The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-12-09
HORROR AND HERO|SA
In the Loss of the Londonian
and the Gallant Effort
TO RESCUE HER CREW
Vedamore Takes Off Forty
Five in a Terrible Tempest.


The rescued are: Second officer T. Git
tings, Second Engineer J.. ". Graham,
Fourth Engineer F. G. Ayers, Chief Cook
c. Johnston, Able Seaman Tagan, Fire
man A. Z. Tonge, F. Jeiminski, ]. Gowan,
j. Wilde, ]. Bright, II. Bartlett, ]. Clark,
w. Terry Thomas Cupid, ]. Liss, q. FL
lott, Z. Watt S. o. Feske and r. Cross.
j. Mason and twenty-five cattlemen whose
names were not obtained.
The supposed lost are:
CAPTAIN WILLIAM LEE.
CHIEF OFFICER MURRAY.
CHIEF ENGINEER STAFFORD.
THIRD ENGINEER SLATER.
Twenty-one seamen, fremen and cat
tlemen.
SURVIVORS OF tn LONDONIAN.
The men landed are the survivors of the
British steamship Londonian of London,
bound from Boston for London with a
large general cargo and $50 cattle on
deck. She left Boston November 10, and
on November %, in violent gale, her
cargo shifted and she almost capsiZed,
she finally resting on her beam ends with
big seas breaking over sler Her luckless
crew were helpless to right her and for
two days she drifted about at the mercy
Of the winds and waves. Assistance came
at o'clock on the morning of November
%. The Vedamore hove in sight five
miles distant and as it was still quite
dark the Londonian burned signal fires
and fired distress rockets. The signals
were seen aboard by the officers on the
Vedamore bridge and reported to Captain
El, Lott h
the Vedamore's course be changed. The
Londonian was then TO the southwark of
the Johnston liner. 1t did not take the
Vedamore long TO cover the five miles
that lay between them, and as soon as
she arrived alongside she was signalled
to tand by.
UNABLE TO REACH THE VESSEL.
DO you wish to abandon the ship?"
was signalled from the eVdamore as soon
as daylight would permit her signals be-
ing seen and Captain Lee, of the Lon
DOMAIN, signalled back that he wanted the
Nedamore TO tow his ship. Captain Bart
lett saw at a glance that this was an
impossibility and refused TO attempt it.
as it would have endangered his own ship.
Captain Lee then signalled, asking that
the Vedamore stand by to render assist
anCe. Soon afterward he signalled twill
abandon ship" and at noon, in the teeth
of a stiff gale, Second Officer Hobbs anu
volunteer crew CALAMITY launched one
of the Vedamore's boats and attempted
TO reach the sinking Londonian. For
three hours the sturdy Britons battIed
with wind and wave in a vain attempt to
reach her but finally were forced to re-
1,...,-
steamed to windward of the doomed
steamer and several other attempts to res
cue the Londonian's crew We're made
fruitlessly.
will STAND BY TILL MORNING"
As it grew too dark TO do anything more
Captain Bartlett signaIled will stand by
until morning"
The piteous signal For Gods sake,
don't leave us" came back in reply
During the night the wind increased and
by morning it was blowing very Sard
Then it was that another means Of rescue
was decided upon. For hours life buoys.
with lines attached were f1oated toward
the Londonian and at last her crew sue
ceeded in getting one aboard. One of the
Vedamore's life boats, improvised as a
life ear, made a trip successfully and
twenty-five half frozen. exhausted men
were hauled up over the side of the Veda-
more and given every comfort the ship af-
forded As the boat was going back to
the Londonian wreck big sea demolished
IL. The lines were carried away and the
communication broken.
HEROIC But FRUITLESS.
Chief officer Doran of the Vedamore
volunteered TO launch another life boat
10 attempt the rescue. The seas were by
this time terrific and il was only owing
10 the splendid manner in which the boat
was handled that she lived Il out For
TWO hours the boats crew struggled at
the oars but could not get closer than
sixty yards Of the wreck. They were
at last forced TO give up and return 10
their ship and in doing 30 the boat was
smashed against the ships side and lost.
All came near drowning but were hauled
aboard with lines.
IMPOSSIBLE TO SAVE ALL.
Another fearful night of peril and fear
passed. The next morning % OF the men
of the LOndonian succeeded in launching
one of their own boats and reached the
Vedamore in safety. Their boat was also
last and all that day was spent in trying
TO again establish communication with
the wreck. The gale was constantly in
creaSing and all efforts 70 save the others
were in vain
Even after night had fallen the Veda-
more was kept cruising about in the
vicinity. but when day broke next morn
ing the Londonian had vanished The
Nedamore then proceeded 10 Baltimore.
THEIR FATE YET UNKNOWN.
The wrecked steamer was frs sighted
in latitude aS:Sl. longitude 1910. On No
vember -. the day after the Vedamors
lost sigh tot the Londonian. the steam
ship King Arthur passed her in latitude
-. longitude Is. she was then aban-
doned and all her boats gone. L = sup
posed the remainder OF the crew attempt
ed 70 leave her in their Owl boats and ali
hands persisted.
The Londonian was fine steel vessel.
bgilt 81 Glasgow IN 1896. and registered
5.ssS tons. She belonged 20 the wilson
Furness-Leylsnd line. Her original name
vas Idaho which was changed to the
present name about a year ago Cap
tain Lee VAS formerly chief officer OF the
LsyIand line steamer Victorian His
nome was in BriNham. England. where ae
had a family. TIE Londousan CARED no
passengers
urecka=e from the Pianta=enet.
Provincetown Mass. Dee S-A nlahog-
I