The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1900-01-25
The Wreck of the w. Wallace Ward.

The Journal has reported in previous
issues the abandoning at sea of the four
masted schooner W. Wallace Ward, of
which Oscar l.. Limeburner of this city
was first officer The Philadelphia Times
of Jan. 9Th, had an account, illustrated, of
the saving of the crew, which contained
some sensational features. We quote as
follows:
The Norwegian steamer Thems, Cap
tain Andersen, arrived at Chester yester-
day morning with Capt. Kelsey, his wife,
and nine men of the schooner W. Wallace
Ward, abandoned on fire and in a sinking
condition eighty miles southeast of Cape
Lookout last Tuesday morning. In the
midst of a raging sea and gale approach
ing to hurricane, four hours were con-
sumed in the rescue.
Captain John Kelsey, of the Ward, said
to Times reporter yesterday that his
the coast and had always been considered
a seaworthy craft. She was bound from
Port Tampa for Cartaret, n. j.
On Christmas Day, twodays ont of port,
a storm arose and the schooner sprung a
leak. The powerful steam pump with
which the vessel was equipped held the
leak in check until December IS, when the
valves became choked. 1t became neces-
sary to resort to the hand pumps. The
storm ragged with increasing fury and the
heaving sea swept the decks.
Mrs. Kelsey was the heroine of these
awful hours. Her conduct was revela-
ton. Not only did she encourage the
crew by her cheering words, but insisted
on taking hand at the pumps herself.
Come boys; be brave she cried.
keep the ship atloat It's not many
more miles to land'
New Years Day was passed in sadness,
but on the following morning shortly after
aybreak a steamers smoke was seen on
the southern horizon. 1t was the The
mis-.
1.-THE sea was very high,' said Captain
Andersen, of the steamer yesterday, land
/ realized the difficulty of effecting the
rescue. I called for volunteers to man the
cutter, and Mate Lund, with six foremost
hands, stepped forward. The work of
launching the boat was performed at the
risk of smashing it to pieces.
''Mrs. Kelsey was the first to be handed
down the side. 1t was necessary to tie
rope around her waist and drag her through
the sea. The men were handled in SINH
lar fashion, both in leaving their own yes
sci and in boarding ours.''
Mate Lund had been ordered to set fire
to the Ward after all were off to prevent
her becoming dangerous derelict in the
track of navigation, and to do so it was
necessary tor him to be the last to leave
the sinking vessel. AS soon as she blazed
up he jumped overheard and was dragged
through the waves to safety.
Capt. Limeburner has written his
mother in this city, and we give such
parts of his letter as bear upon the wreck
and the rescue of the crew:
''We got out of the Ward without any
difficulty in lat 80 IS Ion. IS So. She was
settling fast when we left her. They had
a queer account of it in the Philadelphia
paper, which there was no truth in. Will
send it to you for the fun of it. About
Mrs. X. being at the pumps, the truth is
we pump by steam, and she did not know
anything was wrong until she saw me sig
mailing with flags to the steamer. I went
on board with our own boat and nobody
during the transfer wet foot. The
weather was warm and nobody suffered
any hardship whatever
Capt. Limeburner has shipped as navi-
gator on board the three masted schoon-
er David Baird, bound from Philadelphia
to Havana, from whence she is chartered
to Fernandina to load lumber for Phila-
delphia.