESS
The stOrm-battered feet held this course for
several hours. Capt. Wymans barge. being
the lightest. made bad weather Of it, She
sprang leak. which increased beyond the
power OF her pumps to relieve and Capt Wy
man set her ensign in the main rigging. union
down. an appeal to be taken off. Capt. William
son says that he would not then cut loose from
the disabled Corsica. which had eight souls
aboard, as he feared these eight might perish.
1t was a question whether or not he should risk
eight lives to save five. He decided to wait
and see If the seas would not calm down a bit
Meanwhile he wondered why Capt. Wyman did
not launch his dory and make an effort to
come alongside the tug. The dory had been
smashed by
At last Capt. Williamson saw that the Ply
mouth could not live much longer. Capt
Wyman and his wife and men appealed in af-
fecung pantomime to the Lucke,. Oh, and
Capt. Williamson determined to risk losing the
Corsica and Milton to save the Plymouth's skip
per and his wife and men. So the Lucken-
bachs mate was ordered to cut the hawser
adrift just as quick he could. for the seas
were making clear breach over the Plymouth
and 1t was a question OF minutes only when she
would go down. as she had LOCO tons of coal
IN her hold. blow of the ak wounded the
elSht-Inch manila rope and it parted.
THE BARGE SANK.
The surprised engineer below was startled bv
the jingle bell. which meant go ahead at full
speed He pulled the throttle open and the
ting leapei forward She was within length
Of he flvmOU'n when the barge sank. stern
tr-t. The In r-er connecting her with the
hilton held II nose up for moment or more
before i SHARED.
Gait. " vrlan and his wife were standing
t"ge he- ON DECK .eV minutes before the barge
tunHue'ed Il" captain iamcuting tho
pros pert g. lN."J.-- after he ~nDuii lose his
boat. Ills wi't suorrad HIM up. he told INN
TIA; be haa hidden in her cioll -l6O. wAich
Sic Il al ~ecrt'., -aNei Tor al em"r -cacv, and
;l". .hev and her Two little cuiidreu in Book
Iyn e II d live on tina until the captain could
* anolnrr berth. The timbers of the Old craft
began 10 crack and she sank deeper III the sea.
he captain wife went into the deck house
and came out with her CLOAK wrapl ed around
her. they saw then that the tug at last
coming TO help them but ,hev felt the barge
giving away under their feet. The skipper
wife cia7ped her arm, around his waist. and he
found himself battling for ner life and his own
III the waves. He is II powerful swimmer. but
the embrace OF his wife. who could not SWIM
had nearly exhausted him when he caught Il
booty hatch which had drifted from the Plv-
mouth. He supported her with one arm while
he h Id TO the hatch with the her for three or
iour minutes. \ great wave struck the hatch
AID tore me- away rom him. 1nen he saw the
LuckcuUa oIiv a few yards away and felt
line strike Il IN. He grasped it and was dragged
aboard the tag alone
LOSE HIS WIFE BEFORE HIS EYES.
Captain williamson saw Mrs. Wvman ap-
parently unconscious floating astern. The
tugs engines we're reversed and she backed
down. The suction of the churning propeller
drew the body toward the boat. Noosed lines
we're thrown ont. but the body euded them
and vanished under the Luckenbach's counter
Lesore the ewes of Captain Wymam.
One of the crew went down with the barge
Another who was drowned. was seen floating
on his back near the Luckenbach A line
thrown to him struck him in the face He
opened mis- eyes and feebly attempted to grasp
The line. but he was too far gone to nep HIM
self. and soon disappeared. Another man was
seen sitting on a hatch cover with a life buoy
around his body. He was saved.
Then the Luckerbach steamed back to the
Corsica and Milton, which had come to anchor
There were seven feet of water in the COrsica's
hold. and her crew had signaled that thew
wanted to be taken off. They were taken off.
and the tug lay to near the barges until FRIDAY
morning. The captain and two men were put
aboard the Corsica and they set the donkey
engine going and reduced the water in her hold
to three feet. The tug Pilot of Philadelphia
came along and took the Milton which was
leaking badly, in tow. and the Luckenbach
brought the Corsica to New York.