The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1902-12-25
A TRAGEDY AT SEA
Survivors of Wrecked Ships
Tell Of Terrible Sufferings.
THREE DAYS ADRIFT WITHOUT FOOD
Eleven rerishcd Before Relief Came,
nnd Those saved Were Frostbit-
ten and HcIpicsS--C
Caused the Disaster.

BOSTON, Dec. 23.-Almost crazcd
from their sufferngs, frostbittcn and
helpless, ten men in boat have been
picked up by the schooner Mauhassctt
forty-five miles off Highland light
Then FOR the first time it was learned
that the schooners Frank A. Palmer
and Louise B. Crary had been In COLI
sion and had been sunk Off Thutcher's
island on Wednesday evening.
The survivors of the tragedy We're
landed here. OF the twenty-one men
who made up the two crews siX were
carried down when the two vessels
sank, four died during the terrible
three days drift in Massachusetts
bay, and another became insane and
jumped overheard.
With no food or water. their clothes
frozen in solid masses and their boat
being steadily driven before bitter
gale out into the Atlantic it seems re-
markable' that so many managed to
survive.
The two schooners. both heavily lad
en- with coal, doubled Cope Cod in com
pany and ran into strong northwester
on Wednesday night. Both captains
put their vessels over toward the Cape
Ann shore for "a lee " hen off Thatch-
ers island, they spli tacks and finally
both came about az W same time and
unbeknown to the CAPTAINS headed to-
ward each other, the Crary holding
north on the rprt tack and the Palmer
south on the starboarC tack and there
fore having the right of way.
The survivors are inclined to lay the
blame of the accident on J. Il. Smith
of Portland. Me, mate of the Crary,
who had charge of the deck at the time
and who went down with the ship.
They are Of the opinion that he thought
he could weather the Palmer; but. as
In other similar accidents. the calcula-
tion was erroneous. The Crary crashed
into the bow of the Palmer. The cut
was deep, and it was seen instantly
that there was no hope for either yes
sci. Most of the small boats were
smashed and some of the men killed
by the collision, but others of both
crews by quick work launched the long
boat of the Palmer into which clam
bered the captains of both vessels and
thirteen others.
There was not moment for storing
food or water in the boat, and the
Powers had propelled it only short
distance from the schooners when the
Palmer went down. Three minutes
later the Crary disappeared.
Without food and water, drenched to
the skin, spray freezing to their gar
ments because of the bitter cold, the
fifteen survivors underwent sufrerings
indescribable. -Four men of the Crary
on Friday lay down in the bow of the
boat, and that night they died. Eleven
remained up till Saturday night. when
Franz Banta went insane and walked
into the sea. The others We're power
less to restrain him.
In the three days and a half that the
men We're afloat their boat drfted
steadily offshore until at s o'clock Sun
day morning ii was forty-five miles off
Highland light. There the lookout on
the fishing schooner Manhassett caught
q glimpse of the boat, and within half
an hour the ten men were rescued.
The sailors at the relief hospital have
improved steadily. They describe their
experience as most terrible one. The
death of Banta, the Finlander, is re-
called as most pathetic In his de
lirium he saw home and Christmas
tree and his mother beckoning him to
come to her over the water. lie stepped
over the side of the boat in response to
the fancied summons to walk on the
water and was swallowed up.