The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-12-26
ELEVEN DEAD
The Ten Survivors Arrived ut Bos-
ton I'm n Most -Pftiable Condition.
Two Schooners Gs Sea Run Togeth-
err and Very Soon Both Went Down
Some Of Both Crews Managed 10
Get I'm the Life Boat. But Wfthoui
Until Finally Picked Up by the


Boston. Mass. December 22.-Almost
crazed from Their sufferings. frost bitten
and helpless, ten men in a boat were
Iterday. forty-ive miles of Highland
Light. Then for the first time it was
Learned that the schooners Frank A.
Palmer and Louise B. Cary had been in
Icnllision and that thew had been sun
off ThatcherS island on Wednesday
evening. The survivors Were landed
here today. OF the twenty-one men
that made up the two crews. six were
carried down VIXEN the two vessels
sank. four died during the terrible three
days drift in Massachusetts bay and
another became insane and jumped
over board.
With no foo o or water, their clothes
frozen in COLD masses. and their boat
being steadily driven before a bitter
gale out into the Atlantic. it seems re-
markable hat so MANY survived.
The two schponers. both heavily laden
with coal doubled Cape Cod in
and ran INTO q strong nor.hwester on
"wednesday night. Both captains put
their vessels yer towards the Cape
Ann shore. VIII n off Thatcher island
they split tacxs and finally both came
about at rhe same time. and n
To themselves headed toward each
other, the Crary holding north on the
port tack n the Palmer south on the
~Istarboard tack and therefore having
the right Cf way.
The survivors today were inclined to
lay the blame of the accident on the
Imafp of the ltTI1v xUhn bod nh1r0n ~
the deck at the time n who went
down with the ship. They are of the
lopinion that he thought ne could wealth
Ter the Palmer. .'Ut instead the Crary
crashed into the bow of the Palmer.
IIhe cut was de o and IL was seen in.
istantlv that there was no hope for
le1ther vessel. Most nf the small boats
Ewere mashed and some of the men were
killed bv the collision. but other of both
lcrewS by quick work. launched the lone
boat of the Palmer. into which Chamber
led the captains of both vessels and
thirteen others. There was not a mo-
lment for storing food or water in the
boat and the rowerS had propelled it
lonly a short distance from the schoon-
Iers when the Palmer went down. Three
minutes later the Crary disappeared.
Without food and water. dI enched tn
THE skin, spray freezing to their gar
lmentS because of the bitter cold the fiji
lLecn SURVIVORS underwent Su1er1QRS IN
ldeScribable. Four men of the Crazy on
FRIDAY lay down in the bow of The boat
land that night tl.ey died. Eleven re-
manned up till Saturday night when
Frank Banta went insane and under the
ldelusion. that mis- mother beckoned tc
him he walked into the sea. The others
were powerless to restrain him.
Shortly after this the two captains de-
Irided that the bodies of the four dead
men should be consigned to tn uAe
land bending over them, Captain Pitter
Iof the Crary. repeated as much of the
burial service rs he could remember
Then the strongest of the put
the bodies overheard.
In the three days and a half that the
men were af1oat. their boat drifted Of
!shore until at 8 o'clock Sunday mornine
it was forty-flve miles off Highland
Hight. There the lookout on the ishins
schooner Manhassett caught a glimpse
iof the boat and within half an hour the
ten men were IN the cabin of tbs
SCHOONER.
Captain Malone at once crowded or
all sails, brought his Survivors int
boston