The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1899-12-25
SHIP STRANDED
Off HATTERAS
British Steamer AriOsto With a
Mixed Cargo
MANY OF THE CREW CROWNED
Tuopfu ono Mor TooL m tho
Twenty-one Men Took to the
Regular Life Boats.
THE CRAFT A MERE COCKLESHELL
Captain Barns and Eight Men Rescued
by Life Savers-Was Bound from
Galveston to Hamburg-The
Vessel May be Saved

Cape Henry, Va, December 24.-The
wea ther bureau of Hatteras, n. c., reports
that the British steamship Ariosto, Cap
tain Barn, from Galveston to Norfolk for
coal, thence to Hamburg, loaded with cot
ton, corn, wheat and meal, stranded on
Ocracoke beach, six miles south of the
Hatteras bureau office, at o'clock this
evening. The steamship carried a crew of
thirty men. Twenty-one men abandoned
the steamer and took to the boats soon af-
ter she stranded. The boats were wrecked
I'm the heavy seas and the entire twenty
drowned. Captain Barns and the re-
manning eight men were taken from the
ship today by Captain James Howard and
crew, of the Ocracoke life saving station.
owing to the heavy sea, the landing TAX
ing almost the entire day. Captain Barns
and the eight surviving members of the
crew are now being cared for at the life
saving station. Some water is making in
the hold of the vessel, but she is still in
good condition and probably can be saved
If prompt assistance is rendered.
Put OF in Life Boat
The boat in which the twenty-one men
put off was one of the regular life boats
1t was strong in ordinary weather, but a
cockeshell in such sea. The ship was
tossing heavily, and with difficulty the boat
was swung from the davits. The twenty
one men, in their excitement, made no pro-
vision for the overturning of the craft, and
one by one they clambored in in haste to
go to their death.
Captain Baines and the remaining eight
men from their perilous position watched
the little boat put off, shouting luck to the
departing sailors. Tossing the great
waves, the sailors pulling a strong stroke,
the boat seemed in fair way of reaching
shore, when a wave swept with lightning
force on the little craft, engulfing it. The
twenty-one men were thrown into the sea,
and although the watchers on shore were
witnesses of the disaster, they were power
less to render aid.
Sea Swallowed Them Up
The sea swallowed unfortunate men only
for an instant, for they appeared high on
the crest of a wave, making a last desper-
ate fight for their lives. Finally one by one
they sank out of sight Captain Barns, on
the wrecked vessel as he saw his men per
ish this mariner, Who had sailed the world
over for % years, wept like a child.
Meanwhile, the life-saving men stood tae3r
ground and worked hard. About four hours
after the ship first struck, life line was
east over the ships side Captain Barns
and his remaining men made it fast and
an hour later they had dragged the big
hawser aboard.
The life-savers slowly ran out the
b-eeches buoy and it reached the ship in
safety Through the binding spray the
men were then, one by one. hauled to
shore, more dead than alive, and by night
fall all were safe.
When the disaster was made known
here wrecking tugs started for the scene
and 1t is matter of steam against time
IL they succeed in reaching the Arisoto be-
fore the vessel goes to pieces.
The Arisoto was seven years old and was
owned by R. McAndrews & Co.. of Lon
don.
The bureau Notified
Washington, December 24-Superintend-
ent Kimball, of the life-saving bureau, re-
ceived the following dispatch tonight:
British steamer Ariosto, Captain Barns,
stranded at Ocracoke beach at o. clock
this morning. Twenty-one drowned and
nine saved in breeohes buoy.
"(Signed) HOWARD, Keeper.
Superintendent Kimball tomorrow will in
struct Lieutenant johnson, of the revenue
cutter service, who is attached to his Of
hce, to proceed to the scene of the wreck
and make a report of the circumstances
attending the loss of life- This is the prac-
tice always followed by the life-saving SER
vice when there is loss of life attending an
accident to a steamer to which the surfmen
have given assistance.
The superintendent believes that the dis
tressing loss of life IS probably due to the
hurried efforts of the men to get away from,
the ship instead of waiting until the
breeches huoy could be rugged up between
the ship and shore and their rescue ef-
fected.~
AS the ship still appears TO be in good
shape, the men, he thinks, might have re-
mained -on her an indefinite time before
there was any real danger of losing their