The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1904-12-30

Shippers Wife Gives Graphic De
scription OF Wrecked Schooner.

scrip,ion OF Wrecked Schooner.
Il story OF suffering and hardship
tinged with deeds OF heroism was tod
yesterday by Mrs. Mabel Airy. wife Of
schooner Stewiacke. who hefped her
husband and the crew fight death on
the sinking craft several hundred miles
from coast of SPAN. The party. 10 IN
all, was rescued by the Austrian
steamship Lucia and landed here yes
terday.
In the cabin Of the Lucia yesterday
morning sat Mrs. Airey with her hus-
band and eight seamen, who comprised
the crew of the Inflated Stewiacke-
Deep lines on their faces showed more
plainly than words the Intense mental
agony which they had suffered While
battling against the elements for five
long weary days on a waterioggei
craft. The seamen, who were hollow
checked, had little to say Of their Ihr,;-
ing experience, preferring that the re-
cital come from the lips OF the woman,
who, in their eyes, proved herself a
heroine in the face Of danger that
would have appalled, a hardy mariner.
Mrs. Airey, an attractive woman o.
rs years. has made many voyages with
| her husband. She knows as much
about a ship as he does, and proved her
self Invaluable in the long days. when
ne crew kept up a hopeless fight on a
sinking craft. In speaking Of the snip
called the moments When death seemd
50 near
W sailed from Pictou, Noyia Scotia.
In September" said she. and had 1
fair run to Cadiz, Spain, which port
We left on November II on our return
voyage. with a arg Of salt. Ter days
after leaving CadiZ an awful storm
came up from The southwest The
wind blew a gale, and my husband said
it was the worst he mad ever
tered. Well, in ar hour or so later one
of the crew rushed into the cabin and
told my husband that the ship was
sinking. The vessel was pitching in
an alarming fashion, and the men had
much difficulty in moving on deck. Al
ter considerable difficulty the forward
hatch was opened and one of the mer
crawfed below. IIe reappeared in a
few nninttes with the startling report
that the hold had five feet of water.
The men We're sent to the pumps and
taece t1lev worked with the frenzy Of
f~TNair m an effort to keep the water
CSmn. Pm an houT it had risen to IA
fest.
AIT r~s1idnight Of November q my
husband came to me and said the ship
was doomed. At first / was stunned,
but, seeing the eight brave men work
! ing SO earnestly a. n pumps, I soon
became calm. Toward morning the
heavy seas swept 6ve the deck, driving
fre'nen from the pumps and carrying
away the wheel ropes. The ship thus
left sTithout steering ear was at tbs
mercy of the waves. How we eve:
g!kebt afoat / do not know, for all thai
| day and the ext The storm kept VI and
ttne water became deeper in the hold
! 1t was not until Tuesday that the wind
abated, and even then the waves Were
the highest 1 ever saw. They rushed
over the roof of our cabin, shaking he
vessel from stem to stern and carrying
Efsl ovabl objects from the deck.
The men had little time for food
Yduring hat frfghtful ordeal, but when
they did come in I tried to cheer them
tup as best I could. From Sunday until
FGidly none OF them had a moments
sleep, and when We sighted the Lucia
fthey We're haggard and so exhausted
That they could hardly stand. When the
~ts+steamship changed her course after
seeing Our plight, the bow of our YES
sci vas under water. and we feared
she would be too late in reaching IS.
+ We were driven from the cabin and
4 iiou tohcI ISluSe III Tic aISSilS. w
waved frantically to the Lucia, on
sent some of the men away in a bol.
! to meet her. NY husband tried 20
make me go with them, but I would not
I! leave him, and waited for the boat 20
come back to US. We did not save any
of our belongings, but Captian Zacevicn
Of the steamship supplied our ever
:, want. He CAV Us the best he had, and
We cannot express cur thank towards
him for his continued kindness to as
ALL
Besides Captain Airey his wife.
there were in the shipwrecked party
c. Il. Day, mate; Blois Bissett, cook;
Robert Owen, ~boatSwain, and Morgan
Dicks. Harry McFarlane, Neils Jacob
son, Carl Abramson and Jose Abriot.
seamen. Later in the day Captain
Airey visited the British consul's Of
flee and made arrangements for the
party to be returned to Nova Scotia
Philadelphia Public Ledger.