The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-07-19

Capt. Al migrants Goodness In Saving
the Passengers of the steamer DeIa-
ware Which Was Burned OH the
New Jersey COast-He Lives Here ana
VIII be Here Tuesday.

/
The readers Of The Messenger are
familiar with the facts concerning the |
destruction by fire of the Clyde Line
steamship Delaware, off B~arnegat, n. |
J.. on Friday night, July 8th. as The
Messengers press dispatches gave a
Zraphic account Of the disaster. The
ship. as heretofore stated, was in com
mand Of Captain A. d. Ingram, better
known in Wilmington as AL Ingram.
The fact is Wilmington claims him,
as he married here, owns property in
Wilmington and makes this his home.
He married Miss Annie Bremen,
daughter Of Mrs. Helena Bremen, and
she is now here with Captain Ingram's
three children.
The New York papers have contain
ed pages of lauhation of Captain In
gram and his brave crew for the man
ner in which they the snip
and heroically saved the passengers
at the peril of their own lives. There
were fifty-seven people aboard the
burning steamer, Wenty-seVen pas
sengers and a crew of thirty officers
and men, but not a life was lost. The
New York World in it's account of the
disaster said: Grew and passengers
alike exhibited the greatest GOODNESS.
the greatest courage. Eight
women and three children were among
the passengers. All hands were saved
through the bravery Of the ships
American officers and American sea
men. The captain OF the
ship, A. D. Ingram, is as brave and
o a commander as ever sailed the
ocean"
Off Cedar Creek, N. j., fire was dis
covered burning furiously among the
cargo under the after matches. Quick
action was taken. Steam was turned
into the after compartments, but Cap
tain Ingram seeing that the Delaware
was dooned said to his officers and
crew, before notifying the passengers:
Now let there be no panic. There is
no need for one. Just go and do your
duty" The passengers were notified,
their fears were Gained. 1t is true
that some Of the passengers were
greatly excited, and were ready to give
way under the strain, but the officers
would get hold Of these passengers and
talk to them SO gently and so calmly
that they soon realized hat they would
be cared for.
The World in speaking of the hero
ism of the officers and crew said:
for the steWardess, she was the coolest
woman on that burning ship. She was
as cool as Capt. Ingram, and they say
of him hat he was the nerviest man
they ever saw. Miss Hill walked about
the deck carrying bundles of life pre-
servers and dished them out just as
unconcernedly as though she was serv-
ing coffee to the passengers. The pas
sengers all realized and admitted that
they felt that they stood a very good
chance of saving their lives, because
they realized that the officers and men
aboard that ship were cool and knew
their business. The life
boats had been all swung out in the
eantim and got ready for lowering.
When the boats were ready Captain
Ingram quietly stepped forward and
in the calmest manner aid Now,
gentlemen, of course you know that
the ladies and children will have to go
first. I want all the women and chill
dren to go in this boat and the cap
tain pointed to the first boat on the
port side forward. There was one Wo-
man in that crowd who mutined. She
declared openly-and Captain Ingram
heard her-that she would not go into
the first boat, or any boat, as long as
her husband could not accompany
her. will not bulge an inch she
said, stamping her her little foot upon
the deck, unless my husband goes
with me-. If I am to be saved, my hus-
band must be saved too. If I shall be
lost, I want to be lost with him. This
pluckly little lady was Mrs. J. D. W.
Claussen, of Charleston, S. c., and she
and her husband were returning from
their northern bridal tour.
When the passengers were picked
up in the boats by the Ocean King,
and were landed safely in New York,
the men and women all thanked the
captain of the Ocean King and the
crew of the tug that saved them. One
of the passengers climbed on top of a
barrel standing at the end of the pier.
Ladies' and gentlemen" he shouted,
Il want to say that we all feel very
grateful toward Captain Ingram and
the officers and men of the Delaware.
They are all heroes. They treated us
like true Americans. They were cool
and collected, and they have saved our
lives. / offer three cheers for the cap
tain and the crew of the Delaware and
for the captain and crew of the Ocean
King"
After Captain Ingram saw that all
the passengers were off the burning
ship he was the last man to leave her.
Before he let himself onto a life raft
he n the engineers made a thorough
search of the vessel to see that no one
was left behind. When the Ocean
King in the darkness took the others
from the life boats, the captain of the
tug asked Captain Ingram to go with
him also, but he refused. I'll stand
by this ship till she goes down. he
S"iu, lldllhliS captain daily 1Or MS
Kindness. Maybe we can save her
yet
Mr.. j. D. w. Claussen, husband Of
the lady who refused to go in the first
boat and staid till the last boat to go
with him, said to a Herald reporter:
A an American I am proud of the
conduct of the captain and crew of the
Delaware. Not a man of them finched
or thought of his safety until the last
of the passengers had left the burning
vessel. This is rather a. sad ending
to our wedding trip, but we feel moth
ing but thankfulness for our p~reserva-
ton. l shudder to think what would
have happened had not that crew
shown such magnificent discipline"
The Messenger, with all of Captain
migrants friends in Wilmington, and
there are thousands of them, join in
the braves his bravery, heroism