The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-08-23
THE NEUSE STRANDED
TWO AWFUL DAYS AND NIGHTS
on BOARD.
A PASSENGER RELAIEs TALE OF PERIL
Officers and Men HeroicaIIY Stuck TO Their
Posts. Capt Davis Slightly Injured.
A Passenger on the Steamer
in Raleigh Yesterday.

A tale Of the awful violence of wind
and wave was told yesterday, almost
equNlling some of the thrilling stories
of the sea that we have all read in
fiction. Mr.. III. II. Greenieaf, passen-
ger on the steamer Neuse, which was
caught in the terrific gale of last week
off the coast related to a representative
of the News and Observer yesterday
the experience undergone during the
awful gale. the following account is
as nearly as possible in Mr.. Green
leafs own words:
We left Newbern about o'clock We'd
nestlay night. three hours later than the
usual schedule time. The usual banding
down the river at Oriental was made,
and then at 0cracoke. Going out of the
mouth of the river. the weather was
seen to be so thick and rough that Cap
tain Davis put back to Oriental and
laid to until 4 a. M, when we started
again. After getting into the sound
it was found impossible to reach the
barge anchored off 0cracoke, so we con-
tinued to Elizabeth City, Roanoke Is
land. The passengers were awakened
about Z a. M, by the rolling of the boat.
1T WIS SO rough that no cooking could
be done, nor could any table be set, SO
that we had no breakfast. We CON
flnued on our course up the sound till
IL a. M. The wind 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 hundred ponds, and all the cable
on board. go fathoms, we're 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
engines were going at full speed, but
even then with the increasing gale and
rising sen it was impossible to hold her
head to the wind The barometer was
falling all the time The vessel was
rolling frightfully Dinner was out Of
dashed in a heap from one side to the
other. The officers managed to pro-
vide a few sandwiches for sl1stenance
lace were out on deck, when a violent
squall struck Captain Davis, blowing
him down and bruising his leg severely.
They soon concluded to cut the nauser
and let the anchor 20, finding that the
boat was dragging into deep water B,.
about p. M. the gale was Increasing
as well as the rain. Squalls were blow
ing the water in clouds so that it was
JmT0g7sl hlp fn 600 from, n,,, r,,.J Az.
vessel to the other The men on deck
said the spray blown into their faces
left like so much flint, So sharply did
II sting. Although the heavy saloon
windows We're fastened down and the
lDside shutters closed, still the rain was
driven in so that it stood on the floor an
inch or more deep. The roar of the gale
was simply deafening The barometer
stood at 298
They put steam on again for an honr
trying to head for the HYDE comfy
shore, steering TO the northwest, but the
wind was 50 strong and the
vessel 50 light that she paid off her
bow into the trough Of the sea. ana
made away rapidly, finally striking ain
other shoal. The engines were kent
going till they pushed her further on.
where she lay humping, with the gale
still increasing. There she lay for an
hour or so. when she went over the sbooI
into the deep. water again. about s y
m. 1t was again impossible with an
steam on to hold her head to the wind
After consultation between Captain
Davis and Afr. Wallace, it was con-
cluded to beach the steamer at the first
point they could reach while holding
north and west, at the mouth of Pam
Ec0 River or any ether land, as they
could not tell where they then were.
OF course no land was visible. III was
still impossible to see the length of the
steamer even. After rolling frightfully
from 8 until 1915 at night, she brought
up solid on a sandy bottom, we knew
not where not being able to see any
thing not even whether 1t was merely
n shoal or SEINE shore. The engines
were kept going to hold her In place,
until it was seen she did not move
and lay comparatively easy. About $50
a. m, the sca seemed to get little
quieter, and the passengers were able
to take some rest
Friday morning at o'clock ii began
to get n little lighter, and the bow OF
the steamer was then seen TO he upon
the edge Of a eedge marsh. the tide
covering fine land and almost overtop-
Ping the high grass. Jtut we still did
not know whether it was mainland or
an island. In the afternoon, when the
storm had begun to abate somewhat and
the sky 10 clear, we found that we were
ashore on point Of marsh land our
side Of place called Mouse Harbor.
on the Beaufort county shore. abouf
three miles southwest from Pamlico
Point lighthouse. About 1915 Thursday
night we had passed close 10 that light.
but could not tell whether it was fhe
lighthouse or vessel lying Mt anchor.
Saturday morning early. after the
Captain and officers consulted with the
passengers, it was decided 70 make
way to the nearest telegraph station,
which was Belleporf, the southern
terminus OF the Norfolk and Southern
Railroad, on the Pungo river. distance