New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-09-25
RESCUED FROM A DERELICT.
CAPTAIN OF THE SCHOONER NEWTON,
HIS WIFE AND CREW IN PORT.
THEY WERE on THE DISMANTLED CRAFT
TWO DAYS BEFORE HELP CAME-MfS.
HEATH RIsKED ALL FOR HER CAT.

THEY WE'RE on THE DISMANTLED CRAFT
TWO DAYS BEFORE HELP cAME-MRs.
HEATH RISKED ALL FOR HER CAT.
A quick witted sailor. handsome woman MS
WIFE, and a big black tomcat arrived al the
Stevens House. on lower Broadway yesterday
The man was Captain G.. W. Heath OF tne
three masted schooner Newton, wnlch "as
wrecked and abandoned in West Indian seas
couple OF weeks ago, and the woman and the
cat made up his family.
'Ill never go to again. said Mrs. hea'h
yesterday, and the cat apparently indorsed her
sentiments by vigorous wagging OF lts taii.
Nonsense" said Captain Heath. you'll get
used to it all after a while. But, joking aside
he continued I'VE did have tough time OF IT,
On Sunday September 10. we were sailing along
all right when several heavy puffs Of wind came
along I said to myself there is hurricane
somewhere herea bouts, and changed the course
Of the schooner so that she headed toward land
But the blow came too quick for us, and on
Sunday 1t caught and threw us on our beam
ends. The force Of the wind something
awful and the waves dashed over us and filled
the cabin and hold with water. Fortunately
our cargo lumber. and that kept us afoat.
ALL HANDS LIVED IN A DECKHOUsE.
IL
wife and myself got into a deckhouse amid
ships, and stayed there for two days, expecting
to be washed overheard at any time. When the
big first struck they washed overheard
almost everything in the ship. They cleaned out
the cabin and the galley, and everything else
excepting the house we took refuge In went by
the board. l managed to save about ten
pounds Of biscuits and few tins Of canned
some water in the boiler of donkey engine we
had on board, and we tried to drink that, but II
was stale and brackish and made us sick.
"On Tuesday, September 10. we gave up all
hope and simply clung to our shelter In des-
peration We had been knocked about by the
waves for five days; we were hungry thirsty
and seepless The monster bows were pound
ing at our ship from all directions, and there
we're great rents in the vessel forward Of mid
ships.
STEAMER ATTRACTED BY FIRE.
Il had managed 20 save little turpentine
and few matches, and when on September IL
sighted vessel made a fire on the deck,
throwing everything nfammable upon it that
I could find on the water soaked schooner. The
ship that sighted was the British steamship
Fontebelle, and she sent boats out and took us
on board subsequently landing us at st.
Thomas. In the height OF the hurricane. and
while we were cutting away two Of the masts.
which found 1t necessary to do First Mate
G. o. Wright and a sailor named j. o. Webster
were washed overheard We succeeded in get
ting them board again, and thereafter every
body lashed to the rigging or stumps OF
the masts."
Members Of the say that Mrs Heath was
one Of the bravest persons on board and en-
couraged the men in their efforts to save the
Thn nn1xr Cha haR cd haN
said wNsn samps0n- the cat-was washed
from her arms by big wave. The cat was
just going over the bulwarks at the waist Of
the schooner when Mrs. Heath grabbed II at
the risk Of being carried away herself They
were brought here yesterday or the steamship
Madiana.
The schooner Newton is total loss and a
dangerous derelict, her captain says. She was
built at East Boston and registered 400 tons.