The record-union., 1898-12-09

BALTIMORE, Dec. S.-The Johnson
line steamship Vedamore, from Liver
pool, Captain Bartlett, for whose safety
fears were beginning to be felt, as sne
was several days overdue, arrived this
morning at Pier 81, Locust Point, with
fcrty-five shipwrecked mariners whom
she had picked up at sea. Twenty
others went down with their ship.
The men landed are the survivors of
the British steamship Londonian Of
London, bound from Boston for Lon
don, with a large cargo and $50 cattle
on deck She left Boston November
10th, and on November 23d, in vio-
lent gale, her cargo shifted, and she al
most capsized, finally resting on her
beam ends with big seas breaking over
her. Her luckless crew were helpless
TO right her, and for two days she
drifted about at the mercy of the wind
and waves.
Assistance came at o'clock on the
morning of November 25th. The Veda-
more hove in sight, five miles distant
and as it was still quite dark the Lon
donian burned signal fires and fired
distress rockets. The signals were seen
by the officers on the Vedamore's s
bridge, and reported to Captain Bart
lett who gave immediate orders that
the Vedamore's course be changed. The
Iondonian was then to the southward
of the Johnson liner. It did not take
the Vedamore long to cover the dis
tance of five miles that lay between
them, and as soon as she arrived along
side she was signaled to stand by.
do you wish to abandon the ship?"
was signaled from the Vedamore as
soon as daylight would permit her sig
nails being seen.
Captain Lee of the Londonian sig
nailed back that he wanted the Veda-
more to tow his ship.
Captain Bartlett saw at a glance that
this was an impossibility, and refused
to attempt it, as it would have endan-
gered his own ship. Captain Lee then
Eignaled asking that the Vedamore
stand by to render assistance. Soon
afterward he signaled ''Will abandon
ship" and at noon, in the teeth of a
gale. Second officer Hobbs and a vol
unteer crew gallantly launched one of
the Vedamore's boats and attempted to
reach the sinking Londonian. For three
hours the sturdy Britons battled with
reach her, but were finally forced to
return to the ship. Captain Bartlett
then steamed to windward of the
doomed steamer, and other attempts to
rescue the Londonian's crew were made
fruitlessly.
AS it grew too dark to do anything
more, Captain Bartlett signaled Will
stand by you until morning"
The piteous signal. For Gods sake
don't leave u.s." came back in reply.
During the night the wind increased,
and by morning it was blowing very
hard. Then another means of rescue
was decided upon. For hours life buoys
with lines attached were f1oated to the
Londonian, and at last her crew sue
ceeded in getting one aboard. One of
the Vedamore's lifeboats, improvised as
a life car, made a trip successfully,
and twenty-five half frozen, exhausted
men were hauled up over the side of
the Vedamore and given every comfort
the ship afforded. AS the boat was
going back to the wreck a big sea de-
molished it. The lines were carried
away, and the communication was bro
ken.
Chief Officer Doran of the Vedamore
volunteered to launch another lifeboat
to attempt to rescue some of the men.
The seas were by this time terrific, and
it was only owing to the splendid man
ner in which the boat was handled that
she lived it out For two hours the
boats crew struggled at the oars, but
could get no closer than sixty yards of
the wreck They were at last forced to