The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-05-05
RESCUED So IN A HIGH SEA,
THE ST. ANDREWS CREW SAVED
FRENCH FISHERMEN.

They We're on DismantIed Sans souci and
Were Taken or In a I.irebOat-
swept 10 Death Before Help Came
Gallant Rescue Made OF the Banks
Capt. Fitzgerald, the fearless skipper
Of the lofty sided freighter st. Andrew,
that did the stunt, is an lrishman: the second
officer, s. H. Hobbs who refers to himself
as the Auxiliary mate Is native of Brk-
enhead. England the bo's'n, william
OBrien. is Irish, and the ifeboat's crew
of six able seamen are Scandinavians
But the st. Andrew is British craft, never
thelcss.
She got in from Antwerp yesterday with
50 French fishermen and six Breton boys
that she rescued off the Banks in gale
from the thirty-year-old, full-rigged brig
Sans Souc.
Originally there were II souls aboard
the little brig, which had weathered a
thousand or more storms in her long career
plying between st. Malo, France and New
foundland. chiefly in the lobster trade.
Six of her crew were lost before the St.
Andrew hove in sight.
Nota man Of those rescued from the little
fisher craft speaks English. 1t was lucky
for them that Capt. Fitzgerald, who has
picked up the languages of many ports
has fair smatterng of French.
1t was his watch below" when, at $40
o'clock on Tuesday morning, the officer
in charge of the bridge saw a two-masted
vessel houndering in tall seas. The skipper
was aroused. He promptly headed for the
luckess fisherman. not caring continental
about the flag she flew, having a cosmo-
politan collection of seafarers aboard his
own ship.
The Sans Souci apparently was about
to go TO pieces. She flew the French flag
at half (mast she couldn't fly it union down,
because it is not built that way) and had
hoisted the international code signals
meaning Il want immediate assistance. l
am sinking
The st. Andrew. which, the Frenchmen
say. will I've the saint who will be ment Toned
in their future devotions. ran alongside Of
the brig. Capt. Fitzgerald. in his best
Souci and asked If he, Guyomard, couldn't
come aboard in his own boats. Where
upon. Capt. Louis Guyomard responded:
81 have only one boat aboard and that is
stove and entangled in wreckage. All the
rest fourl are drifting, stove and bottom
up alongside
Then Capt. Fitzgerald shouted through
his megaphone across the tumbling waves,
fifteen feet or more tall that he would
stand by and send boat. 1t looked n
risky thing to launch even stanch new
lifeboat Of a big new freighter in SO lofty
sea.
The Celtic skipper called for volun-
teers. The sturdy little black-eyed Bir-
swain stepped forward. Then the six
Scandinavians, J. Berg. quartermaster, and
Able Seamen j Johansen, \. Petersen,
j. Jansen. j, Olsen and W. Kuncher said
they were willing to help.
The st. Andrew steamed about 6OO
yards to whdward Of the rudderless, rolling
brig, making fine lee for her and other
wise shetering her from the gale.
The lifeboat was swung out on the
davits in jiffy but it was hard job lower
and the boat bumped against her star
board side Cork Tenders along the gun
vale helped to save the lifeboat from dis
aster. All the boats crew were without
oilskins, and many, including Hobbs and
O'Brien were barefooted and coatless.
fearing that they would have to swim for
their lives as 1t looked unlikely that the
lifeboat could survive the seas.
Mate Hobbs was surprised, after being
lifted on the crests and sliding down into
the troughs Of a dozen tall waves, to find
that all hands aboard the brig were in heavy
oilskins and wooden-soled seaboots.
ANY one Of them, Il he had gone over
hoard, would have had d. poor S chance Ss for
lifeline or helping hand near by. They
were fine, strapping lot of fellows. some
what weak and pale for lack of food, and
they charged us like the heavy brigade
when we bumped alongside. staving the
port side OF the lfeboat,
Il unshipped the tiller and made few
cracks at them and they fell back, because
it might have meant death to al! OF US II
they had capsized the boat, The French
captain held many of them back: | must
a, n clpyer chan and tried TO do
his duty.
Thirty of them got into the boat and
some lay there like logs. because they had
been three days without food or water and
"The st. Andrew went to leeward and
picked us up.
Il thought we'd smash the bottom out
of the boat every time we tumbled down
into the trough, Every mothers son was
hoisted them - aboard with lines.
I'VE made three trips, taking four hours
in all, the captain, meantime. making
lee for the brig; otherwise we wouldn't
have been able to save the men. They
were properly grateful. The skipper was
the last man to leave the brig.
Il went aboard her on the last trip, and
at my suggestion he hacked holes in her
forward with an axe, SO she might fill and
sink and cease to be menace to naviga-
ton.
-The first creatures to get aboard the life
boat were two dogs. They're just dogs
| think Capt. Guyomard gave them to us,
and they seem to he happy where they
are"
The rescued men were taken to Ellis
Island The names of the lost are. Louis
Redon. Sevre Duguily. Trevinal. Priac.
Beyo and lilly. One Of the lost was the
father OF one OF the saved boys.
The Sans Souc sailed from ST Malo on
March 2s for Labrador with cargo Of salt
for preserving fish She intended TO land
the fishermen at places in Labrador and
later take home cargo OF HOLSTERS. She
found the sea lane she usually took clogged
with ice and steered a course to the south
ward to find an opening. She ran into
heavy weather. carrying away all her
sails and yards and springing aleak.
A great sea that swept across her moved
of her Lighthouses and swept six men over
board.
L rdad lsr tho Ercnch Gnyern.