The Republican journal., 1897-06-03
The Lost Found.
Rescue of sixteen Men Adrift in Dories

PROVINCETOWN, MASS, May 20. VI
the nineteen men of this town who sailed
on the schooner Joseph E. johnson for
the fishing grounds on the western bank,
so called, which lies southwest of Sable
island and about 200 miles off the Nova
Scotia coast, last week, only three came
back on the schooner, when she rounded
the point this morning with her flag
at half mast. The other sixteen men
are either still adrift in their dories off
the western bank, have found watery
grave, or happily have been picked up by
some passing steamer.
All sixteen put off from the schooner
early Friday morning, but the fog that
settled down over the ocean three hours
later swallowed them up and when aft
three days of waiting it lifted, no trace of
the men could Captain Bier discern from
the masthead of the schooner.
The story that Captain Bier told as he
landed on the wharf this afternoon was
perhaps repetition of similar tales of the
sea, that fishing captains have related
from the spot, but none was more pathet
ic.
Said the captain, his voice trembling
with emotion at nearly every word: ''We
had good run down to the banks after
leaving mere Ou 4hcly iplii' w hSh w
anchored on the western bank, Thursday
night, there was every prospect of good
weather for some days to come.
preparations had been made the night
before so that when the men came on
deck early Friday morning they were all
ready to start out with their travis.
''Breakfast was soon out OF the way
and then the men began launching their
dories Each of the little craft had good
sized jug OF water, a can or two of hard
tack and small compass.
1.-The men distributed themselves
among the five or six dories. Sixteen of
them went over the schooner's side that
clear bright morning, and l never saw a
more contented lot of men. By seven
o'clock they had set their travis, the
farther being about three miles off the
schooner. Two men beside myself re-
NAMED on board, one of them being the
cook.
Everything appeared all right for an
hour or two, when suddenly | caught
sight of the terrible bank of mist rushing
up from the southwest. | had just a
chance to take hasty sight of the men,
when the fog shut in, and they were all
lost to sight.
Il Immediately began blowing the fog
horn and blew for hours, being relieved
only by the cook at intervals, but not the
slightest response did we get. Along in
the afternoon | concluded to run up a
short ways to a place that would bring
me between the dories, so we weighed
anchor and stood off for few minutes,
dropped anchor again apparently about
two miles from our first place. While
under way we continually used the fog
horn and kept it up after anchoring. Dur
ing the night the fog lifted and as soon
as it was light, | went to the masthead in
the hope of sighting some of the missing
boats. Not one did discern. | was al
| most sure that | was near the place where
they were last seen, but it seemed as if the
ocean of fog had swallowed them up. For
two hours stayed aloft looking in all di-
rections with my glass, but at six O. clock
the terrible fog again came creeping over
the ocean and blotted out everything
The fog continued until about one O. clock
Saturday afternoon, when the wind shift
ed to the north and began to blow hard,
clearing the air almost Immediately. Dur
ing the afternoon | discovered that the
schooner had drifted considerable before
the wind. This fact discouraged me more
than anything else, and | came reluctant
ly to the conclusion that the men were
beyond the reach of the ship. just be-
fore sunset Saturday night the wind mod
Grated and then shifted to the south and
blew gently from that quarter all night.
Sunday morning came and still there was
no trace of the men and 50 after waiting
for nearly three days and doing my ut
most to locate them | turned back to-
ward PrOvincetoWn.
!S(tnl o,,1y lypnnrS what tbCan on
have suffered from excitement, want OF
sleep and anxiety for the safety Of oul
comrades.
PEovINCETowN, May 26. The sixteen
members of the crew of the Province
town fishing schooner J. P. Johnson, who
went asuay on the western banks last
Friday, arrived here this morning.
All were well, although they suffered
much from hunger during Saturday.
The men report that they were unable
to JUG ge the location of their vessels after
they had been out trawling short time,
but by blowing fog horns continuously
the dories were got together.
Then they were tied one behind the
other and they remained in this position
until daylight Saturday, when the dense
fog bank lifted.
1t was then decided to attempt to row
to La Have, n. S., the nearest port. Two
dories were abandoned before heading in
that direction; the occupants being dis
tributed in the other boats.
The small quantity of hard tack in the
dories was exhausted and the men We're
compelled to eat raw fish.
At one o'clock Sunday morning the
Norwegian bark China, Captain Ander-
son, from Hamburg, hove in sight. The
men were taken on board and cared for.
On Monday the schooner l. B. Merritt,
Jr., passed near the bark. She was sig
nailed and as she was bound for Boston
took the men on beard.
The Yacht Tempest.