The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-12-23
Ten Men Brought in From
Wintry Seas.
THREE DAYS OF TORTURE
Six Men Went Down in Collision, Four Died
While Drifting in Helpless Boat,
One, Insane, Purgedslnto
the Sea.
By the Associated Press.)

(BY the ASSOclaJeu 1TeSS.J
Boston, Dec. 22.-Almost crazed from
their sufferings, frost bitten and help
less, ten men in boat were picked up
by the schooner Manhassett yesterday
forty-five miles off Highland light house.
Then for the first time it was learned
that the schools Frank A. Palma and
Louise B. Crary had been in collision,
and that they had been sunk off that
island on Wednesday evening. The sur
vivors were landed here today.
OF the twenty-one men that 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 theft clothes frozen in
solid masses and their boat being steadily
driven before a bitter gale out into the
Atlantic, it seems remarkable that so
many survived. The roster of dead and
living follows:
Dead-crew of the Louise B. Crary:
j. E. SMITH, mate, Portland, Me-
w. Fl. ROWLAND, engineer.
HANS --, German seaman.
DAVID Shanan. New Foundland.
AUGUST JOHNSEN, Swede.
OLAF BERG, Norwegian.
PETER LACHR. South American.
Unknown seamon.
Crew of the Palma:
FRANK BANTA, Finland.
EDWARD JERGENSEN, Norway
ALBERT SPERLING, Philadelphia.
Survivors of the Crary: Captain VIM.
Fl Potter, Orient; Louis Stein, engineer.
Survivors of the Palma: Captain j. E.
Rawling, South Boston: Svend Reinhart,
Providence, r. l.; lex. Lundstrom, Fin
land; Edward Somerville, Providence,
r. l.; Daniel Carlsy, Norway; c. f.
FIorenzen, Sweden; Vinton, mate.
The two schooners, both heavily laden
with coal. doubled Cape Codd in com
pany and ran to a strong Northwestern on
Wednesday night. Both captains put
their vessels over towards the Cape and
Ann shore. When off that island they
split tacks and finally both came about
at the same time, and unknown to them
selves, headed toward each other, the
Crary holding north on the port tack
L
tack and therefore having the righ OF
way.
The survivors today were inclined to
lay the blame of the accident on Mate
Smith 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
Palma, but instead the Crary crashed
into the bow of the Palma. The cut was
deep, and it was seen instantly that
there was no hope for either vessel.
Most of the small boats were smashed
and some of the men killed by the col
lisions, but others of both crews by
quick work. launched the long boat of the
Palma into which clambered the cap
tairs of both vessels and thirteen others.
There was not a moment for storing
food or water in the boat and the roWers
had propelled it only short distance
from the schooners when the Palma
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
eleven survivors underwent sufferings
VI
on Friday, lay down in the bow of the
boat and that night they died. Eleven
remained up till Saturday night when
Frank Banta went insane and under the
delusion that his mother betokened to
him he walked into the sea. The others
were powerless to restrain him.
Shortly after this the two captains de-
cided that the bodies Of the four dead
men should be consigned to the deep, and
bending over them, Captain Pitter, of the
Crary, repeated as much of the burial
service as he could remember Then the
strongest of the survivors put the bodies
overheard.
IL the three days and half that the
men were afloat their boat drifted steadi-
~ off shore until at 3 o'clock Sunday
morning it was forty-five miles off High
land light. There the lookout on the
fishing schooner Manhassett, caught a
glimpse oft he boat and within half an
hour the ten men were in the cabin of
the schooner.
Captain Malone at once crowded on all
sails and brought his survivors into
Boston.