The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1902-02-25
Barge Mary Whitridgs Goes
Down In Gale OF Seagrft.
THE LlCHTENFElS BROTHERS
Sinks About a Mile North Of Southwest
Splt-May Havs Been Run Iats After
Crew Had Turned In

New York, Feb. 2j.-Captain Parker of
the Morgan liner El Rio, in from New
Orleans. reports that he passed yesterday
morning about five miles of Sea Glrt ~.
j., an overturned yawl and the two masts
Of a sunken coal barge. directly in the
track OF coastwise navigation.
When this news was told to Captain
John Moon Of the ocean tug n. and w
>. belonging 10 the Norfolk and Western
Railroad company. he said the wreck was
doubtless that of the barge Mary Whit
ridge, once the swifest of the famous Bal
timore clippers. which foundered In a
heavy gale while in tow OF his tug about
S:i5 o'clock on Saturday morning with
her skipper, Captain Beecher, and three
men aboard.
Two of the lost men probably were
those who were washed from the
overturned top OF a deck house as the
Morgan liner FL Rio got within haling
distance OF them on Sunday morning and
was preparing To launch "a boat TO save
them. This was less than two hours
after the Whitridge went down.
1t is surmised that Captain Beecher and
his men left their sinking barge in the
Of the men seem 20 have succeeded I'm
reaching the wreckaee
The old clipper was one OF the marine
wonders OF her time. She was not "A
big ship as craft go nowadays, measur-
ing only ST tons and being only 16S feet
long: but she held the record between
Baltimore and Liverpool having made the
latter part from Chesapeake bay in IL
days and seven hours.
After Captain Moon told his story a
messenger from Quarantine brought
word that another barge, the LichIen-
fels Brothers. had been sunk about n
mile north of the Southwest Spit on the
west bank OF the main ship channel. Her
crew OF four IL l. supposed. were lost.
The news was brought to Quarantine
by incoming steamers. The HiteheHfeis
Brothers has suffered many strange sea
changes. She was originally the Ameri-
can ship Montebello, then British ship
then a German bark. Matthias. then the
Russian bark Ceres and finally an unro-
mantle coal carrier.
She sailed from Newport News on We'd
nesday with cargo OF 1911 tons OF coal
for Providence. via. the East river and
Sound. She was towing astern of the
barge George r.. Skolfield, ex-Yankee
square rigged, which was at the end of
long hawser Of the ocean tug Richmond.
The two weathered the gale OF Friday
and on Friday night were inside the
Hook The Litchtenfels Brothers ground
ed there and the tug got her off and she
let go an anchor, and at the request of
the Richmond's captain cast off her haw-
ser. The tug captain told Captain Walter
Grindle OF the Lichtenfels Brothers, who
said his boat was all right, that after
he had taken the Skolfield to anchorage
he would return and bring In the Lichten-
fels Brothers.
1t was said at the office of the Cheasa-
peake & Ohio Coal Agency company. own
ers Of the Lichtenfels Brothers, that she
may have been run into during the night
after all hands had turned In. Whatever
happened to her she had sunk when the
Richmond went down the bay at dawn
on Saturday to tow her In. Her owners
have no hope that any OF her men has
been saved.