The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-10-18
Shipwrecked, Crazed by
Hunger and Thirst.
TWO ONLY ARE SAVED
Four Leap into the Sea, Driven by
Their Sufferings to Suicide: Two
Die on the Drifting Wreck, and
Two are Finally Saved Off
Cape Lookout.
(By the Associated Press.)

Boston, Mass, Oct. ia story of
eight seamen suffered so fearfully from
exposure, hunger and thirst that six
of them either died outright, We're
washed away, or, craZed by their fear
full experience, threw themselves into
the sea, was told today by the two sur
vivors of the coastin" schooner Van
Name and King, of New Haven, which
was beaten 70 pieces by II gale off the
South Carolina coast on October 9Th.
The two men who lived through the
five days and were rescued by the
schooner Stillman F. Kelly, which ar
rived here late today, are William
Thomas and William G. Warner, both
about 20 years old, six feet three
inches tall and hail from Antigua,
British West Indies. The six who one
by one, succumbed, We're Captain Will
liam A. Maxwell, of New Jersey; Mate
+. A. Chase. home unknown; engineer,
a German, name unknown: colored
steward. name unknown; colored sea-
man, William GrizZill, and Alfred Ar
thur, both of Jamaica.
The Van Name and King which
has been plying up and down the
coast since 1886. eft Charleston, S. c..
for New York, on October 3rd, with q
cargo Of hard oine. Two days later
she ran into n heavy gale. and after
wallowing about in the great seas for
several hours, sprang a leak. The
pumps We're started but within q
short time the engine room was flood
ed and the pumps choked. AT 8
O'Clock on the morning of October 6.
with her hold nearly full Of water. the
little schooner was hove down on her
beam ends. The crew cIambered up
on the other side and dashed them
selves TO the bulwarks There they
remained, washed BY the seas that
broke mercilessly over them. all day
Friday.
Days and Nights of Agony.
That night the storm increased in
fury and one great wave crashed
aboard breaking both legs of Seaman
Arthur and sweeping Grizell from his
fastenings. Arthur's companions
could do nothing to ease his suffer-
ngs; but when on Saturday the
schooner turned completely over,
they managed to cut his lashings and
drag him on piece of the after house.
1t was several hours before they We're
all huddled together on their little
raft. That night Arthur died in the
arms of Captain Maxwell and his
body was dropped overheard. sun
day brought ray of hope when q
craft was sighted but the gloom shut
in again as she passed by without
needing the little group of seamen
who were frantically signalling her
That night the waves subsidized and a
little rain fell which was. eagerly
caught in a tarpaulin and brought
some relief 1t as only temporary,
and not long after Mate Chase's mind
gave way entirely, and the craft was
again lightcned when he jumped into
the sea.
The next victim was Captain Max
we'll. who on Monday forenoon. be-
came violently insane and followed his
mates example of self-destruction as
a relief to his sufferings.
The spectacle of two men throwing
themselves into the sea proved too
much for the German engineer. and a
wife hours after Captain Maxwells
death, he too. leaped to his death.
The last victim was the colored
steward, who died Monday night and
whose body was consigned to the
aterS by the two remaining seamen.
Relief came twelve hours later when
the schooner Stillman F. Kelly, bound
up the coast from Ceylon, Georgia, to
this port. sighted the little craft and
hove to alongside.
Both Thomas and Warner had to be
taken off in sings, and for two days
We're unable to move.
The rescue took place off Cape
Lookout. The Kelly arrived here this
afternoon, but the seamen were still
| too exhausted to land