The times., 1899-02-23
P1TIFUL STORY OF THE SEA.
Details of the Wreck of the Schooner
james +. BRyIes.

New York. Feb. 22.-Full details OF that
pitiful tragedy on the now derelict schoon-
er James E. Bayles were had last night.
when the steamship Guyandotte in from
Norfolk brought the shipwrecked crew to
port.
There was an affecting scene on the pier
When captain Darling, the grief-stricken
master of the Bayles. hobbled down the
gangpiank to meet a party of friends who
were awaiting his arrival. The thought of
his dying wife, into whose stiffening limbs
he had tried in vain to chafe back the eb-
bing life, seemed to come back to him. and
he burst into tears as his own and his dead
wife's relatives gathered around. Too
overcome TO recount the sad story, he dele
ga,ed Mr.. Soderman, his chief mate. to tell
it, and was helped into carrlaSc.
We were lying hove to in a northwest
gale the mate began, with true sailor di-
rectness, "a heavy northwest gale blow
ing, and snow SO thick you couldn't see
from one end of the vessel to the other.
1t was off the Delaware Capes we were,
and bitter cold 1t was The schooner had
sprung leak and we worked at the pumps
until I o'clock that night. when they were
broken. There was foot of water in the
hold then. Before daylight the cabin was
under water and the captains wife and all
hands had to come on deck
1t was an awful seattle worst / have
ever seen. 1t looked as though we were
going to founder, so the masts were cut
away to ease her rolling. We had hard
ly got them over the side before the wealth
er cleared for moment and showed us a
big steamer hove to, and not more than a
half mile distant. We made signal of dis
tress and blew our foghorns. but she paid
no attention. No. We didn't give her no
sea blessings; We were feeling too bad
TO swear.
Seas were breaking clean over us then.
and to keep his wife from being washed
overheard the captain helped her aft and
lashed her to the bits. The captain then
iashed himself near her and we lashed our
selves, too. We all needed to be, for seas
were breaking all over US, and we were
That numb with cold that we couldn't hold
on. That's the way We spent the night
under water half the time, with nothing TO
eat or drink, and expecting every minute
10 be drowned
The next morning the seas went down.
and at II O'Clock that night we sighted a
steamer heading straight for us. She was
all lii up. and as she passed us we all hoI-
Tered as loud as we could. but she went by
us, paying no attention. We had no light,
ana nothing 10 make a light with. | went
10 where the captain was holding his wife
III MS arms and saw him chatting her hands
ana sobbing. | thought It was about the
steamer leaving us. and started to say
something, and he said it made no differ
ence to him, that she was dead-frozen to
death
I'VE got through the night somehow. and
next morning saw a bark, but she didn't
notice us. That afternoon a schooner hove
in sight steering straight for us. but shift
ed her helm and passed us by. Night came
ana we saw steamers lights and made
out that she was coming straight at us.
We were TOO weak then and our throats
were that parched and dry that we could
not make much noise, but she passed that
near that she ought to have heard We
watched her go by. and felt mighty bad
1t was looking like everybody and every
thing was against us.
All this time the captain was with his
dead wife, holding her in his arms and
leaving US to watch for help. for there was
nothing else 10 watch for and nothing else
to do. our yawl having been washed away
and the pumps gone. There amt much
else to tell. We lived through that night,
and the next day the schooner Mount Hope
sighted us miles off and rescued us.
We cut the lashings and lifted the dead
woman into the boat, and when we were
all safe on the Mount Hope they buried
her in the sea, Captain Mclean reading the
burial service. The schooner landed us at
Norfolk and We came on here"