The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1905-01-10
WRECK or THE NORTHEASTERN
Fearful Experience Of the Crew Of n
Steamer Stranded During a Storm
ON Diamond ShoaIs-Heroic Con-
duct of Members OF Life-Saying
Crews-AH on Board Saved.
WirginianPilot)

fully shown by the story Captain VIII
liam Inch, Of the wrecked Northeast
ern, told a virginian-PfIot man yester-
day before sailing for New York on the
Old Dominion line.
Chief Officer Overlook, with two sea-
men, were having the lead at the time
we struck the outer Diamond Shoals.
Overlook shouted there was NJ bottom
at % fathoms. but the next m I
saw breakers ahead. 1 called for an
other sounding and the mate said II
fathoms. I backed ard astern, but it
was no use. The ship vas ashore. We
were glad to escape with our lives.
Death threatened US in two forms
drowning and by explosion, for If that
oil had eve reached the furnace there
wouldn't have been enough of us left
to put in a cigar box. Those life-savers
are the real heroes after all. They
braved death to take US off and mere
words cannot begin to describe their
heroism."
This statement was made yesterday
afternoon by captain William Iinch,
dl1ootC4 Va IS A1NActCo oi ACalli
Northeastern, which lies a total wreck off
Diamond Shoals, cape Hatteras, having
gone ashore in the fierce gale of De-
cember q. Captain Linch and the
twenty-one men comprising the crew,
who were rescued by the l~ife-saving
crews of Hatteras and Creed's Hill sta
tons after a desperate battle in the
mountainous waves, arrived at 4:1O
- 49,
Norfolk and southern from Elizabeth
City, to which place they went from
Hatteras. The survivors left last night
over the Old Dominion line for New
York. After reporting to the agents,
Captain Inch will go to his home at
Philadelphia, while tre crew will seek
other berths at New York. The men
| saved nothing from the wreck and some
of them were but half clad. They were
a motley and unkempt looking crowd
of many n~ationalities and their condi-
ton excited the pity Of those who saw
them at the train. Each man was sup
piled with a frst-class lex to New
York. A good many Of the seamen
carried souvenirs of their landing place
in the shape Of sea shells, while the
| steward had in his han a piece of sea-
| wood which he secured while being
taken ashore in one of the life-savacs'
boats.
STORY OF THE WRECkK.
IT have been up and down the coast
| past Hatteras for many years" said
| Captain Linch to a Virginian-Pilot re-
| porter, "and have been in many tight
| places and in many fierce storms, but
the experience I went through this
] time will finger in my emo forever.
i For thirty-three hours we hovered be-
| tween life and DEATH, not knowing
moment we would be swept into the
| swirling, raging sea. The waves OF the
notorious Diamonds beat against the
| side of the ship with the noise of a
thousand siege uns and the ship
shivered and trembled until we thought
she must go to pieces. The weather
was biting cold and the salt spray froze
as it flew over our bodies. We spent
two nights such as not often fall to the
lot of the seafaring man, but Provi-
dence held out a guiding hand and sent
the ~life-savers just in time, for we had
not been away from the wreck long
when she took an awful plunge, her
steel back broke in two and when the
III USSoi ~ OoS SNN AoAA w
knew it was the last of the Northeast
ern.
'It was noon on December 9th when
we rounded Lookout. There was a
strong south gale on at the time and at
1890 p. m. 1 move the ship to and
turned her head to the wind. The seas
were making clean breaches over the
bows and the gale increased, the wind
1 cbiffino RI corfh Southwest We ran
before the gale all the afternoon and at
1873 o'clock that night I sighted a light
We were approaching. The chief en-
gineer and myself took the bridge and
I directed First Mate Overlook n two
seamen to heave the lead quick to see
what bottom we had. The vessel was
tossing in the heavy sea when the mate
shouted there was no bottom at % faith
oms. He had no sooner given me that
information when 1 saw brakers ahead
and called to the mate to again heave
the lead. He replied by saying there
was II fathoms, but the ship had got-
ten in the breakers and there was moth
ing to save her. I saw that we were in
a tight place and I ordered full speed
astern. In two minutes We were pouni-
ing on the outer shoals.
DREADED TERRIBLE EXPLOSION.
THE win was sweeping up the coast
at the rate Of sixty miles an hour and
as 10 as we struck I ordered torches
burned. I also ordered the boats cleared
away. We had but two ~lifeboats and l
soon saw that it meant death to launch
them and I ordered more torches burn
ed. The l~ife-savers saw our predicament
and answered with rockets. The waves
ran muntain-high all night and when
the bow became awash we fed to the
after cabin. There we remained unit
daylight when we hoisted signals of
distress which were answered by the
life-savers. The water had now gotten
into the storeroom n all of the pro-
visions were soaked. we managed to Sc
cure a few canned goods, which sup
piled the crew until We were taken off.
LAS soon as the vessel struck I IA
that if the oil in the hold got into the