Fort Mill times. [volume] (Fort Mill, S.C.) 1892-current, 1901-07-24
FIVE DROWNED IN YACHT
The Venizia Lost in a SquaIl or
Long Island Sound.
CAPTAIN BLAMED FOR DISASTER

Sole Male Survivor Says That the Skip
per Did Sot Heed Owners Advice M
to Shortening Sail - A. T. Colburn q
Philadelphia Manufactures. Ills Tive
Daughters, and Two OF the Crew Perish
New Haven, Conn. - The tug Ger
trude brought into New Haven Harbor
the two survivors of Il yachting party
of seven and the news Of the worst
yachting fatality that Long Island
Sound has known In wears.
On board the Gertrude were Mrs.
Walter J. Sprankle. of Philadelphia
and James Stanridge. while caught in
\ the sunlen wreck of the Yacht Ven
Sitzia, off Captains Island. there were
the bodies of Arthur T. Colburn.
Wealthy Philadelphia spice mauulac.
Gcr and owner of the yacht: his TWO
lighters, Annette and Ida Elizabeth:
yptain Flint. of Brooklyn. the skip
Er OF the Ncnitzia. and an unknown
bnlor
T. Stanridgo was the steward OF the We
nltzia. When seen he told of the aw-
full experience from which he and Mrs
Spranklc were the sole Survivors. He
Dlamcs Captain Flint for the accident.
and he says he knows Mr.. Colburn adj
vised the skipper to lower everything
but the jib ana jiggcr some time be-
fore the sqCall struck the Ncnitzia.
but Captain Flint declined to do SO.
I'VE left Delaware City" said stan
ridge, with seven persons aboard.
The party consisted of Mr. Colburn.
his two daughters. Mrs. SprankIc
Captain Flint, Fred Uhc sailor. and
myself. When we We're out in Long
Island Sound all sails were set. and.
with sheets we'll started. we laid
course up the Sound.
while busy preparing dinner I
heard the party aft discussing the
condition of the weather Mr. Col
burn said he thought Il sQuall was
brewing, and l am sure that lie adj
viscd the skipper to shorten sail"
The rest of the story is not quite so
clear I'm the mind or the steward.
whose trying experience seems to have
unnerved him. He was busy about the
gasoline cooking stove when q sQual
struck the NenitZia. The boat did not
right. and the steward. who was
thrown Off his feet, scrambled to tho
forward comnanion way TO see what
had happened
He Ind hardly reached the hatch
when he heard the agoniZCd screams
VI tile Woultn III lllc cillll. tInl3in
Flint. who was at the wheel when the
squall struck the boat was still mt
his post. while near him We're Nh Col
burn and the sailor hand. They were
all hcwlldcrcd. and did not know
which WHY To turn for safety Tho
stnrboard side OF the y9wl was buried
deep in the water. which was rushing
into the cabin through tho open doors
OF the after-companiouway
The screams of the women cont.n-
ned, hut the steward was unable to
move foot in their direction to rem
der assistance. The Ncuitzia was sc'-
ding by this time Tons of water Lad
poured into the cabin.
Realizing that he could do nothing
to Eclp the other persons aboard. STAN
ridge jumped overheard just before
the NcnitZia was submerged He is
n good swimmer auG sirucl; out for =
rope which he saw dangling from The
mainsail. which by this time was part
ly under water. With Z few SWIFT
strokes he nearCd the spot where ho
had seen the rope IS nc reached his
objective point he nearly lost heart
when he saw the sail Gisnpprar urdcr
the waves. He gropcl hliEdly. trying
10 seize the rope. hut could not find il.
AS he turned he saw Mrs SprInkle.
who after Il desperate struggle had
forced her way ont o. the flooded cul-
in. strike ont for tho stern or the
small boat. which was floating Got,am,
up. Al the same moment St"nriGg'
realized that the boat was his only
hove. Mrs. Sprauklc reached 1hc boat
first and seized the rUdl"Y Shc was
cool And answered. When S'Inhridgc
;old her to hang on for her life. II am
all right now"
The squall lasted over half au hour,
The overturned boat With Mrs. Sprar,
klc and the steward clin-nG to IL waS'
tossed from wave TO wave. hut thj
E%avy iron davitS kent il from turning
y over. Had it overturned il would,
surely have filed with water and conc
n " came an ho,,r later. ana Mrs.
SprX. lc ana Stanridsc werc taken
abof& the Gertrude and cared for.
Tho Venitzia was a yawl-riGs"d
yacht, fifty cour feet water line, an1
sixty three feet over all. she WAS built
in 1880 and was deliberately furnished.
She was on her way To Ncwport tc
join the fleet Of the Cornthian Yacht
Club of Philadelphia there
ROMANCE OF A SANDWICH GIRL,