The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1896-12-25
FROZEN TO THE RIGGING
LIFELESS FORMS OF SAILORS LASH
ED TO- WRECK ON CAPE COD.

Driven on to u Lee Shore Near Chatham
Impossible to Answer the Signals of Dis
tress-Vesseps Masts Go by the Board
She Splits Open and the Waters Engulf
Her-Another Schooner and Crew Lost.
Chatham, Mass, Dec. 24.-Last
nights storm was the most severe Of
the season here, gale being accom-
panied by snow and sleet. During the
storm the schooner Calvin B. Orcutt of
Perth Amboy was wrecked and her en-
tire crew were lost. The gale rapidly
increased during the afternoon, and the
failing snow added to it's fierceness.
towards night some fishermen on the
North Chatham shore noticed the large
lour-masted schooner very close into
Chatham bars, wallowing and pitching
heavily, and the sea was sweeping over
her deck every minute. She was then
too close in to fetch out by Pollock Rip.
and the gale was crowding her on shore
with mighty force.
Her sails We're in ribbons, and the
snow that was falling encaSed the can
vas as if in a vice. The sails were
blown from the bolt ropes, and the
ropes were as big as a mans arm. The
vessel hove-to as if to make soundings,
and finally anchors were let go. 1t is
thought that the captain misjudged his
position.
The schooner was first discovered
coming in under SAIL and after she had
anchored she was seen to be kedging
down on the bar with signals Of dis
tress flying from her main rigging.
Nothing could be done by the fisher
men, SO they tramped three miles to
notify Captain Doane at Chatham sta
tion. The place where the ship strand
ed was just across a wide cut in the
beach on the south point of North
| Beach.
Owing to the heavy breakers the
Chatham crew could not launch its
boat The Orleans crew was the only
one that could possibly aid the schoon-
er. but owing to the government tele-
phone cable being broken it was eleven
o'clock before the Orleans crew was
aware of the disaster
| 1t was a long distance to the wreck,
| and 1t was 1:30 before the crew reached
the scene. After planting a sand an
chor a line was shot from a gun. The
| force of the gale caused the first one
| to go wide. The second shot threw the
| line directly over the masts, and 1t
caught on the spring stays.
| The snow had ceased falling, and the
moon was shining. Men were seen
lashed to the rigging, and the line hung
over then but no man moved, show
ing that the last spark Of life had ebbed
away before help had arrived. This
was at 2 o'clock, and fifteen minutes
later the masts fell the schooner split
open. and the sea claimed as fine a ves-
sci as ever sailed
| 1t was a most trying experience for
all. From the first everything seemed
to point to the vessels doom. At day
| light this morning only the keel OF the
vessel remained. The broken pieces of
the hull were scattered about in the
greatest confusion.
| 1t is thought that the bodies are vet
in the rigging, but the sea is rough and
they will be torn to pieces before it is
safe for a boat to get out to them. Al
badly stove boat came ashore long be-
| fore the vessel broke up. 1t is thought
| that the vessel rode the bottom after
dragging down to good holding ground.
The beaches are strewn with wreckage,
but no bodies have been rescued. No
such disaster has been known here for
years.