The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-04-05
Endured by Officers and Crew
of a Newfoundland Vessel.
HOPE WAS ALMOST ABANDONED
When Exhausted. Men Were Rescued
by the Mohlcan-Irave Attempts of
the Rcscuers Finally Resulted In
Success.



British steamer Mohcan, having OF
board the crew Of the bark Kate OF ST.
Johns, N. f., furnishes the following
particulars of the rescue. Captain Cook
says that he sighted the Kate on March
26 and seeing that the vessel was dis
masted, he altered his course so as to run
quite near to her. In the hope of being
able TO save some OF her crew. When the
distressed vessel was sighted, terrible
sea was running. and the wind was blow
Ing almost with hurricane force.
Owing to the severity OF the heavy sea
running IL was some time before the
Mohican succeeded in lowering "A boat
and getting her afoat. Captain Cook
caused quantity of oil TO be run out of
the lee scuppers, and also placed a num-
Der of oil bags outside the gunwales Of
the lifeboat In addition he shipped
small cask OF oil in the lifeboat. and
eventually got her away from the ship.
The lifeboat, after a long buffet with
seas, succeeded in getting 20 the windward
OF the Kate. When in thar position the
cask of oil was broached and quantity
OF its contents allowed 20 run TO leeward
OF the lifeboat. This enabled the lifeboat
O. get close enough to admit of the rescue
OF the crew. When the Mohican's life
ceiyed with cheers.
Captain James Story.
Captain james of the Kate says that he
left Trapani, Sicily, on Jan. g. for st.
Johns, n. r., and passed Tarifa, near
Gibraltar, Spain, on Feb. i, shaping lis
course for Newfoundland Soon after
getting away from the Spanish coast, the
Kate met with series OF gales which
kept all hands on deck almost contin-
ually. So severe was the weather that
several of the water casks broke loose
aud were stove in. This increased the
sufferings of the crew. The severity of
the weather also prevented fires being
lighted in the galley, except at rare in
tervals, and the crew had to live almost
entirely upon hard tack and small
quantity OF canned provisions.
On March IL the weather moderated.
but the gales were succeeded by dense
fog This caused the crew TO almost give
way to despair Even the fog was not the
last of their trouble, for while making
fair headway through the fog. the
weather suddenly became much colder.
Suddenly ice was reported ahead, and be-
fore the bark's course could be altered, il
was seen that huge icenoe was right
ahead of her. The Kate crashed into the
mdSs Oh nOdiluS ice, severely OatndBluR
her bows and smashing her stem.
Luckily a quantity OF the ice had be-
come jammed in the holes made forward
by the bark's collision with the ice, and
this enabled Captain James to make a
spare sail fast over the damaged portion.
Other repairs were also undertaken, but
the bark began leaking badly. Night
and day after that the suffering men
were kept at the pumps, and succeeded in
keeping the water pretty well under.
Looked In Vain For Help.
During all this time. the Kate did not
sight SAIL and at the expiration of tw
days, when the fog began TO lift il was
seen that the unlucky bark was in the
midst OF an icefeld. With the lifting of
the fog the wind and sea began 10 rise,
and for five days the Kate was buffeted
among the icefloes, every moment ex-
pecting to be sent TO the bottom.
Finally, after five days of terrible toll
aud struggle, the Kate succeeded in
clearing the iceield, but afterward
sighted number of small icebergs, and
the men were half-frozen by a series of
bitter snowsqualls which swept over the
bark; but the snow enabled them to OBJ
tain all the drinking water necessary to
continue the struggle toward the shores
oil NewfOundlanu.
These snowsqualls continued until
March 20. when the weather changed for
the worse, and the wind blew withNhurri-
cane force. The foretopmast was carried
away, and. In falling, dragged the main
topmast with it, and the Kate was soon a
helpless, dismasted wreck. Sea after sea
swept over the bark, and all hands came
90 the conclusion that the Kate was
doomed TO go TO the bottom, carrying all
OIL board with her.
The Rescue.
On March 25 n steamer was sighted on
the horizon. The steamer turned out to
b. the Electro OF the Wilson line, and she
answered the distress signals hoisted by
the Kate.
The sea, however, was so high that the
captain of the Wilson liner was afraid to
lower a boat, though he stood by the dis
masted vessel until night. When morn
ing broke the Electro had vanished and
the crew of the Kate again gave way to
bitter despair. Happily, the next day,
Nhen 62 days out, the Kate sighted
smother steamer which turned out 10 be
the Mohican and the rescue of the crew of
the Kate was effected.
The wreck of the Kate was left floating
dangerous dereict. aud is believed to
have been the vessel seen i'm an aban-
doned condition on the edge Of the banks
of Newfoundland by the British steamer
Stock kholm City, which arrived at Halifsx