The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-03-08
MANNED BY A DEAD CAPTAIN
co,pPLKD oYsfBR sLooP FoUND
pRtF1fNG orr FAR ROCKhWAE

a., unI Saapped or Ia . Gate ssd
uu,ss the cop aiu-Tae Only Otser Man
nj, Hoard Put Ashore to Get Help, .nd
,,. s,oop went Cruis'pr By He,seiE
Cant Smith Foster who lives in . small
,,.rs house near Rockaway Inlet. started out
h.,o,s sunrise yesterday for crabs. He had
80 only A short distance when he espled a
.,aon with a broken mast and torn sails drift
ing with the tide.
There was something familiar about the
host aad he rowed out to her. When he got
n..r he saw that she was the Mary +. Durrua,
an oyster sloop belonging to Capt Peter
D,r,ua o, Keyport n. J. lie knew that she
,os generally sailed by the Captains son John
nd hired man. The broken. mast and torn
ali. made IL plain that mishap had occurred.
- ha boarded her and began looking around.
~, souud could I've heard. and there was no
r.sponse to the Captains repeated shouts
Finding no one on the deck Foster went
down into the cabin, and there found the body
Of Young Dutrua lying on mat at the foot OF
the stairs. The head was resting on pillow.
and the floor around was covered with blood.
The man = head had been crushed In. Foster
ouicLly jumped into his rowboat and. fasten-
inc line to tho sloop. towed It inshore. He
than sent telegram to Capt. Peter Durrus at
Keypor. and another to Coroner George 4.
smitb at Hem stcad. The men at the life
saving station. about three miles away. were
notified. and half dozen OF them came down
and took charge Of the wreck.
An examination OF the sloop showed that
sh, had been handled roughly by the ele-
uents The mast was broken OF about four
feet from the hounds. and the mainsail was
torn and lag half In che water and half on the
deck. 1t was evident that the mast had been
snapped of suddenly and had fallen on young
Durrua's head.
While this was going on at Rockaway
man. frantic with excitem ent. was cru ising on
tugboat in search OF the sloop. He was Joseph
Matthew'S the hired man who helped Capt.
Durrua sail the vessel. Late on Tuesday
nieht he scrambled ashore from rowboat at
South Beach. Staten Island. and called for
help He said that he and Capt. John Durrua
sailed from Report on Tuesday to the Horse
shoe at Sandy Hook to get load OF crabs
They got good load OF crabs. and were COM
ing up the bay about p. M. with fair wind.
when Young Durrua. who was at the wheel.
called out:
Here. Joe. you steer while let out the lib"
Matthews took the wheel. When the lib
caught the breeze the extra strain snapped
the mast and the broken fragment came
down upon Durrua's head. Matthews shouted
. warning. but it was too late. He dragged
Durrua out from under the sail and found
cut in his head from which the blood was pour
Ing. lie carried him into the cabin and bathed
his face for an hour. but Durrua. never re-
gained consciousness. Then Matthews lost
The ssrks was s tangled s SD S With the @
81. lie put OF Tor staten leland. three miles
shore the s, oops lights had gone out.
The people he met ssnt him to DI; jenkins.
Charles r. Allen, with Matthews on board.
70 look inr the sloop. About 2 a; H. she re-
tor had the Gov. Flower out in the search. but
nfGs despatch sent by Capt Foster i.om
strong 4 Co.'S oyster scow at the foot OF Beck
GR"m esp e ana sH' s Ss
70 6Spg ESss
on board the tug and the latter steamed away.
He had not gone half nile when Coroner
been able to put 10 an appearance before be-
cause lie had had 10 ride on a railroad and to
Sv" 1syen mile. after getting capt Fosters
that the body had been taken away: lie made
various violent gestures at the vanishing tug
,r,, 10 one had right to remove that body
o %ms9u. "a permit RI from me- he said. An In
Capt. Durrua and his friends must have been
ignorant OF the law or else they would not
have dared to remove the body without Dor
m sson, There IL no excuse. however. for the
!ie saving station men. who stood by and let
the undy he taken away. They knew the law
AMI should have informed Capt. Dnrrua that
he hat m right 20 remove the body"
Coroner Smith made ont warrants for Cant.
the hlreI man. and left Roekawsy on the . As
tr"n lst night. He said he would serve them,
and also see II he could not bring young
Darrua's body baeG to Rockaway for the in
,ounG Durrua was 10 have been married
soon 10 young lady who lives at keansburg.
-, lie attended the Report Methodist
snureh, OF which his father 10 "a member. He
VA, Matthew's was at his home at Ksyport last
:" About Ii:past eight o'clock last night we.
s Sete MAKING toward Ssw York with load as
dllncntr we hoi~ted our sails. We were then
sh"Ht fifteen miles from Rockaway Inlet. We
we going he.ur,. the wind. Capt. Durrua
sNt bss lSrssrd part Of the boat for sops time
Eale o. wind struck us which caused the mast
,p give way, falling with Its sails on
Hello 'A Gohn hut hut G cot NO r.Dly yelled
rusIrd from tho wheel 10 where Durrua lay
uhnler ne mast and sails In a pool OF blood. !
H nrsW on tho sail rom his body and picked
AZ. ! carried him downiin the cabin. where
hMorSed Tor half an hour trying to restore
me then found he was dead.
a. hLembted 20 lower the anchor. but found
sal All this time the wind was carrying US
ny 70 sea; was almost pAIalyzed with
mighi | then decided to lower the boat aud
Wi;h fnr shore Leaving the sleep to drift away
~ apt nurrua always Ikea TO give boat
~ me san she could carry and test her speed.