Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1899-08-25
THE NEUSE
STRANDED.
Two Awful Days and Nights
On Board.
RELATES TALE OF PERIL
Officers and Men Heroically
Stuck to Their Posts.
Capt. Davis Injured.
RELATES TALE OF PERIL

Mr. H. T. Greenleaf, of Eliza
beth City, was among the passsn-
gers on the steamer Neuse which
was caught in the terrific gale
of last week, was at Raleigh on
Tuesday and related to the
News & Observer the experience
undergone during the awful
gale. The following account is
as nearly as possible in Mr..
Greenleafs ow words:
I'VE left Newbe1n about 9
o'clock Wednesday night. three
hours later than the usual sched>
ule time. The usual ladning
down the river at Oriental was
made. and then at Ocracoke.
Going out of the mouth of the
river, the weather was seen to be
40 thick and rough that Captain
Davis put back to Oriental and
laid to until a a. m, when we
started again. After getting into
the sound it was found i'm possi-
Bile to reach the barge anchored
off Ocracoke, so we continued
toward Elizabeth City. The pas
sengers were awakened about 7
a. III. by the rolling of the boat.
1t was so rough that no cooking
could be done, nor could any ia
Bile be Get, SO that we had no
breakfast. We continued on our
course up the sound till II a. m.
The wiud Was increasing to a
hurricane, the rain was driving,
the weather was so thick and
the sea so high that, arriving at
what the Captain thought was
Judith Island, off Hyde county
shore, it was decided to anchor
in the sound where the water
seemed shallow and the sea not
so high. The starboard anchor
weighing twelve to fifteen hun~
dred pounds, and all the cable
on board, 90 fathoms, were run
out. The anchor was found to be
dragging, so that the vessel could
not be kept from getting into
the trough of the waves, with
her stern to the wind The ell
gines were going at full speed,
but even then with the increas-
gale and rising sea it was inn
possible to hold her head to the
wind. The barometer was falls
ing all the time. The vessel
was rolling frighlfully. Dinner
was out of the question. with
everything being dashed in a
heap from ore side to the other.
The officers managed to provide
a few sandwiches for sustenance.
Captain Davis and First Mate
Wallace were out on deck, when
violent squall struck Captain
Davis, blowing him down and
bruising his leg severely. They
soon concluded to cut the haw-
ser and let the anchor 60, hud>
ing that the boat was dragging
into deep water. BY about 2
p. NJ, the gale was increasing,
as we'll as the rain. Squalls
were blowing the water in
clouds so that it was impossible
to see from one end of the YES.
sci to the other. The men on
deck said the spray blown into
their faces felt like so much
flint, so sharply did it sting.
Although the heavy saloon win
dows were fastened down and
the inside shutters closed, still
the rain was driven in orthatoit
stood OH the floor an inch or
more deep. The roar of the
gale was simply deafening. The
barometer stood at 2o 8.
They put steam on again for
an hour, trying to head Tor the
Hyde county shore, steering to
the north west, but the wind
was so strong and the vessel SO
light that she paid off her bow
into the trough of the sea, and
made away rapidly, finally strik.
ing another shoal. The en-
gines were kept going till they