The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-02-17
THE WRECK OF
During the storm of Sunday Night-Thz
Crew Leave Her I'm Four Boats-Tw{
Of Them still Nfssfng-Fearful Ex1
p~erlence ofThose in One Boat-Her0fS
Efforts 20 save His Compa nioDs

Efforts 20 save His companions
Savannah, Ca, February 1.-THE
steamship William Lawrence. of the
Merchants and Miners Transportation
| Company's line between Baltimore and
Savannah, is a total wreck on Hilton
Head island, s. c., near the Port Royal
bar. She went ashore there Saturday
morning while in a helpless condition
from storm damages, as told in these
dispatches last night. The crew stood
| by her for nearly twenty-four hours.
When the ship began to break up Cap
tain Willis gave the order TO take 10
the boats. The sea was running very
| high. a gale was blowing and it was
bitterly cold. The captain was the last
man to leave the ship and il is said
that he chose the poorest of the boats.
Boa No. 1, in charge of Second AS
sistant Engineer MorrIsett, with seven
men, made Paris island, where the
government naval station is situated,
on Sunday morning. From that point
a telephone message was sent to Port
Royal and a telegram to the Savannah
agent reporting the less OF the ship.
Boat No. 2, in charge of Second Of
fcer r. A. Beale, contained beside
Beale, Chief Engineer Roach, Steward
Frank Dingle, First Cook Harris KEEL
ly, Oscar Bowler, Seamen Jack Mont
gomery and Charles L. Green. These
underwent a most terrible experience.
They found it impossible to make and
and as darkness fell on Sunday night
the cold became more and more in
tense. They were benumbed, wet, hun
cry and exhausted. The freezing spray
I.v~ 49, -~,,-l 49, H.
the piping wind. By lucky accident
they located the sea buoy off the Port
Royal bar and by almost superhuman
effort managed to catch on to it. They
made fast to the buoy, where they
spent the night and where they were
found Monday morning by Pilot Boat
No. 2, of Port Royal, and taken aboard
Boats No. 8, under First Mate l.. E.
Hooper, and BOAT No. 4, under Captain
Willis, are still missing with fourteen
men. In Hooper's boat is First En-
gineer L. E. Harper, and in the cap
tain's boat is Quartermaster's Assist
ant Andrew Burgess. The names IF
the others cannot be ascertained.
Agent Carolan, at this place, under
orders from President Jenkins, of the
Merchants and Miners Company, at
Baltimore, this morning, sent the tugs
Cynthia and McCauley to the scene of
the wreck. The Cynthia returned late
tonight and reported that the Law
renee is broken in two and hat moth
ing could be seen or heard from the
two missing boats.
The passenger steamer Clifton this
morning en- route to Savannah from
Beaufort, was hailed by pilot BOAT No.
2, having on board the rescued crew of
Beale's boat. They were transferred
to the Clifton and brought to this
city The men were in a pitiable con-
dition. Chief Engineer Roach, Stew
ard Dingle and Second Officer Beale
had their feet and legs frozen stiff
n their and were frost bitten. The
three were taken to a hospital in car
riages and the report is tonight that
each may lose one or both feet. The
other men were frost bitten on both
lands and feet, but not so badly as
the three mentioned.
No connected story could be gotten
from any of them IN account of their
suffering. 1t appears, however, that
Sailor Green was the hero Of the ter
rible night. Some of the men, crazed
with cold and pain. wished 20 commit
suicide; but Green told so many funny
stories, sang so many cheerful songs
and could see so many lighthouses or
approaching vessels which did not eX-
list, hat the spirits of the men were
Kept up and mona Jumped overheard to
end his misery.
Green and his sailor companions, in
Guiding the crew of Morrisett's boat,
are now being cared for in one of the
best hotels of the city.
Agent Carolen will leave the city
early tomorrow morning on the tug
Cambria to renew the search for Cap
tain Willis and Mate Hooper and their
boats. 1t is possible that they may
have escaped to one of the sea islands.
Telegraph and telephone wires nave
been down since eaI1y Sunday morn
ing, making communication very slow
or cutting it off entirely. The whole
coast, north and south of the scene
of the wreck, will be explored.
The wreck lies within a few miles of
the spot at which the passenger steam
ship City of Savannah was wrecked
in the West India hurricane of 1898.