Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1894-07-23
SAW A SHIP FOUNDER.
Seaside Visitors Watched the
Sinking and Rescue.
VOLUNTEER LIFE SAVING GREW.


Down -Four Miles From the Jersey Shore.
Tho Grow Discovered by Hotel Guest
and Taken From the Rigging.
SEA BRIGHT, n J., July 23.-For two
hours the summer visitors along tho coast
in this vicinity raced up and down tho
shore watching five mon cling to the CROSS
trees of their vessel, which had just gone
down. They were saved without dinl-
aulty, as tho sea was fairly smooth and
calm.
Within % minutes from tho time tho
life savers put out from the beach they
had reached the wreck, and the imperiled
sailors began TO drop into the wator and
be picked up But TO the waiting thou
sands on the beach and blun II seomod as
though hours had elapsed.
General Benjamin Harrison, with Con
eral Horace Porter, whose guest the OK
president was. watched the work Of rescue
| from the beach,
The vessel was the two masted schooner
Robert H. Mitchell Of Baltimore, 165
tons, bound from Now York TO Norfolk
with 100 tons of salt In bulk She lay In
tho Horseshoe over night and proceeded
90 sea with fair breeze and Just enough
Of a sea to put life into her
Sprung Leak on the Hook.
Sho must have sprung leak about tho
| time she began 20 feel the effects OF the
roll outside tho Hook. The captain did
not hnd II out however, for several hours
| BY that time IL was noticed she was not
riding as freely as she had boen and was
longer in recovering. An examination
showed sho lay several inches deeper In
the water than she should.
Soundings were made, and It was found
| water was rapidly filling tho we'll All
hands were called TO the pumps, and tho
schooner was headed I'm shore A signal
OF distress was hoisted, but although a
number Of craft ran within "A mile Of tho
schooner they paid no attention. Ono
tug came within "a quarter OF mile, and
when the crew gathered on the rail and
shouted tho men on tho tug waved their
hands and went on. An hour and half
would have brought the schooner near
shore, but tho water I'm the hold retarded
her, and in that time she made but q
comparatively short distance
sho soon began TO settle, and Captain
Ben Pratt ordered his men into the rig
gng. They climbed 60 the crosstroes and
held fast. in 10 minutes the vessel sot-
tod until her deck was awash and then
went down slowly and easily IN six faith
oms OF water about midway between tho
Hotel Normandie and Life Saving Station
No at Sea Bright and about four miles
from shore.
Somo one on the porch Of the Norman
die was sweeping tho sch with glass
about half an hour after she had founder.
, ed, and he saw the sohooner's mRsts and
J tho flvo men cllnging 20 the crosstrnes
barely nbeve water. Tho life saving sta.
; tion was at onco called mp by telephone.
Volunteer Life Saving Crew.
Captain A. H. West was the only man
on duty, the.rost Of tho crew boing,oh be-
cause tho government will not pay men
: during the summer months Captain West
: sent out an alarm and within 10 minutes
had q volunteer crew OF fishermen and
boatmen, some Of whom are members OF
the regular crew in winter. Tho boat wni
: rowed quickly 10 the wreck and the sail
= Ors taken off.
Tho rescued men arc Captain Pratt
, Mate NJ. ID. Tivisford, John Massey, stew
{ ard; Edward Brown and j. M. Paul
{ | They were given dry clothes at tho III
4 saving station. From there they wer
Q taken 20 tho Normnndlo, where they wer
Q fed by General Earle, who put thom oi
. board a train for New York.
General Earle and tho guests at the no
D tel made up purse Of $780, Part OF thi
b will be given TO the men who manned th
llfeboat and the rest TO the shipwrecke'
men. The schooner was 10 years old.f a
high water the crosstrees TO which the mol
] clung wore submerged