The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1895-12-22
A RECORD TO BE PROUD OF

| The arrival Of the steamship Belgian
King on Monday, with a story OF miracu-
lous rescue of one of her seamen, who was
washed overheard during a terrible gale on
| the passage, and was in the water more
| than fifteen minutes before his compan-
ions succeeded in getting him on board
again, calls to mind the many adventures
of the Belgian Kings commander, Captain
Thomas L. Weiss.
Captain Weiss has a wonderful list of
vessels and lives saved during the last
fourteen years of his service on the At
lantic ocean as a steamship commander.
During that period the awards made to
vessels he has commanded reached the
sum of f1S,O59, of which his person al
remuneration amounted to f1465.
On August 6, 1850, when in the COM
mand of the steamship Bath City, he pick
ed up the German bark Margaretha Blanca,
$50 miles of Halifax. She had encountered
heavy weather, had sails and rigging and
masts carrsd away, two of her crew had
been lost overheard, and others we're in
jured. After much trouble, Captain Weiss
got a line to her and took her in to Halifax.
For this service his vessel was awarded
II 100 as salvage.
IN MarcQ, 1901 Wtl6u COO llliios " tuO
eastward of St. Johns, N. F., Captain
| Weiss, then in the steamship Brooklyn
City, came across the Cunard steamship
Palmyra. The Cunarder had $50 souls on
board and had become disabled. Captain
Weiss got hawser to the steamship and
towed her into St: Johp sooa FOR this ser
In 1883 Captain Weiss, then in COM
mand of the steamship Llandiff City,
found the American schooner Carl ID.
Lothrop lying off Shnnecock light, aban-
doned. He put a crew on board, and they
worked her into Narraeansett bay. For
this service the steamship was awarded
300.
While still in the Llandiff City, on Feb
ruary Is, 1884. the captain ran across the
steamship Strathleven, of the Burrell line,
disabled. The Llandif City was also in
trouble, but Captain Weiss decided to
stand by his less fortunate shipmate. At
this time the two ships were $50 miles
west of Fastnet. The Strathleven had
three feet of water between decks, and
tremendous sea was running. After get
ting hawser to her, and Strengthened out,
the great strain caused it to part; but an
other was got in it's place. This perform
ance was repeated seven times. Yet the
Strathleven was finally towed into Queens
town, after a tussle of thirteen days dura-
| alton. For this service the Llandif City
was awarded 10000.
III the IOllOWlLX year, Wltlo III cOLnlHduu
of the Wells City, Captain Weiss had an
| other encounter with old ocean. and again
won victory, as we'll as hard cash. He
| came across the steamship Albano, bound
to Baltimore from Hamburg. She had
been disabled twelve days and was 500
miles west of Fastnet. He got hawser to
| her, and although it parted nine times,
managed to get her into Queenstown. Four
| thousand five hundred pounds was the sal
| wage awarded for this job.
On March 4, 1898, while in the steam
ship Exeter City, and 400 miles from New
| York. he came across the dereiict AmerI'
| can schooner Agnes Manning. He made
fast to her and got her safely into New
York. receiving salvage to the amount of
$3.50. At this time the Naronic, of the
White Star line, was missing, and, when
| the Exeter City was repsrted as having
something in tow, it was Fought and hoped
| that Captain Weiss, with his usual good
| luck, had picsed up tina; unfortunate craft.
While the abJ'e is wonderful list of
| rescues ct foea1g property on the high
seas, Capteiu Weiss has remarkable
record as ilfe saver, his list of rescues
numbering thlrty-six souls, as follows:
| Fourteen from the bar Coriian, eight from
the bark Emil, twelve from the bark Louis,
and two from French dory.
| The story of these rescues is interesting.
| In the fall of 1883 the Llandiff City was
bound on a voyage from New York to
Bristol, One morning a vessel was re-
ported to the northward, evidently in dis
| tress. heavy sea was running, but two
| boats were got overheard and succeeded in
getting alongside the bark. The crew were
! taken off and brought safely to the
steamer. The vessel proved to be the
Norwegian bark Corilan. She had encoun'
tered heavy weather and had sprung a
leak. When Captain Weiss reached the
scene the crew we're exhausted, having
been at the pumps four days aud nights.
For this Captain Weiss received no recog.
milton, either from the Norwegian govern
ment or the owners of the vessel:
In January of 1884 the LlandiH City was
off the banks. 1t was blowing terrific
hurricane and tremendous sea was rum
ming. At break of day schooner was
noticed with signals of distress flying, and
the steamer was headed for heT. When
close enough to see her condition, 1t was
found that the crew wanted to be taken oil
but in the tremendous sea then running
Captain Weiss didn't feel warranted in
! ordering a crew away, so he called for vol
unteers. 1t is seldom that sailors shrink
from risking their lives to help their. fell
lows, but to them it looked as though no
! boat could live in such sea, and no one
came forward.
Captain Weiss then told them he would
go himself, and, finally, when they found
that he was in earnest in his DIFFERENTIATION
to risk his own life. a crew volunteered and
| started to the rescue. IL was risky TASK
yet, by careful management eight men
were taken off the schooner and gotten
safely on board the steamer, although in
doing this each man had to be hoisted out
of the boat to the steamers deck, and
then the boat had to be abandoned, it being
too rough to get it on board again. The
rescued crew belonged to the Norwegian
schooner Emil. They were landed at New
York all right.
On May 10, 1890, Captain Weiss made
another rescue under conditions that again
proved his personal pluck and sand
The Exeter City was 100 miles west of the
Irish coast, when the distress signals were
reported as flying from Norwegian bark
The steamer was run down to the vessel
and it was found that the crew wished tt
abandon her. There was heavy sea run
ming, but the second officer got boa
away, and, shortly returning with e
part of the crew, reported that the
captain of the bark had a broker
arm. At this information Captain
Weiss took another boat, and, provided
with splnts and bandages, went on boarc
that he was loaded into his boat and car
ried on board the steamship. On this voy
age Captain Weiss wife and family wer'
on board and witnessed this brave bu
risky adventure.
September o last, when off the banks
in the steamship Belgian King, he fount
two French fishermen adrift in dory
without food or water and nearly dead
He took them on board and landed then
in Antwerp.