The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-02-21
THE MISSING A FOUND
Occupants of the Remaining boats OF
the steamer Lawrence Rescued.
Their Fearful Experience-Several
Will Lose Feet or Hands


Their Fearful ExperIence-Several
Will Lose Feet or Hands
Savannah, Ca, February 15.-Every
member of the crew of the wrecked
steamship William Lawrence was saw
ed. but only after the greater number
of them had suffered terrible hards-
hips. The tugs Cambria, and Cynthia
came in this evening from the sea-
islands of South Carolina, bringing
with them Captain A. L. Willis and
thirteen men, constituting those who
had beer missing since Sunday morn
ing, when the ship was abandoned in
the breakers off Port Royal bar.
With Captain Willis were First Officer
l.. E. Hooper, First Assistant Engi-
neer Horace Hopper, Quarternaster
A. Bergerson and Seamen Paul Quantz,
William Haunt, Michael Hayes,
Thomas Bolin, Jake Vawdry, Frank
White, Jean Baptiste, Charles E. Bal
dorf and Frank Fuller and Lewis
VIeecshouwer, a Hebrew stowaway
from Baltimore.
The tugs, with Agent Carolan on
board the Cambria, left the city at
daybreak this morning and searched
every island and inlet northward until
the castaways were found. At 3
o'clock the party were discovered on
Hunting island and taken on board the
Cambria.
Captain Willis and his men suffered
but little less than the crew of Mate
Beale's boat, which had tied up at the
sea buoy, as told in last nights de-
spatches. They left the ship at 9
o'clock on Sunday morning. After
twelve hours at sea in a binding
freezing gale the two boat under the
captain and the first officer, made land
on Caper's island, a desOlate n bare
little sand spit.
In Bleaching both of the boats were
smashed and the men were thrown
into the surf. Though almost exhaust
ed and numb, they managed to scram-
BILE beyond the reach of the ave-
What little brackish drinking water
they had was lost, together with the
biscuits, long since salt soaked, which
had been brought off the wreck. There
was no fresh water and extremely lit
tie fuel on the island, nor shelter in
any shape. The captain had a few
matches in a metallic box in his pocket.
They were found to be dry Tearing
the seats out of the wrecked boats, af-
ter much c~oaXing a fire was made I'M
der the lee of a sand dune. The boats
were of iron or they would also have
been burned. The limited fuel saved
the men from freezing to death. The
men lowered v e the little blaze all
during the sleet and storm of
Sunday night and Monday, when the
mercury was making s to 10 above
zero. .
= On Tuesday morning, one Of the
boats was temporarily repaired and
both crews got into it to reach Port
Royal. They had been without food
since leaving the Lawrence early Sun
day morning and without water since
Sunday afternoon. After painful eff
forts they reached Hunting island.
Some soldiers are stationed there.
These took them in and fed and warm
ed them. This morning the castaways
were about to set out for Port Royal
in their patched boat when the Cam
bria found them.
Captain Willis says that at the time
the ship struck the weather was SO
thick that he could not see half the
length of The ship. He says also that
something was wrong with his compass
and that the ship was somewhat out
of her course. Captain Willis has
been in the service of the company for
twenty years.
AT the hospital tonight it was learn
ed hat Chief Engineer Roach would
lose one foot and all Of the toes of the
other; that Steward Bingle would loose
both feet and that two seamen would
lose one foot each. They were frozen
in Officer Beale's boat. Several of the
men may lose on or both ears.