The times., 1899-06-28
BURNED OFF CAPE HENRY
The Fate of the Clyde Line Freight
er Pawnee.
She Carried No Passengers and the
Crew Was Picked Up by the George
With Cargo of Cotton From
Georgin-Discovery of the Wreck.

New York, June 27.-The Clyde Line
steamship Pawnee, Captain Ingram, which
left Brunswick, Ca, on June 23 with a
cargo of cotton for Boston, was burned at
sea last Saturday about forty miles off
Cape Henry. She is a total loss. The
vessel was freighter and carried no pas
sengers.
Word was received from the agent of the
Clyde Line at Wilmington. N. c.. this
afternoon that the crew of the vessel had
been picked up by the steamship George
w. Clyde and taken to that city. No Cne
was lost.
The first news of the burning of the
Pawnee was brought here this morning by
Captain Savage of the Savannah Line
steamship City of Macon. who reported
that he passed the smoldering wreck of
the Clyde Line freighter off Cape Henry
at o'clock Sunday morning. According
to the captain the vessel was practically
burned to the waters edge, and her iden-
tity was only learned by the letters Pa
nee" appearing on that portion of the
stern which had not been burned away.
There were no sign of small boats in the
neighbcrhood of the burned steamship,
several hours, the Macon continued on her
way to this city. Captain Savage met two
steamships some time before he passed
the wreck. One of them, he thinks, was
the New Orleans steamship Kniekerbocker,
bound south: the other was a tramp
steamship also bound south. He also
passed three-m -masted schooner bound up
the coast The captain thinks it possible
that the New Orleans steamship may have
.t,.@ how
will not be heard from until the steamship
reaches New Orleans tomorrow evening
Captain Savage, when seen on board his
vessel this morning, said
I'VE left Savannah on Saturday with
about fifty passengers. We had delight
full trip up the coast, with moderate winds
and cool weather. About 2 o'clock on Sun
day morning the lookout noticed dull
glow on the horizon about dead ahead.
The light was very faint. however. and we
gave it no further thought. When the
morning broke clouds of smoke rose upon
the horizon a little off to the starboard. |
looked at the smoke with my glasses and
decided that steamship was on fire. We
were not near enough, however, for me TO
be certain We at once changed the course
of the vessel and pointed toward the
smoke. Just as We. did so we sighted
vessel bound for New Orleans. which l
exchange signals. Soon after losing the
New Orleans vessel we passed tramp,
whose destination we could not learn.
Meanwhile we had come nearer to the
burning vessel and were now able with our
naked eye to see a long, low, black object
rising and falling with the swell of the
ocean. We could see that she had been a
steamship, for her stack was still standing.
Occasionally bursts of fame would shoot
4, lf had bIy
the board and were floating about the
smoking mass, charred and broken. Her
hull had been burned down to the tween
decks, exposing, the cargo of cotton, at
the time a seething. roaring bed OF fire.
AS we looked portion of the bow fell into
the water. =
We were desirous of obtaining some
thing by which to identify the burned
vessel, but not a sign did we see OF small
! toats, hatches. implements, or anything
that might bear the name Of the vessel
Finally, however, in going around the
stern of the vessel we saw through the
smoke and flames letters forming enough
OF the name TO make us certain the vessel
was the Pawnee. We cruised around the
burning hulk for some time, and finally
decided that the steamship must have
been abandoned. II any attempt had been
made to fight the fire all evidences of the
struggle had long been burned away.
After leaving the wreck we cruised about
| the neighboThood for miles on all sides,
hoping to pick up the members Of the
| crew. Not a sign did We see of them.
After some further search we came to the
conclusion that some other vessel must
have rescued them, and so we proceeded
| en- our course.
The chief engineer managed to get a
fine picture OF the burning hulk as it lay
| tossing ON the ocean,
Thomas Clyde, CT the Clyde Line. when
seen this morning, said that he knew moth
ing about the details of the burning OF
the vessel.
Il can only hope" he said, that the
members of the crew will ultimately be
saved. If they took to the small boats and
were not sighted by any vessel they would,
1 think. have a good chance OF making
Norfolk.
THE Pawnee." continued Mr.. Clyde,
was wooden vessel and was built in
1890. She cost about $150.000. | rather
| expected that our steamship the Semi
mole, which arrived in Savannah on Sunday
night, might have seen something Of the
| Pawnee We have heard nothing from the
Seminole, however, and infer from that
fact that she did not see the steamship.
l understand from the report | have re-
ceived that the Pawnee was not off her
regular lane of traffic"
Captain Ingram, of the Pawnee, is well
known in this port. having sailed from
here as master OF several steamships. The
Pawnee was built in Philadelphia in 1896
by Hillman e. Co. She was 2032 feet long
3S feet beam, had depth of 195 feet and
registered l.2l0 tons gross. She had com
pound engines, single funnel. and was
schooner rigged. The vessel did not re-
semble other vessels of the Clyde Line.