The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1903-02-26
|CVCl0ne SinkSSteaLner Olive
Without Warming Death and Destruction Came
to Passengers and Crew.
The Steamer Olive Plying Between Franklin and Edenon
Plunged to the Bottom Of Chowan River-Imprisoned
in Their State Rooms Seventeen Persons Drown
Like R7ts in a Hoe-Terrble Suffering En-
dured by Those Who Were Saved.
Norfolk yirginian-Pilot, 18th.

Norfolk yirginian-Pilot, 18th.
Seventeen lives snuffed out without
a moments warning, was the awfu
work of the cyclone which swept the
Eastern section of North Carolina
about 10 o'clock Monday night and
found in it's path the little Chowar
river steamer Olive, plying from
Franklin, Va. to Edenton, n. c.
with a human cargo of thirty souls
The full force of the death-dealine
blast struck the Olive square on hel
port side when she was about a mile
and a half from Holley's wharf, on the
ChOwan river, and, according to the
statement of Capt. G. II. Witty, the
exact time of the disaster was 1C
O'Clock.
Seventeen people are known tC
have perished like rats M a hole
without Il chance to save themselves
Those known to have met death
were:
-- WILDER, white, Coleraine
JAKE LASSITER, white, aged 25:
home, Rich Square, N. C.
MRS. -- BENNETT, white,
Franklin, Va.
MISS --B BENNETT, white, aged
II; Franklin, Va.
MRS. -VAUGHAN.w white, Cole
raine, n. c.
GEORGE BUTT, colored, deck
hand.
FRANK HUNTER, colored, deck
hand.
W. H. EDWARDS, colored, deck
hand.
ANDREW VAUGHAN ,colored, deck
hand.
ABRAM COOPER. colored, fireman
PRESTON SCOTT, colored, fire
man.
ESTHER WILLIAMS, colored,
cook.
JOHN COOPER, colored, porter.
GEORGE WHITE, colored, preach
THREE UNKNOWN CoLoRED
PASSENGERS.
Those who left the sunken vessel in
the onl V remaining life-boat are:
Chief Engineer c. l.. Conway, Assis-
tant Engineer J. P. Murphy, Purser
j. n. Bell, one white passenger, un-
known; two colored passengers un-
known, and two cOlOred deck hands.
THE WRECK A HORRIBLE DISASTER
The wreck is one of the worst that
has ever occurred in this section, and
the survivors, only four OfwhOm have
been found, speak of it as a brief Pc
riOd in which heaven and earth SEEM
ed to Join forces to completely ami
hilate the little craft and all on board
her.
The Olive left Franklin at l 1 o'clock
Monday morning on her regular trip
to Edenton and landings on the way.
She had a fair sized general cargo
and all told twenty-nine people, pas
sengers and crew, aboard.
At her wheel was the veteran OF
the Carolina sounds and rivers, Cap
tain George H. Witty, who has navi-
gated these waters ever since 1867,
and who knows every eddy and shoal
in them.
A heavy, though not violent, wind
from the Southwest had been blowing
all the morning and the little river
was considerably stirred up, but the
Olive had no trouble with the minia-
ture waves that dashed against her
PROV, and proceeded steadily on her
way from landing to landing, taking
on and putting off passengers and
freight.
Everything was smooth ilnight
set it, and then the wind increased in
volume and force.
Holley's wharf was passed at 9:45
and the boat was on the home
stretch for Edenton bay. a large space
of open water.
VIOLENT GALE MADE CAPTAIN TURN
TAIL.
The violence of the wind in the
river caused Captain Witty to decide
not to proceed into the open, and he
turned back to 90 further inland,
where the fury of the seas would be
less.
The craft had scarcely started on
the retreat when a deafening roar
came out of the North, in direct op-
position to the prevailing wind.
Every second made its sound more
terrifying. Suddenly a high line OF
white was seen rushing down on The
| doomed vessel and in an instant the
fury of the whirlwind was devOuring
everything.
When the violence OF the shock first
struck the Olive it came brOadside or
the port and the craft careened tC
starboard until the roof of the deck
house touched the angry waters. Al
the same time the monster wave
dashed completely over theprostrat'
craft, smashing in windows and food
ing every compartment.
The thrush of water to the holC
caused the Olive to right herself, bu
it also pulled her to the bottom a
the same time.
TERRIFIED NEGROES MADE FRENZIEl
FIGHT FOR LIFE.
! Words cannot describe the awfu
horror of the next few moments.
Frenzied negroes, half-clad an
wild with horror struggled to reac
the surface through unyielding bulk
heads and their screams and shrek
of fear and horror almost browne
the angry roar of the wind.
A few were successful in their effort
and scrambled along the submerge