The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-07-11
CURIOUS TALE OF THE SEA.
Pilot House of Wrecked Steamer Car
ried to the Owners Door.

Philadelphia, July 11-Many curious
stories are told about the sea giving up
its dead, of bottles thrown overheard in
midOcean encircling the globe and over
mysterious happenings on the briny
deep, but 1t remains to chronicle the
story of a pilot house washed off a
wreck travelling over 200 miles and
casting itself up on the beach in front
of the door of it's owner, Such a tale
of fidelity and marvellous instinct is
phenomenal in a pilot house and there
in lies the story which was told at the
Maritime Exchange by F. A Van
BOyneburgk, formerly a director of the
exchange, and the owner Of the pilot
house in question.
Mr.. BOyneburgk said: ''I am one of
the owners of the Philadelphia tug
Thomas G. Smith, which now lies at the
bottom of the Chesapeake Bay, having
Ioundefed In a severe storm off Old
Point Comfort, on May last All of
the crew were taken off by the schOOn-
er Alice COlbuTn and landed at the
point. Three days ago, While at my
cottage at Stone HarbOr, Seven-mile
Beach, near Cape May, an object was
observed floating in the breakers and
making frantic effort to effect a land
ing right in front of my house. George
Cressy, a resident of Seven-mile Beach,
like myself, became very much inter
ested, and started out to help the OBJ
ject, which looked like a square boat
to land. A few minutes later it was
safely on the beach, and turned out to
be the pilot of a small steamer. Mr..
Cressy entered the house, and now
comes the curious part of the story.
When he emerged he brought with him
two Water-sOaked documents, which he
found attached to the woodwork.
without saying word he handed
me the documents to peruse, and need
1 say that when I glanced at them I
was so startled that they almost fell
from my hand. They were the inspec-
ton papers of my tug, the Thomas C.
Smith, and the object before me was
her pilot house. For a moment I was
too dumbfOunded to utter a word. Here
this faithful pilot house had detached
itself from the wreck, hOated out the
Chesapeake Bay and 200 miles up the
Jersey coast right to my door
This sounds like a whale story, but,
I assure you, on my honor, that the
facts in the case are as related, and 1
am ready to make an affidavit and so is
Mr.. Cressy, to all have told you. 1t
is one of the strangest occurrences I
have ever heard of, and half leads one
to believe that the queer craft was pi-
lOted from Old Point Comfort to my
door by some of the spOOks of old salts
from Davy Jones' locker.
THE voyage of that mysterious craft,
travelling by day and night to hunt me
up, has something uncanny and weird
about it, and l shall always regard the
circumstance as the most extraordinary
coincidence that has ever come beneath
my notice"
The reporter was rather skeptical
over the story, but Mr.. Sherwood, the
secretary of the Maritime Exchange,
who was present when the occurrence
was related, said it must actually have
taken place, and a moment later pro-
duced the Salt-stained certificates of
inspection which Mr.. BOyneburgk had
handed him to read. The reporter eX-
amined the documents, and found them
genuine. They were the inspection GER
tificates of the tug Thomas G. Smith,
now at the bottom of the Chesapeake
Bay.