Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-12-22
PICKED UP At SEA
Survivors of Collision Be-
tween Two Schooners.
ELEVEN MEN PERISHED
THOSE SAVED HAD SUFFERED
DREADFUL HARDSHIPS.
The Vessels Sank Directly After They
Struck-Both Were Laden
With Coal.
ELEVEN MEN PERISHED

| BOSTON, December %. - The fishing
schooner Manhassett arrived here early
| today, having on board ten survivors of the
wrecked schooners Frank A. Palmer and
Louise B. Crary, which were in collision
Wednesday night off Thatcher's Island.
Eleven or more sailors were either killed
| in the collision, drowned or died from ex-
posure. After the accident fifteen or more
men from either vessel took to small
boat.
Details of the Wreck.
The Louise B. Crary was a f1ve-masted
and the Frank A. Palmer four-masted
schooner. They were both coal laden,
bound for Boston. At s am. yesterday,
when the Manhassett was forty-five miles
off Highland light, the lookout sighted a
small boat with men, who were making
signals of distress. The Manhassett
changed her course and bore down on the
little craft, which proved to be the boat
which had been launched from the Crary.
Only ten Of the men aboard her were alive,
and they We're almost helpless as a result
of their exposure to the rigorous weather.
Saturday night one man became craZed by
his sufferings, and, shouting al the top Of
his voice that the police were after him, he
jumped overheard and disappeared. Four
other members Of the little boats company
died from exhaustion and the exposure to
which they had been subjected.
All the survivors were frost bitten and
some of them will probably have to have
their feet and hands amputated.
Ihe Manhassett came into the harbor
early this morning showing signals for as
sistance and by the time she arrived at
wharf ambulances were ready to transfer
the sailors to the hospital. Only six of the
men could be removed, however. The other
four were In such a critical condition that
1t was deemed impossible that they could
survive being taken off the vessel.
Two of the men on the Manhassett are
nf tha
and Capt: r. S. Rawling Of the Frank A.
Palmer. The other two men are sailors,
both OF whom are raving maniacs.
Deranged by Suffering.
The men taken to the hospital were not
only In critical condition physically, but
they were in such mental plight that
nothing could be learned from them as to
their experience. Little by little, however,
the crew Of the Manhassett had learned
something Of the hardship Of the ship
wrecked men. It appears that the collision
occurred at 1880 o'clock last Wednesday
night some miles off Cape Ann. The night
was clear, but stiff gale was blowing and
the sea was running high. The members of
the Palmer's crew claim that the Crary
was on the wrong tack, and In attempting
to cross the Palmer's bow hit her on. the
bow, cutting her nose square off. and en-
tangling both vessels in the wreck
The anchor and bowsprit of the Palmer
sank away from the wreck, while the an
chor OF the Crary was tangled in the fore
rigging of the Palmer and broke off the
foremost. The vessels began to fill and
sank in a few minutes.
The Palmers men managed to lower
boat. There was no time to procure pro-
visions or additional clothing. AS the men
cleared the wreck Of their vessel they saw
the Crary's men in the same plight as they
mad been and made room for as many as
could reach the boat. Fifteen souls were in
the small craft when it finally pulled away
both captains being among those who thus
escaped. A short time after the boat left
both schooners went down. Six men per-
ished when the vessels sank
For the survivors, battle which lasted
three days and four nights had begun One
third OF the number succumbed in the fight,
none was able to realize what they had
escaped.
Loaded With Coal.
The Louise B. Crary was a comparatively
new vessel. She was built by the New
England Shipbuilding Company at Bath,
Me-, In 1900, and was one of the finest five
masters on the coast. Her cargo consisted
of 3,7O2 tons Of bituminous coal, consigned
to this port. The vessel was only partially
insured, but her cargo Of coal was fully
covered
The Frank A. Palmer was the largest
four-masted schooner ever constructed. She
was built at Bath, Me, in 1897, and was
sold to ]. s. Winslow & Co., of Portland.
Me. She sailed from Newport News on
December with 100 tons of coal for Bos-
ton.
States Shipping Commissioner Becker could
give the names of only six of the crew of
the schooner Louisa B. Crary, as follows:
Hans Blank, German; David Shanahan.
Newfoundland; Louis Stem, Norwegian;
Gus Johnson, Swede; Olaf Berg, Norwe-
gian. and Peter Lache, South America.
Shanahan, Johnson and Lache were natur-
allied Americans, but none of the men lived
in this city