The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1897-03-25
STRUCK BY A TIDAL WAVE
BRITISH SHIP ANDROSI IBAN.
DONED AT SEA.

Oficers and Crew Had Given Up Hope
When Succor Arrived-vessel in Terri
bic Plight for Days-CarGo Jettisoned in
the Battle for Life-Craft and Cargo Well
Insured.
Boston, March 24-Twentv-seven
shipwrecl1ed seamen, after suffering
many hardships were landed at this
port to-day by the Furniss line steam
ship Ontario from London, which
reached her berth at the Hoosac docks
in Charlestown about 10 o'clock this
forenoon. CAPTAIN w. j. ]. Wise. the
commander of the Ontario, reported he
had picked up ON March s, about 300
miles to the northwest of the Irish coast,
the crew of the iron British ship An-
drosa, commanded by Captain David
Morgan, which was bound for Liverpool
ana had become completely wrecked
and was fast sinking when the Ontario
hove in sight ard weAl to the rescue
Of the exhausted men.
The vessel sailed from San Francisco
October 90 for Liverpool with cargo Of
about 200 tons of grain and a large
quantity of canned goods. January il
terrific hurricane overlook the ship.
In this storm the cargo shifted and the
vessel was hove down on her beam
H. 1,nvx l.,
foreyards We're dragging in the water.
The vessels bulwarks were washed and
one of her life boats demolished. On
March l the ship was within 400 miles
of Cork, Ireland, when a strong west
erly gale set in. accompanied by ter
rifle sea.
| The wind steadily increased in fury
until the second. when it was blowing
a full-fledged hurricane from the west
| northwest, the sea having become more
| frightful and running mountains high.
At 5 o'clock that afternoon the fore
and main topsails were blown to pieces
and shortly after this mountainous
tidal wave swept over the ship, burst
| ing in the poop deck, carrying away
three lifeboats and skids from the for
ward house and everything portable
from the deck
| Captain Morgan says: "The bull
warks were swept clean away. ALL
| the chain-plateS were torn off and the
| huge volume of water had hardly swept
over us when all the topmasts went by
the board. / had previously ordered
the crew below, and no one was on deck
but myself and the officers when this
awful wave struck u.s. We were then
in terrible plight. The vessel was
unmanageab1e and her starboard side
was down in the water as far as the
matches. We could not make our way
about the. vessel with any degree of
safety, but as it then became a battle
for life / ordered the crew on deck and
we began jettisoning the cargo When
| the wave struck the vessel the second
mate, David Evans, was badly injured.
The vessel then sprung aIeak and the
crew constantly at the pumps were fast
becoming helpless.
| "March7 the weather moderated until
the Sth, when the sky had the appear
ance of another approaching storm.
which soon struck u.s. and it then be-
/
vessel would founder About 8 O'clock
that morning the steamer Ontario hove
in sight and a signal Of distress was
shown She sent a boat, and after
much difficulty the crew was taken Off
Most of the men had to be put to bed
on board the steamer and for several
days they were unable to be about
When last seen the Androsa was fast
settling in the water"
The lost vessel was of iron, of 1920
tons, owned by e. F. & w. f. Roberts
of Liverpool England. She was valued
at about e25,000, and is said to be near
Iy insured in English companies. Amer
lean policies are largely on the cargo.
The Androsa was abandoned in lat.
47.44 NJ, long. 1914 w.