The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-02-18
A STEAMER
 GOES DOWN The Olive Sinks in the
 ChOwan River. WAS STRUCK BY TORNADO Seventeen Persons Known to
 Have PeriShed. Majority of the Crew Below at the Time the Accident Occurs. Wind Threw Vessel
 on Her Beams.


 between Franklin. Va, and Edenton. N. c. last night and sent her to the bot tom of the Chowan River, between Mount Pleasant and Olivers Wharf
 Seventeen persons are known to have been drowned and others who were res cued are in a serious condition
 The wind caused the Olive to go over on her beams end and when she rtghted 1t was only to sink on account of the water she had taken. A majority Of the crew were below at the time and had nc opportunity to reach the pilot house of the vessel. This was the only point above water and in 1t standing waist deep from the time of the accident until o'clock in the morning Captain George H. Witney and five others were saved.
 List of the Dead.
 Jake Lassiter, white. aged 26, home Rich Square, N. C., salesman for Cariin & Fulton, Baltimore hardware dealors.
 Mrs. Bennett. Franklin. Va.
 Twelve year old daughter of Mrs. Bsn- nett.
 Mrs. Vaughan, Franklin, Va
 Frank Hunter.
 George Butt.
 W, H. Edwards.
 Andrew Vaughan, colored hand.
 Abraham Cooper, Prescott ssott. colored fremen.
 Esther Williams, oolored cook.
 John Cooper, colorsd porter
 George White, colored preacher.
 Four unknown, colored passengers.
 Those saved were: Captain Withey, Engineer Conroy, Purser Bell, coloreo steWardess and two white passengers. At 6 o'clock this morning the river steamer Petit hove in sight and rescued the almost frozen survivors. The Olive was small single screw steamer owned by J. A. Prettow ot Franklin, Va, and has been plying be- tween North Carolina and Virginia for several years. She left Franklin last evening for Edenton and had almost reached her destination when the tornado struck her.
 According to the statement of Captain withy to the Associated Press here to- night seventeen persons are known tu have been lost on the sinking steamer and a life boat loaded with Engineer Conway, Assistant J. P. Murphy, Purser J. N. Bell, one white and two colored passen- gers, unknown, and two colored deck hands which left the steamer in hopes of reaching a vessel fhose lights could be seen in the distance. is yet unheard from. If these have been drowned, the death list will reach twenty-five.
 Captain Withey Talks.
 Captain Withey reached Norfolk this afternoon in company with Martha Bar rett, colored stewardess to the steamer.
 To the Associated Press he made the following statement:
 We left Franklin on our regular trip to Edenton yesterday morning at Il o'clock A heavy southwest wind was blowing but along the Chowan River we did not mind 1t much, At o'clock last night we passed Hollies Wharf and head cd for Edenton Bay. The weather be- came so heavy that I could not risk the open and put the boat about to return up the river for safety. It was just about o'clock whey everything became inky black and a terrible roaring broke out of the night. I was adone in the pilot house and most of those below had turned in. In a second something struck the boat on her port beam and turned her over on her starboard side. thought she would never right herself. and q monster wave dashed over us. It flooded the hold and smashed every window around us. With the rush of water into her hold the Oli- yer slowly lighted and in less than two minutes after having struck she was resting on the bottom with only the pilot house above the river. Two life boats were swept away and one was left. In this the engineer, assistant engineer pur- ser and one white and two colored pas sengers climbed and put of in hope of catching up with a tow boat that could be seen ahead of us. I neveh saw them after they left our side. Their going left the stewardess and one white and two colored passengers on board with me. We stood in water waist deep until o'clock this morning when a Norfolk and South ern steamer hove in sight, took us off and landed us at Edenton. where we took the train for Norfolk. The boat sunk so quick ly after being struck that none below had a chance to reach the deck and all must have drowned in berths.'
 A special to The Vrginian Pilot from Suffolk says that the crew of eight who embarked in lifeboats were picked up after rowing four hours by the tug Gazelle and landed at Tunis.
 It was learned tonight that a white man named Wilder of Coleraine. N. C., Is also among the drowned, making the eighteenth victim. Work will he started tomorrow to recover the dead bodies and if possible raise the steamer.