The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1898-12-09
FORTY-FIvE WERE RESCUED
The YeldamOre Picked Up ShipEreCked
Mariners During Gale.
BRAVE BRIToNs WORKED HEARTILY
To Save the Unfortunates, but the Seas
Were Terrific and Their Efforts
Proved Only Partially Sue
cessful- Captain Lost.

Baltimore, December S.-The Johnston
line steamship Vedamore, of Liverpool,
Captain Robert Bartlett, for whose satety
fears were beginning to be felt, as she was
several days overdue, arrived this morning
at Pier 81, Locust Point, with forty-hve
shipwrecked mariners, whom she had
picked up at sea; twenty-five others went
down with their ship. The rescued are:
Second officer L. Cuttings, Second Engineer
j. w. Graham, Fourth Engineer w. G.
Ayers, Chief Cook c. Johns ton, Able Sea-
man Tagen, Fireman A e. Tonge, F. LEM
inske, j. MCGOWAN, ]. Wilde, J. Bright, H.
Bartlett, ]. Clark, W. Terry, Thos. Cupid,
j. Liss, G. Elliott, e. Watts, r. Gross, y.
Fesk ]. Mason and twenty-five cattlemen,
whose names were not obtained.
The supposed lost are: Captain William
Lee, Chief officer Murphy, Chief Engineer
Stafford. Third Engineer Slater and twenty
other seamen, hremen and cattemen.
The men landed are the survivors of the
British steamship Londonian. of London,
bound from Boston for London with large
general cargo and $50 head of cattle on
deck. She left Boston Nov. 10 and on Nov.
Is, in a violent gale her cargo shifted and
she almost capsized, she fMkaly resting
her beam ends with big seas breaking over
her. Her luckless crew were helpless
right her and for two days she drifted
about at the mercy of the wind and waves.
Assislanc came at o'clock on the morn
ing of November %.
Distress Rockets Fired.
The Vedamore hoved in sight five miles
distant ana as 1T still quite dark the
londonian burned signal fires and fred dis
tfess rockets. Inc signals were seen
aboard by the officers OF tue Vedamore
md f.A fa;,, pa
VINO gave immediate orders that the Veda-
mores course be changed the Londonian
was then to the southwark of the Johnson
liner. 1t id not take the Vedamore long
to cover the five miles that lay between
them, and as soon as she arrives alongside
she was signalled to stand by.
do you wish to abandon the ship" was
Aignaled from the Vedamore as soon as
Daylight would permit her signals being
teen, and Captain Lee, of the Londonian,
signaled back that he wanted the vedamore
to tow his ship. Captain Bartlett saw at
a glance that this an impossibility and
refused to attempt it, as it would have en-
dangered his own ship. Captain Lee then
signaled asking that the yedamore stand
by to render assistance. Soon afterward
he signaled will abandon ship" and at
noon, in the teeth of a stiff gale, Second
Officer Hobbs and a volunteer crew gal
lantly launched one of the Vedamore's
boats and attempted to reach the sinking
Britons battled with wind and wave in
a vain attempt to reach her, but finally
were forced to return to their ship. Cap
tain Bartlett then steamed to windward of
the doomed steamer and several other at
tempts to rescue the Londonians crew
were fruitless As 1t grew too dark to do
anything more Captain Bartlett signaled
will stand by you until morning"
The piteous signaling in words, For
Gods sake don't desert us" came often.
During the night the wind increased and
by morning it was blowing great guns.
Then another means of rescue was devised
and decided upon. For hours life buoys
with lines attached were floated toward
the Londonian and at last her crews sue
ceeded in getting one aboard One of the
Vedamores life boats, improvised as life
car made a trip successfully and twenty
two half frozen, exhausted men were haul
ed up over the side of the Vedamore and
given every comfort the ship afforded. AS
the boat was going back to the Londonian
wreck big sea demolished it. The line
was carried away and the communication
broken.
The Ecas Were Terrific.
Chief Officer Doran of the Vedamore vol
unteered to launch another lfeboat to at
tempt the rescue. The seas were by this
time terrific and it was only owing to the
splendid manner in which the boat was
handled that she lived 1t 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 to their ship and in do
ing so the boat was smashed against the
ships side and lost. They all came near
drowning, but were hauled aboard with
lines Another fearful night of peril and
fear passed The next morning twenty
three of the men of the Londonian succeed
ed in Launching one OF their own boats and
reached the Vedamore in safety. Their
boat was also lost and all day was spent
In trying to again establish communication
with the wreck. The gale was constantly
increasing and all efforts to save the others
were in vain. Even after night had fall
len the Vedamore was kept cruising about
in the vicinity, but when day broke next
morning the Londonian had vanished The
yedamore then proceeded to Baltimore. The
wrecked steamer was first sighted in lat
itude 1880, longitude 1910. On November 20,