The Van Buren press., 1902-02-15
MADE FRU|lESS QUEST.
Five Life-Saving Crews Searched
In Vain For the Crew of q
Burning Schooner.
they SUFFERED BADLY THEMSELVES,
Ssafaring Men Advance the Theory
That the Crew May Have Been
Tnken on BY Passing Vessel
before the Schooner was Fired
and Abandoned,

| Cape May, n. j., Feb. 12.--The hull
OF the unknown schooner which wa.
burned at sea, Monday night, off thi,
place, is floating about in the ice 6
Few miles off shore. The crews OF
hVe life-saving stations went to the
assistance of the burning vessel Mon
day night, but after being out unit
three o'clock Tuesday morning the,
gave up the attempt to reach her and
rowed back to the shore. Most OF
The crews were compelled to land al
Anglesea, N. j., where the harbor is
protected, the high wind preventing
them from landing at their stations
The night was very dark and the ice
was SO thick that it was almost i'm
possible to force the boats through
1t. The fire was brightest between
seven and eleven o'clock Monday
night.
Seafaring men here advance the
theory that it became necessary to
abandon the schooner, and that the
crew were taken off by passing ves-
sci. Before leaving her under such a
condition the captain may have
dropped anchors and set fire to the
ship in order to remove her from
the path OF passing craft.
The life savers from the stations at
Cape May, Cape Point and Two-Mile
beach who have returned to their
homes are telling graphic stories of
their long and unavailing struggle
against the elements in their effort
to lend assistance to the crew of the
burning ship. The night was about
the coolest of the winter and the
darkness was almost impenetrable.
In addition, there was wind enough
to make the sea choppy and therefore
dangerous for small craft. For sew
eral days past great quantities of ice
has been floating out of Delaware
bay, and this is packed along the
shore and extending several miles
out to sea. The burned schooner was
first observed on fire at about five
o'clock Monday afternoon. At that
time she appeared to be imbedded In
the drifting ice. The three life-sav-
ing crews from this vicinity were
Joined by the crews from two sta
tons north Of here and these men
bAttled for hours in fruitless en-
deayor to penetrate the Ice and get
" the assistance of the imperlled
crew of the blazing ship. Their ef-
forts were In win, however, as they
were unable TO force their frail boats
through the packed ice. Long after
midnight the brave men gave up their
battle against the elements and re-
turned to the shore. Their suffering
was intense. One Of the surfmen
from this city, Enoch Il. Roseman,
wns found to be badly frozen and he
was carried In an almost unconscious
condition from the beach TO the sta
ton where medical assistance was
rendered. All during the night resi-
dents of this place lined the beach
and watched the burning ship
through marine glasses. When the
fire was at It's height the flames
leaped high into the air. Smoke is
still issuing from the hulk, which mp
pears to be drifting In the Ice. The
schooner was first seen about six
miles of Cape May, Saturday night
IL is believed she was then caught in
the ice which finally started leak
and led the captain to set fire to the
ship and abandon her.