The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1906-03-23
ship \. GOES DOWN
And s Twenty.Seven Lives Are
6 oss in the Atlantic.
FOs NDERED AT SEA.

bsts 6f the Crew Were Picked
Up al Sea and Carried to
fset3 Boston.
SufS flng, mental and physical, from
numerius acts of heroism in saving
life, raselY equalled In the record of
tragedies Of the sea, attended the loss
of thtfPhoenix li1e steamer British
King, Which on Sunday, March IL, in
q raging Atlantic storm, foundered
abouGsl $50 miles south Of Sable island
and csfrled to death q members of
the crew. Thirteen men were rescued
from the sinking vessel by the Lev.
land line steamer BOStonian, bound
from Manchester to Boston, and IL by
the Garman tank steamer Mannheim,
ROtterdem for New York. Five others
who had been drawn down In the vor.
tex into which the British King was
engulied were picked up by the Bos-
bOnlan from q frail bit of wreckage
~hicsS6hey had grasped after des-
perSSs strUggle for life in the whir.
pool THE Bostonian arrived at Bos.
ton Wednesday afternoon and the de-
tatlS pfthe disaster became known.
Ospt:tJ James O'Hagan of the Brit.
ish E!ng died on board the Bestonian
from the effects of terrible injuries
sustained In trying to save his ship.
0a* ofsthe boats OF tho Bostonian was
cruaSled to fragments and the yolun
teeE fcrew which manned IL were
6hfe an into tie high running seas,
1hilslengaged In the work of rescue,
but all sWere safely landed on board
the bteamer.
Volunteers from the Mannheim,
after q. heroic battle with the waves,
had taken tff IL from the British
King but after this neither of the
steamers, In consequence Of the in
cfeaSiEg gale, could make au attempt
to reach the undering ffeighGer.
Mosepyer, darkness fell and it was an
utter impossibilIt to do else but wait
forl the moonlight to guide them. In
She darkness the British King, which
Vgas then waterogged and helpless,
1. 10 Inc bottom.
y ~s thpee days her captain and
re.s ,fAimB against une0E d i sra
odds, ,ad tried to prevent, or at least
postpone, their ships destruction.
Barrels of oil and wreckage forming
into powerful arm, were driven down
upon her sides with crushing force,
opening up the vessels plates and al
lowing the water to pour iato her
holds.
The extent Of the leak was not un.
derstood until the following day, how
ever, and then, although all hands
were placed at the pumps, the water
gained considerably. The fires had
been extinguished and the engines
rendered useless by the rising water.
The only remedy at hand lay In re
pairir 6 the damaged sections, and
while personally experimenting his
work, Capt. O'Hagan sustained q
fractured leg and internal II jlries. Al
though he was unable to stand he cor
tinued to direct the efforts of his
crew. at the end Of the three DAYS
when all hands had labored ceaseless
ly without rest and with little food,
the Bostonian and Mannheim were
sighted, and to these Capt. O'Hagan
displayed the signal for assistance.
Both the BostOnian and Mannheim
stood by the scene Of the wreck until
Monday morning, but no bodies were
REQ Jvered.
The British King sailed from New
York bound for Antwerp with q mis-.
cellanecus cargo Of 150 head Of cattle
Tne passage was uneventiul until Fi H.
day morning, when the ship was struck
by O strong northwesterly wind, which
suddenly developed into a hurricane
Some Of the matches were torn open
great volumes Of water pouring ints
the ships compartments, disabling
the engines, and soon the ship became
absolutely helpless, the rudder also
having been swept away. Real ms
the necessity of quick action, Capt
O'Hagan himself went into the hole
and stroye to repair the most damag
cd sections.
1t was while doing this that bar
rel of oil fractured one OF his legs ir
two places. The Injury was so severe
that piece Of the bone protrudeC
through the flesh. In spite of this ht
ordered that his leg he bound up ant
when this had been done, resumed
command and directed the effort,
which we're being made to plug up tn,
''o'e In the ships side. But all effort
AO repairs were fruitless. All hands
we're forced to take refuge on tn
main deck. The cattle we're swep
overheard gradually by the seas an,
drowned.
At O'Clock Sunday morning Capt
0 O'Hagan sighted the Mannhe i'm an,
shortly afterwards the Bostonian
both of which hove to. The British
King signalled that she was waterlog
ged and would have to be abandoned
At 8 o'clock she sent another sigma
which read: "Do not abandon me.
The half hundred or more mon Of th
wrecked steamer were In plain view O