Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-02-18
LIKE RATS IN A TRAP
2.s ~sza
Seventeen Persons. Known to
Have Been Drowned.
STEAMER OLIVE SINKS.
- Z q. s.i---i-
CYCLONE CAUSED "a HER TO GO
OVER ON HER BEAM END. T.
Death List May Reach Twenty Five
Furious Windstorm Causes 4a'a
- - - $50 -. -
Havoc Along. Coast, "a
STEAMER OLIVE SINKS

A cyclone struck the passenger steamer
Olive, which plies between Franklin. ;Va.,
and Edenton, N. c., at $50 o'clock Monday
night and sent her to the bottom OF the
Chowan river, OF WoodIey's pier, between
Mount Pleasant and divers wharf. both
river points only a few miles from Edenton.
According to the statement Of Captain,
Witty, who reached Norfolk, Va. last night
seventeen persons are known to have been
lost on the sinking steamer, and a, .ifeboat
loaded with Engineer c. L. Conway, AS
sstant Engineer j. P. Murphy, Purser ]. n
Bell, one white and two colored passengers
and two colored deck hands. which left
the steamer in hope Of reaching a vessel
whose lights could be seen In the distance
is yet unheard from. If these have been
drowned the death list will reach twenty
five. e.., m
List Of the Drowned.
Those known to be drowned are as fol-
lows: Jacob Lassiter, white. twenty-five
years old, whose home is at Rich Square,
N. c.. and who was salesman for Carlin &
Fulton, Baltimore hardware, dealers; Mrs
Bennett, Franklin, Va; twelve-year-old
daughter Of Mrs. Bennett; Mrs. Vaughan Of
Franklin, Va; Frank Hunter, colored, deck
hand; George Butt. colored, deck hand: W.
EUWdTuS, COiWeu, OcCA ldHup Andrew
Vaughan, colored deck hand; Andrew
Cooper, colofed, fireman.: John Prescott
Scott, colored, fireman; Esther Williams,
colored. cook; John Cooper, eolored, porter;
Rev. George White, a cOlored minister. The
names Of the others lost are unknown.
Many Passengers Were Below.
The whirlwind when it struck the Olive
caused her to go over on her beam end
When she righted it was only to sink on
account of the water she had taken Atma-
jority Of the passengers and crew were be-
low at the time and had no opportunity to
reach the pilot house Of the vessel. This
point was the only portion left above water
In the pilot house, standing waist deep
from the time OF the accident until 6
O'CLOCK yesterday morning, Capt. George H.
Witty and four others were saved -
Early yesterday morning the river steam
er Petit hove in sight. saw the predicament
of the persons on the, wreck and rescued
the almost frozen survivors,
e.-3 The Captafn'ststory. 49,, ss'el
Captain Witty reached Norfolk yesterday
afternoon in company with Martha Barrett,
colored stewardess of the steamer. who was
among the saved. Describing the disaster,
he said:
1--WE left Franklin on Oh regular trip to
Edenton Monday morning at II o'clock A
heavy southwest wind was blowing, but
along the Chowan river we lid not mind It
very much. At 8 o'clock Monday night we
passed Hollies wharf andsheaded for Eden
ton bay The weather, became so heavy
that I would not Fisk the open water and
for safety. It was just about 2 O'clock
when everything became inky Black and q
terrible roaring broke out of the night
was alone In the pilot house. and most of
ftoc halo bird l.,
Turned Her Over.
''In a second something struck the boat
on her port. beam and turned her over on
her starboafd side. I thought she would
| never right herself and monster wave
dashed over us. It flooded the hold and
smashed everything around us. With the
rush of water into her hold the Olive slowly
| righted, and in less than two minutes after
having been struck she was resting on the
bottom, with only the pilot. house above
the river. -. =, ~ 49,. a,,.g !ia, > .,e
1.-Two lifeboats were swept away and one
was left. Into this the; engineer, assistant
engineer, purser and one white and two
colored passengers climbed and put off, in
nope OF catching up with a towboat that
| could be seen ahead of u.s. never saw
them after they left our side. Their going
left the stewardess and one white and two
colored passengers on board with me- q
Stood in Water Waist Deep.
1--WE stood in water waist. deep until 6
o'clock In the morning when a Norfolk and
Southern steamer hove in sight, took us
of and landed us at Edenton, where we
took the train for Norfolk The boat sank
so quickly after being struck that none
below had chance to reach the deck, and
they must have been drowned in their
berths. ~ b s1t.'' o..
| There were eighteen passengers aboard
the Olive. five Of whom were white. 1 knew
only one OF them personally. a travelling
| man named Lassiter" -
Inc Olive was, q small. single-screw
steamer. owned by J. A. Pretlow of Frank
lin, Va. and had been plying between
North Carolina and Virginia for several
years. She was built in Norfolk In 1860.
She was 40 feet inches long, 20 feet 4
Inches beam and feet depth Of hold. Her
net register was 239 tons.
For q number OF years she had been en-
gagged In the freight and passenger service
IN Atbemarie sound and in the Chowan
river. and most persons who have visited
that section Of North Carolina have tray
eied on this little vessel, which was one Of
the oest-kneWn boats in that section.
FURIOUS wINDsToRM.
Buildings Desfroved ond 10r1D,har ~