Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1897-01-30
CREW DROWNED.
Schooner Nahum Chaplin Ashore ON
Long Island.

Quogue, l. L., Jan. 21.-The three mas
ted schooner Nahum Chaplin, Captain
Arey Of Rockford, Me, from Baltimore,
for Boston, with coal, was lost within
800 yards off shore at this place early
thism morning, and her crew of nine men
persisted miserably within sight OF hum
dreds Of men and women who could do
nothing to help them. The vessel went
ashore here at 4 O'Clock. For three hours
she pounded up higher and higher upon
the hard sandy beach. Then with q
crash she went to pieces, and one by
one the nine sailors on her who could be
plainly seen clinging to her rigging.
were engulfed with the wreckage and
died within ha.ling distance OF the life
savers on shore.
1t was raining hard when the Chaplin
came ashore. 1t was not exactly foggy.
but the rain was thick and a sort or
white mist enveloped the face of the
ocean and hid from view even the tops
of the huge waves as they came tum-
bling in A stiff gale was blowing from
the northeast. The surf was unusually
high and the wave beat in upon the
beach with great fury. The storm was
at its worst when the wreck occurred.
The villagers say that it was the worst
storm that part of Long Island has
known for many years.
The patrol from the life saving sta.
lions were on their beats. Suddenly
above the roar came a faint shrill cry,
full of meaning to the practiced ear OF
the patrol, for II was the wailing OF the
fog horns that sailing vessels carry.
Then through the darkness flashed a
vivid light, the glare Of a rocket. For
an instant the white mist disappeared
as though the curtain was thrust aside,
and, coming madly before the gale. the
men on the beach say a three masted
schooner. her sails in shreds, beating In
hard upon the beach not 400 yards from
shore.
She struck the bar and then careened
over on one side. 1t was the work or
but a few moments for the patrol TO give
the signal TO the station To which they
belonged. and in a few moments the
life saving crew was on its way to the
place.
A rope was fired from the mortar. The
men on the vessel could catch the ropes,
but they could not secure them TO tbs
schooner. The storm was at its worst,
and the masts OF the vessel were swing
ing to and fro, striking the surf almost
at every dip. The vessel I'm the mean
time had been made out 10 be a three
masted schooner. She was. at daybreak,
within $50 yards Of the shore n beat
irg in further and further every minute.
The life savers and those on the beach
could make out nine men in the rigging.
Six OF them were clinging to the fore,
mast rigging and three men were on the
jibhoom.
The life savers did All in their power
to get assistance out 70 the doomed
men, but ii was impossible, and finally
al a few minutes before Z o'clock IL waa
evident to all that the end was near al
hand.
The vessel had been sinking, her deck.
were all under water, only the masts
n jibbooms end. to which three OF
the men Were c~linging, could be seen.
With every wave the men on the jib-
boom were buried i'm the sea and hidden
from the sight of those on the beach. Al
last a huge wavec came along. II when
1t had passed over the jibboom one man
was missing. He was never seen again.
Other waves swept over the sip and
five minutes later another man was
swept from the jibboom, and but one
man could be seen clinging to the YES.
sci. He held on to the last. In a few
minutes the miZZen mast came down
with a crash. At the same moment a
cry from the six persons in the rigging
of the foremost told those on the beach
It was all over. In a few moments great
quantities of wreckage began to conn
ashore. The name OF the vessel was
not known up to that time. but on
piece OF the wreckage that came ashore
her name was made out. At the last
moment 1t was seen hat two of those
who were clinging to the rigging Of the
foremost were not men. as had been
supposed, but that one was a woman
and the other was a hild 1t was sup.
posed the woman was the wife Of Cap,
tain Arey OF the schooner and that the
child was theirs. The wreckage showed
hat the lost schooner was the Nahum
Chaplin. The Chaplin was a vessel Of SOC
tons burden and belonged in Rockland,
Me. She was commanded by Captain
Arey.
About half an hour after the foremost
went down a mans body was washed
ashore with the w~reckage. From the
dress IL was surmlsed that he was either
the captain or the mate Of the lost ves-
sci.
The papers Of the vessel were washed
ashore soon after, and the beach now
for miles Is strewn with the wreckagu
Of the vessel. Great crowds are patrol
ing the beach for miles, searching for
the bodies Of those who were lost.
Up to noon only two bodies had csme
ashore.