The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-11-08
TRAGEDY AT SEA
THE STEAMER CROATAN BURNED
WITH A LARGE CARGO
Five Persons Drowned-Several VII.
mlngtonfans Were Color.
ed Woman From This City Drowned.
thrilling Recital Of the Occurrence

new YORK Tor wilmington DIT y CioCn
last Monday morning and vas due here
on Thursday. Yesterday a telegram
received here from Vineyard Haven,
Mass, by Mr.. Preston G.. White, from
his brother, Mr.. George White, who
was a passenger on the Croatan, con-
viewed the first information that the
Croatan was burned at sea-. Besides
Mr.. George White, Mr.. n Mrs. Rob-
ert w. White, and DR.. r j. Price, all
of Wilmington, were on board. The
telegram from Mr.. White stated that
they were safe.
The Croatan had a large freight list
and had goods on board for nearly eV-
ery merchant in Wilmington. Some OF
them lose as high as $500 to $500. Out
of five lives lost, a coloreo woman
from this city was drowned.
The Croatan was named from the
tribe of Croatan Indians, who inhaoit
the Scufieton region in Robson coun-
ty. N. c., and it was suggested by the
member Of The Messenger staff who
writes these lines:
The following AssOciated Press dis
patch received by The Messenger last
night gives a graphic account OF the
calamity:
PARTICULARS OF THE TRAGEDY.
Vineyard Haven, Mass, November
A disaster at sea, fortunately with
a small loss Of life, five persons In all,
was made known today by the landing
here OF twenty-five persons VINO es-
capped from the burning steamer Croa-
tan. of the Clyde Line, bound from
New York for Wilmington, N. G., and
Georgetown, S. G.. The disaster oc-
Cured on November LIST, o eigh-
teen miles north of Cape Charles n
about 200 miles from New York, from
which port the steamer sailed on &c
tober 31st with a general cargo ana
eight passengers.
At 8 o'clock in the afternoon the
burned hulk of the big freighter sank
beneath the waves. Of the twenty
seven persons who were IN board TWEEN
ty-twO survived. These were landed
at this port this afternoon by the
schooner Alice Z. Clark, of Portland,
Me-, which a been in the vicinity of
the Croatan at the time she was burn
ing. The Croatan's list of droWne is
as follows:
Second Assistant Engineer Jeremiah
Mccarthy, of Nova Scotia, leaves a
widow in New York.
Steward James Curtis, of Jersey City,
Mrs. James Curtis. wife of the stew
ard.
Frank -, an oiler last name I'M
known.
Jennie Willard (colored). of Whining
ton, N. G..
The story of the disaster is graph
cally told by Captain Hale, and the
other officers of the unfortunate ves-
sci, as follows:
The Croatan was but twenty hours
from New York on her way to Will
mington and going at a good rate OF
speed, with a smooth sea and calm
weather, when at 3 p. m. a fireman
came hurriedly on deck n reported
that the ship was on fire. A general
alarm was Immediately given and an
effort was made to lower the boats, but
the fire spread with such rapidity that
all efforts to reach them were una
vailing, because of the fire. In fact, in
less than ten minutes after the fire
was reported the ship was completely
enveloped in flames from stem to stern.
Shortly after the fire was discovered
an explosion took place in the cargo,
which blew off the after matches. A
second explosion followed a few min
utes later and the ship was then a
mass of flames. 1t was at this time
that Captain Hale, seeing that to re-
main on the vessel meant sure death,
gave orders for all hands to jump over
board, and save themselves as best
they could. The gallant captain was
the last man to leave the ship remain-
ing on deck with his officers until they
were completely envelOped in flames
and the vessel had commenced to sink.
There seemed to be no panic on
board and the men and women. after
flashing on life p~reservers, leaped into
the water. Some of the passengers had
their faces scorched and many had
their clothing on fire when they leaped
into the sea. The captain and first Of
ficer succeeded in securing a yawl boat,
which had been damaged in lowering,
and by hard work rescued eight per-
sons from the water. The burning ship
was sighted by the four-masted
schooner Alice Clark, Captain Clark,
of Norfolk, for Portland, which lay
1becalmed six miles off and her captain
sent a boat and crew to aid in the work
of rescue. They succeeded in saving
twelve persons from a watery grave.
many of whom had been al hour or
more in the water and had become
nearly exhausted. They were taken on
board the Clark and given every pos
sible attention..
Captain Clark not only gave the ship
wrecked men and women food and
clothing. but supplied them with mon
ey to take them to their homes. The
rescued persons are being cared for
here at the Seamen's Bethel and at
the homes Of citizens and will proceed
to New York tomorrow. No explosives
were known to be among the ships
cargo and the origin of the fire is a
mystery to her officers n crew.
The Croatan is said to have been
valued at s1Oe, 900. She was fully in
-Sured.
The Croatan was a steel twin-screW
steamer, built at Bailey, Scotland, IN
1881. She registered 1,024 tons gross
and ST tons net; was 2O1.6 feet long,
32.1 feet beam and 1875 feet deep. Her
name when built was An
coma" which was changed to "Alpin"
previous to the last name borne by
her.