The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-04-05
WHERE ARE Her MEN I!
Schooner Capsized Off the
Red Star Dock May Rep
resent a Tragedy.
BELIEVED TO BE THE WELDON
A Peril to the Ferries-Entire Crew
May Have Drowned in Their
Bunks.

In the fog of last night a two .masted
schooner eapsized in the North River It
is believed that she was wrecked in a
coilsion and that her crew were drowned
as they lay asleep in their hunks.
The schooner lay this morning on her
starboard side. about 200 feet from the
pier of the American Line dock. Her hull
was almost aWash and her bow was
buried completely under water. FTer top
mast was gone and there were indications
that she had been in collision.
She was first seen at six o'clock this
morning by Watchman Brown of The Red
star dock. 1t was the belief along the
dock that she was struck by ferryboat
some time before six o'clock
There was considerable mystery about
the accident. Nobody could be found who
had seen it. The tug Wesley Stoney was
observed about eight o'clock trying to
haul the schooner over to the Jersey
flats, but the schooner's anchor was evil
IDENTIFY out and holding her fast The
captain of the Wesley Stoney rays that
he could not make out the nariIssee. ftf the
vessel, as her bow was apparef NewArn
away. He said, however, he beilass, of fer
to be the Weldon. a 125-ton schoones scout
100 feet long. III
The harbor police were notified ol{ the
schooner's position at nine O'clock and
also of the fact that as she lay in the
track of the ferry consequently en-
dangering them. means ID be taken
at once to have her removed Police
launch No. went to the scene at once,
in. charge of Rondsman McCarty and
Policemen Sheehy. Debeins, I<esfe and
OBrien. They sailed about the schooner,
but could not ascertain her name All
her sails We're housed, and whether she
was at anchor when struck or moving
up the stream could only be surrnised.
IT was said she carried possibly a crew
of seven men Not one of them had
been heard of No one along the dock
| had seen any of them.
1t was thought that tho schooner was
| struck about o'clock this morning when
most of the men where in their hunks.
| They may have been drowned as they lay
asleep-trapped in their hunks by the in
rushing water Some of the North River
pier men. however, thought that the
| schooner was in tow, and that the crew
may have been rescued by her attendant
An effort TO learn the IlktIue VI pflS uosti
failed. The bow was nowhere in sight.
and there were many feet of water over
the stern She was painted black and
looked as if she carried a cargo of bricks
| 1t was thought she was bound for some
port up the Hudson
As the night was very dark and rainy
| and the fog settled down thick it was
| thought that while the schooner was
| going very slow through the thick vapor
| she was hit by one of the ferryboats
| which traverse the stream in that
| locality A visit to the various ferry
| lines in the vicinity failed to elicit any
| information the various officers declar-
| ing that they had not even heard OF
| the accident.
| The derelict department was notified to
| remove the schooner as soon as possible.
| When this was done. it was thought, the
| fate of the crew might be learned.
| Later in the morning several tugs got
| lines to the schooner and attempted to
move her, but could not The harbor
| police ON the scenes sent for the big police
| boat to join with the tugs in an endeavor
| to get the boat over on the flats.
| The police then began a search to ascer-
4 tain if possible the fate of the crew. Men
We're sent along the dock to look for them
/ in case they We're saved and the telephone
| at the Departments headquarters were
| kept busy trying to get trace of them
| The police thought. however, that some
| of the crew went down with the
| schooner.