Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1900-01-11
ONE TRAGEDY
OF THE SEA.


and other horfots Of the sea which come
into this port each winter none Is more
dramatic than the story Of the burning
Of an unknown oil steamship in midocean
In the winter OF 1892. The vessel was
subsequently thought to have been the
British oil steamship Loodiann, although
no absolute proof Of her identity was ev-
er obtained. The story MS told by the
officers Of the Egyptian Prince, which ar
rived in this port with the news OF the
burning of the oilsbip, is often told even
at this late day in the shipping offices
along South street, and no marine novel
ist ever penned or imagined d story more
pathetic or more dramatic in all its de-
tails.
1t was midnight in December, 1892,
and the steamship Egyptian Prince
bound from Newcastle for this city, was
In midocean, plowing through the waves
at ten knot clip. The night was cold
and dark, and the wind blew with hurri-
cane force.
Better keep a good lookout tonight
said Captain Coleman to Second Officer
Jordan. "Its going to be nasty and ne
mistake"
AYE, aye, it is that" came the reply,
and then the captain went below. Jordan
remained on the bridge silently gazing
at the big combers rolling toward the
vessel as though to engulf it and then
curling away on either side of the bow
with the force of n mountain torrent. The
wind was beginning to shift to the north
east, and nothing could be heard above
the roar of the tempest but the ceaseless
chug-a-chug Of the engines. Suddenly
from the lookout in the bow there came
the hail:
Light, no! two points off the starboard
bow"
Jordan looked up and saw, way off on
the horizon, faint glow OF light.
ship on fire." roared Jordan. "All
hands stand by"
God help that vessel tonight" said
the members OF the crew to one another.
And then the course was altered, and
the vessel headed in the direction Of the
light. Meanwhile it had begun to hail,
and the wind screamed with increased
fury. The light came nearer and nearer,
and finally the straining eyes of the
ships company made out great pillars
of flame and thousands cf fiying sparks.
That volume of flame in midocean meant
but one thing, and full sseed ahead was
sounded down in the engine room. 10
response the powerful ship bounded for.
ward as thongh anxious to bring speedy
assistance to the unfortunates aboard
the distressed vessel. The distance grad.
ually lessened, and in n short while the
hull Of the burning vessel, seething,
roariSg mass of flames. was sighted, roll
ttxx. a..I Ill II T.
the interior of the vessel great sheets of
fame shot hundred feet in the air. the
smokestack and pole masts were pillars
Of flame, while the oil with which she
was laden flowed down over the side
like cataracts of fire. Blazing globules
of oil hoated away on the waves. The
captain of the Egyptian Prince brought
his vessel to within hundred yards of
the burning vessel. Faint cries which
were brought to him on the wind were
the only evidence that she was not desert
ed. 1t would have been foolhnrdy to
bring the Egyptian Prince any closer to
the burning oil ship, but tho crew was
lined up along the deck, and Jordan call
ed for volunteers to man a boat with
him and so to the rescue. The sea was
running mountains high, and only three
men responded TO the call. This was
not sufficient number to man the boat.
and the attempt was given up. Not a
soul was to be seen on board of the oil
ship. and tho Egyptian Prince began to
circle around her in hopes of picking up
some of the boats. Suddenly there came
cry from one of the officers of the
Egyptian Prince. and he pointed toward
the jibboom of the vessel. Every eye
followed his finger, and then there was
a cry OF horror. Away out on the end
Of the jibboom were two figures, man
and woman. They were standing in
the martingale nets, the man supporting
the woman with one arm while he clung
to the boom with the other. The woman
was shielding her face with her hands
ms though seeking protection from the
fierce flames, which every moment threat.
ened to engulf them.
The crew of the Egyptian Prince
heard ptiful cries in answer TO their
shouts of encouragement but it seemed
as though nothing could be done to aid
them. The oil ship lay with her head
to the gale. which kept the flames sway
from the bowsprit. When she yawed,
however, the flames shot forward and
hid the two victims from sight. Then
the wind would blow the flames back
again. and the couple could still be seen
clinging to the boom. They saw the
steamship now, and their cries for as
sistance were continuous. The battle
between the wind and the flames COLI
tinued. Often a tongue of flame would
leap out greedily toward the Fair rs
though to lick them up, and then a puff
Of wind would drive it back again The
heat was intensc, and it seemed as
though the end must come soon. The
officers OF the steamship could stand the
strain no longer and, although there
was not one chance in million that
small boat could live in such terrific
sea, to say nothing of launching IT, the
three officers volunteered to make up the
boats crew with the three seamen who
had volunteered. The crew rushed to
man the davits snd falls. and the men,
bers of the brave little band took their
places in the boat. Just as they were
about to lower the boat, however, cry
from the captain caused every one to
look toward the burning oil ship. She
had again fallen of the wind. and great
sheets of flame hew out way beyond the
jibboom. The man, with the woman
clinging to his neck, could be seen hang
ing to the martingale, perilously sway
ing with every roll of the ship like an
autumn leaf on tree.
Hold on. help is comingw hoarsely
roared the captain of the Egyptian
Prince through his speaking trumpet. A
feeble cry was the only response. and
the next moment there was n crash. The
bowsprit had burned of at the butt.
The man and the woman, still elinging to
the spar. fell. and the water closed over