The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-11-07
ESCAPED WITH THEIR LIVES.
TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE OF CAPTAIN
MILLER AND HIS CREW.
Steamship Catherine Whiting Wreck
ed Twenty Miles West of Southport.
Crew Brought TO Wilmington on the
Seabrfght Last ~Night-vessel and
Cargo a Total Loss.

III klIt
seabrieht Last Night-vessel and
Cargo a Total Loss.
The steamer Seabright, Captain w.
A Sanders, arrived in port last
night with Captain F. G. Miller and
crew, of the steamship Catherine Whit
ing, which was beached and completely
wrecked o three miles west Of
Southport by the great storm Tuesday
morning.
The vessel was bound from Satilla
River, on the Georgia coast, to New
York, with a cargo of 355, 600 feet of
lumber.
The vessel was the personal property
of Captain Miller and the lumber was
for the Hilton-Dodge Lumber Conn
pany, of New York. The vessel and
cargo are total losses, unprotected by
insurance.
THE STORY OF THE WRECK.
Captain Miller was seen by a Mes
senger representative last night. He
tells an interesting story of the expert
ences of himself and crew in their eff
forts to weather the fearful storm, of
the wreck and of their bare escape
with their lives to tho shore. v~0D
which they were cast by the seathing
breakers dashed fast to the pilot house
of the wrecked vessel.
SOUGHT REFUGE IN SHORE.
Captain Miller says his vessel first
encountered rough weather on Sunday
night and the storm conditions grew
steadily worse all during Monday, when,
not expecting more than az ordinary
November blow. he steamed his yes
sci "in under the beach," and anchor
ed in six fathoms of water a few miles
west Of Southport. They held safely
to their anchorage until early Tuesday
YnnrninO whon nh0rf . a m tho r;-l
blew upwards Of sixty miles an hour
and the barometer dropped suddenly to
1890.
The velocity Of the wind increased
rapidly and the seas swept the ship
mountain high. Suddenly the wind
shifted from the northeast to the
northwest.
THE DESTRUCTION COMPLETE.
In the midst of such seas as Cap
tain miller never saw before in all his
~Seafaring experience, the vessel part
ed both anchOr and was at the mercy
of the angry waves and terrific winds
The captain and his crew were power
less to direct in the least way the
course of the vessel and she was quick
ly hurled upon the crest of a u
famous wave and grounded in four
fathomS of water, where she was literal
ly dashed to pieces n the fragments
of the vessel and cargo cast up in tam
SleQ QGDflS along the DedCn.
ESCAPE OF THE CREW.
When the vessel parted her anchors
n Captain Miller perceived that he
was pOWerleSS to keep n hip off
shore, he called his crew of seventeen
men about him in the inky blackness
of the night and advised them as to
what had best be done. He vas es-
pecially sOlicitOus for the safety of his
aged father, c.. Z. Miller, a veteran re-
tired sea captain, who was accompany
ing him on the voyage.
When the vessel grounded and began
going to pieces all hands gathered
about the pilot house, to which they
made themselves fast, just as it was
torn from it's fastenings and swept
from the vessel by a tremendous wave.
They were tossed this way and that
for possibly fifteen minutes ian
g it seemed to them) and were at
last cast upon the beach more dead
han alive.
CARED FOR BY FISHERMEN.
Day had we'll dawned when Captain
Miller, his venerable father and the
members Of the crew pulled them
selves together and after hearty and
thankful congratulations on their eS-
cape held a council as to What had
best be done. They made their way to
the homes of some n~eighboring fisher
men, where they were given food and
shoWered with every possible atten-
ton. Subsequently they were taken on
board the steamer Seabright n
brought to this port, where they arriv-
ed last night.
The officers of h wrecked vessel,
other than those already mentioned,
are Frank Johnson, second officer;
James Gibbs, chief engineer; William
Peterson, first assistant engineer; Heck
Green, stewart. The seamen are, with
the exception of two negroes, West In
diamen, whose names could not be as
certained.
WAS CAPTAIN OF THE WANDA.
It will be of interest to note that dur
ing the SpaniSh-Amerlcan war Captain
Miller was in the employ of the Asso-
ciated Press as captain of the famous
dispatch boat, the Wanda, which did
such excellent service in gathering the
news of the naval warfare, and quite
a number of he crew which was with
him on the wreck of the Catherine
Whiting also did service under him on
the Wanda, while at the beck and call
of the war correspondents of the AS
ISOLATED Press.
NOTES ON THE WRECK.
Captain Miller estimates his loss by
the wreck of the Catherine Whiting at
$22, 900. In fact. he paid that amount
for her less than a year ago.
The cargo of lumber was valued at
$40, 900 and is a total loss for the Hill
ton-Dodge Lumber Company, of New
York.
Captain Miller will leave with his
men for his home in New Jersey with
in the next few days. He and his
father were entertained at the home of
Captain W. A. Sanders. of the Sea-
bright, last night.
1t will not be a surprise to any who