Waterbury evening Democrat., 1906-03-15
HEROIC WORK AT SEA
Bostonian Crews Deed at
 Wreck of British King.
SHIP WENT DOWN OFF SABLE ISLAND
American Sailors Made Gallant Res- cue at Storm Swept Vessels Side, Risking Their Lives Again
 and Again. ssa

BOSTON, March 15.-Suffering, men,
 tai and physical, and numerous acts of
 heroism in saving life rarely exampled
 in the grim record of tragedies of the
 sea attended the loss of the Phenix
 line steamer British King, which in a
 raging Atlantic storm foundered about
 150 miles south of Sable island and
 carried to death twenty-seven mem
 bers of the crew.
 Thirteen men were rescued from the
 sinking vessel by the Leyland line
 steamer Bostonian, bound from Man
 chester to Boston, and eleven by the
 German tank steamer Mannheim, Rot
 terdam for New York. Five others
 who had been sucked down in the vor-
 tex into which the British King was engulfed were picked up by the Bos-
 tonian from a frail bit of wreckage
 which they had grasped after a des- perate struggle for life in the whirl- pool. When the Bostonian arrived here
 the details of the disaster became known. sf-'
 Captain James O'Hagan of the Brit ish King died on board the Bostonian from the effects of terrible injuries sustained in trying to save his ship.
 The rescued who were brought here include James Flanigan, the second of- ficer; J. D. Crawford, the chief engi- neer; Adolphus Beck, the fourth engi- neer, and William J. Curry, the stew ard. The others were coal passers and sailors, mostly Belgians, and one stow away, Henry Parkotch of New York.
 During the storm the ship sprang leak, and at the end of three days, when all hands had labOred at the pumps ceaselessly without rest and with little food, the Bostonian and Mannheim were sighted, and to these Captain O'Hagan displayed the signal for assistance
 Realizing the necessity of quick ac- tion, Captain O'Hagan himself went into the ships hold and strove to re- pair the leaks. It was while doing this that barrel of oil fractured one of his legs in two places. The injury was so severe that piece of the bone pro- truded through the flesh. In spite of this injury and in spite of internal hurts caused by his fall Captain O'Hagan refused to be carried to his cabin. He ordered that his leg be bound up, and. when this had been done he resumed command and direct ed the efforts which were being made to plug up the hole in the ships side.
 The men of the British King were brave, for during the rescue they push. ed one another forward, all apparently willing to wait for the last chance of being saved. They almost overloaded the small boat, which after q danger ous passage reached the Mannheim in safety, Whether the Mannheim had lowered other boats which had nbeei stove in was not known, although sur vivors of the lost steamer say that this happened.
 Sailors of the Bostonian vied with each other for the honor of sitting in the lifeboat and were not deterred from this when the first boat was dash ed to pieces against the steamers stern. First Officer William Brown md six seamen with him were left in the water, but eventually he lives of every one of them were preserved by means of lines thrown rom the Leyland boat. Many were and bruised
 Two lifeboats from the Bostonian were crushed to fragments, and the f Tolunteer crews which manned them were thrown into the high running eas while engaged in the work of res ,ue, but all were safely landed on board the steamer.
 On the deck of the Bostonian touch ng scene was witnessed. In a pine ,ox lay the body of Captain O'Hagan. lowering the box was the British flag, md near by stood the survivors of the British King. The body was taken shore before dark. As the. captains 'ody was swung over the side one of he men removed his hat and his head ropped to his chest and tears coursed own his cheeks. His companions un- overed, and they. too. cried as the ine box was landed on the wharf.
 The value of the ship was estimated ere at $30O.OOO and her cargo at be-