Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1897-01-27
DIE IN SIGHT OF LAND.
Nine Seamen Drop One by One
from the Rigging Into the
Raging Sea.

New York, Jan. 21.-The three-masted
schooner Nahum Chaplin of Rockland,
Me-, coal laden from Baltimore for Bos-
ton, went ashore near Quoge, l.. l., at an
early hour this morning and her entire
crew consisting of nine men, was lost in
sight of hundreds Of people who had
gathered on the beach. but We're power
less to render assistance.
The vessel went ashore at 80 q. m.
At that hour there was a thick rain fall
ing, and while it was not foggy there
was a mist sufficient to make objects
very indistinct at distance of 200
yards. The wind was blowing from the
southeast at velocity Of about thirty
miles an hour and a surf was rolling upon
the beach. The vessel pounded for over
two hours after she first struck and the
waves drove her gradually in shore and
she went to pieces, Crumbling before the
fury of the mighty waves as if she were
an eggshell.
About o'clock Capt Charles Herman
Of the Quoge lifesaying station, assisted
by his men, brought the apparatus from
the house to point just opposite the
wrecked vessel, but when they shot out
their life line it was too late to be of any
service.
The sailors who were in the rigging
-
water and soon after one of the bodies,
that of q big swarthy Swede, was
washed ashore.
The life-saving crew worked manfuiiy.
Their first line fired from the mortar fell
across the yards, but slipped away over
the side and was lost. The second land
ed in the rigging, but the sailors were
unable to secure it and it was also lost.
The third attempt was also Intellectual
and then the crowd of villagers who
gathered on the beach saw the last of
the men fall from the rigging and dis
appear i'll the surf, which at this time
was running unusually high.
The llfe-saving crew made an attempt
to launch a life-boat but they were re-
pulsed each time by the breakers and
although the bystanders encouraged the
brave fellows in every way possible the
hardy men had to desist after struggling
half frenzied by the appalling sight of
their fellOWbeings being drowned with
in such q short distance of the shore.
There were III all nine men seen on the
Inflated vessel. 1t was generally sur
missed that the first body washed in was
either that of the captain or first mate
Three hours after she first struck the
schooner went to pieces. Up to noon.
when the fury of the waves had abated
somewhat, no other bodies were sighted.
The principal owners of the schooner
were Peter Mcintyre & CO. of Boston
Capt. 5. +. Arel. who commanded the
vessel, was Il port owner. The crew of
the schooner. nine in number, were shipped
in Boston last November. The names
follow: S. e. Arel, captain-Malden,
Mass; \. Z. Davis, first mate-Malden,
Mass; l.. A. Maddox, second mate
Cambridge. Mass: Seamen-John
Neiber, Albert Lowe, r. O. Anderson,
Victor Strachen, Oscar Oscar, Antonio
Aucyanich The residences of the latter
are not known.
The cargo was valued at S3400; the
schooner at SIS 5000. Both were partially
insured. The Nahum Chaplin was .
thrce-masted schooner built at RockIand.
Me. i'll 1882. She registered 567 tons
and was 145 feet long, 30 feet beam and
49, feet deep.