The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1895-09-27
WRECKED BY SPANISH.
Widows Suspicious Of Loss OF
Vessel and Husband.
ANUNFATHOMED MARINE MYSTERY
The Widow of the Captain of the Lost
City of Haverhili Believes the steamer
Was Destroyed by Suspicious spaniards'
Gives Good Evidence.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 25.-General Du.
mont, supervising inspector Of steam
vessels, has just completed an investI-
CATION covering several months of the
loss off Barnegate light, 80 miles south
of New York, of the steamer City OF
Haverhill. with all on board, on the
night Of March 2S last. The report OF
the ivestigation indicates that the
wreck Of the City OF Haverhill VIII g
down IN marine annals a. one OF the
unfathOmed mysteries The lnvestlga-
tion wac of more than usual import
ancs because Of claims that might have
resulted IN an international comphca-
tion with spain These arose from the
Theory. deeply lodged III the breast oi
the widow Of the captain OF the 'lty
of Haverhil and per-lsteutly adhered
70 hv her that the vessel was under
zupiciuu by the Spanish authorities oi
being intended for the use ot Cuban
dlibu~ters and had been destroyed 10y
Spanish agencies
General Dum0ut from the FIRST secuted
this theory and refused 10 believe that
the -uani-h authorities would destroy,
either by dynamite concealed on board
1r bv the use Of "A submarine torpedo
from a Spanish cruiser at that time re
ported TO be cruising along the Atlantic
coast. a steamer flying the American
flag almost within sight sight OF New
York But there were other features
of the wreck. which he agreed 10 thor
oughly investigate, and did. but the
suspicious of the captain 5 widow are
sensational and plausible:
The CITY of Haverhlll was stern
wheel steamer, built at Newburyport
in 1880. She was $50 feet long. OF very
light draught -four feet when IIght), OF
ia tons displacement and was valued
at Sl5, 900 She had been purchased III
New York by the Key West steamship
company for carrying passengers from
the mainland of Florida along the
KEYS to Kew West. and Captain War
rem Fl. Watrous, formerly of Washing
ton. and Key West, Fla, had been sent
to New York to bring her TO her destI-
nation On the morning OF March q
she sailed for New York, with Captain
Watrous. his son, nephew of Edgar
f. Luckenback, for Norfolk, Va IN
tow of the ocean tug w y. Lucken-
back. intending TO proceed thence by
the inland passage TO Key West under
her own steam. Shortly before md
night. when off Barnegat Light, the
tow line was cast off by the City of
Haverhill, the captain of the tug claims.
The next day the pllotboat James
Gordon Bennett found some of the
wreckage of the City of Haverhlll and
the body of Captain WatrOus enclrcled
by a life buoy The press 1t the time
reported that she had probably found
cred In a storm, but II was subsequently
established that the wreckags was seen
by Captain Fred Redmond Of the tl-h
ing schooner Redmond before the storm
came up early the next morning Cap
tain Redmond, In letter % Mrs
-. a. O. . -.
master uf the HsverhIll, stated that his
opiniun wa that the vessel had been
blown up. a. one end % the after "A e.
loon with many heavy tlmh-rs, ruated
20 one slde OF him and the pilOtuouse
and other wreckaEC Co the other Mr.
Matr1uz maintained that the boilers
cuuld not have exploded, as they had
been thoroughly tested before tuF
steamer sailed and moreover. she ull
nos believe the HayerhIu wa- under
Ter own steam. a. the body OF the en-
gineer subsequently found wa not
dressed lu working clothes be had on
collar. uecktle and cuffs She was firm
In her belief that the CITY Oi HayeThIL
was suspected Of being Cuban iihbus
tsrer by the spanish authorities, and
was either sunk by dynamite concealed
in her hold and exploded by time fuss
or else "A torpedo from the spanish wal
vessel AZ that time reported as cruising
on the coast.
Her course. Mrs Watrous. main
tanned. must have been known TO the
Spanish authorities then ON the lOOkOu
for fiilibusterers- The fact that tbs
vessel was fitted with cabins and othel
sleeping accommodations at Brooklyn
might the widow thinks. have
strengthened their suspicious had they
been watching her Another pOin
which confirmed Mrs WatrOus in he
belief of foul play, was the fact thai
the tow was cast off shortly before th'
loss occurred. Captain Williams of tht
tug claimed in a statement he made
that the tug was not under contract &
tow the Haverhil TO Norfolk. but haC
simply .'hitched on TO two barges h
was towing. and that he thought moth
ing wrong when ne found the Haver
hill had cast off. Mrs. WatrOus, how
ever, maintains that she received a let
ter from her husband, written befOr
he sailed, saying he would leave III al
hour in tow for Norfolk. Captain
WatrOus' sister has also made affidavit
that she was present on the Haverhll
when the contract was discussed