The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-02-19
SAVED FROM A SINKING BARK.
The Crew Rescued After Watching
for Il Week,

for Week
NEW YORK. Feb. 19.-Aboard the Que
bee line steamship Pretoria. which ar
rived here last night from Hamilton. Ber-
muda, were ten weatheraeaten sailors.
who for a whole week on a waterlogged
bark had drifted helplessly between the
Florida coast and the Bermudas-z. They
had almost given up all hope of rescue
and had been about to take 10 the life
boat Of the sinking and dismasted vessel
when smoke had been at last seen on the
horizon The DANISH steamship l. H
Carl rescued the despairing mariners en-
the Norwegian bark Passat.
That was on the afternoon of February
y. and three days later the crew and Cap
tain Aaron AarOnsen were landed at Ber-
muda- The next day the shipwrecked
sailors took passage on the Pretoria for
this port There was only one serious
mishap aboard the waterIogged bark while
it was drifting at the mercy of the wind
and waves Captain AaronSen while di-
recJing things on the main deck was
knocked down by some timber which was
washed by the waves which were break
ing over the craft. HIS right leg was
broken below the knee. He fixed up the
injury as best he could, and it was ten
days later before the fracture was set by
a surgeon at Hamilton. During that time
the captain suffered intensely from the IN
jury.
Captain AarOnsen, a man Of powerful
frame, was for eight years in charge Of
the Passat- The abandoned vessel regis
tered 55f tons, and was built in 1873. It's
home port was ArendeI, Norway. Telling
the story OF his experience last night
Captain AarOnsen said:
We left -Fernandina, Fla, on February
! with q cargo OF pitch pine for Antwerp.
Things went fairly well until the after
noon Of the 4th. when II became quite
stormy. Next day. when the bark was IN
latitude % degrees. longitude y degrees,
the vessel spraug leak. and four hand
and windmill pumps were started and kept
going The pumps, however. had no effect
on the leak, which was q bad one. and the
water continued to increase in the hold
As the bark filed the seas washed over the
deck and lOosened the timber carried
there Finally it was decided TO THROW the
dark timber overheard and while this was
being done on the 9Th l was knocked down
and had my leg broken
ON the morning Of February s, / deeid-
cd % make for Bermuda, in the hope. Of
saving the bark. Then it was discovered
that the bark would not answer the helm
about O'Clock that night furious gale
began 10 blow and the seas became tenn
pestUous- The water was then rising in
my cabin, and had to be carried up 10 the
rocf Of the cabin where remained expos
ed TO continued hail and sleet for four
days until we were rescued by the Danish
steamship Carl which was then on her
way from J-eghoTn. Italy, to Newport News
As the storm increased on the night of the
SJh the bark keelei over and il seemed
every minute that she would capsiZe. The
foremost was cut away but il was not
until the mainmast had gone by the board
that the boat righted. Then the main
deck was awaSh by the cas-.
Realizing our danger. we had some pro-
visions and kegs OF water carried up and
secured On the roof Of the cabin All the
provisions below had been spoiled, and
the vessel was completely flooded
The crew suffered of course from the
cold. as it was cher hailing OF sleetiBg all
the time we were huddled together on the
roof of the cabin. We had signals of dis
tress flying, bus il was not until about
, 80 p m on February Z that smoke was
seen On the horizon. and some hours lat
CT the Carl came to our assistance
I saved the ships papers, some instru-
meEts. including the chronOmeter. and a
little Of my clothes The crew saved only
such clothes as they wore We would Ger
tainIy have lost oar lives in the last storm
had we not been taken of our water-Iog-
eed and dIsmasted craft. No small boat
could have lived in such stormy seas
Captain Aarousen went to a hospital to-
Fav-