The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1906-03-20
DIE AS BIG SHIP SINKS
Part Of British Kings Grew Saved
Amid Storm
HEROIC EFFORTS OF RESCUERS


Phoenix liner, Overcome by Atlantic
Hurricane, Founders or Sable IsI-
and-Captain snccumbs to Injuries
win Broken Leg He Stuck to His Post
Horrible sunerings in storm Battle.
Boston, Mass. With her flags at half
mast the Leyland Line steamship Bos-
tonian reached port with sixteen sur
yivors Of the British steamship British
King, which foundered about 700 miles
east of Boston, while on a voyage from
New York to Antwerp.
Reposing in wooden box draped
with the Union Jack. on the starboard
side of the deck, was the body of Cap
tain James O'Hagan, of the British
King, who died on board the Bostonian
of injuries sustained during the storm
that sent his vessel to the bottom.
Somewhere off Cape Sable the bodies
of twenty-eight seamen are drifting
about in mass of wreckage, many Of
them with life belts strapped about
them.
Either ten or eleven other men were
saved from the sinking craft by the
German tank steamer Mannheim.
The British King sailed from New
York. bound for Antwerp with mis-
cellaDeOus cargo and 100 head of cattle.
The passage was uneventful until the
ship was struck by a strong northwest
erly wind, which gradually grew into
gale. The matches were battened down
and Captain O'Hagan prepared for a
bad storm. Suddenly the gale devel-
oped into a hurricane and the deck fit
tings of the steamer were carried away.
The water, which had been gradually
roughening, now moved in huge bill
lows, and these broke over the deck OF
the steamer, Embossed the fastenings of
her deck cargo of oil barrels and cast
them into the sea. Later some of the
matches were torn open, and great vol
umes of water flowed into the ships
compartments, putting out her fires and
making her engines useless.
Realizing the necessity Of quick ac-
ton Captain O'Hagan himself went
into the hold and strove to repair the
most damaged sections.
1t was while doing this that a barrel
Of oil fractured one of his legs in two
places. In spite of this injury and in
ternal hurts caused by his fall, Captain
O'Hagan refused to be carried to his
cabin. He ordered that his leg be
hound up and resumed command and
directed the efforts which were being
made to plug up the hole in the ships
side. But the Captains efforts to re-
pair his ship were fruitless. The water
gained continually. and all hands were
forced to take refuge on the main deck.
The cattle were swept overheard grad
ually by the seas and drowned.
At the end of three days. when all
hands had labored ceaselessly without
rest and with little food. the Bostohian
and Mannheim were sighted, and to
these Captain O'Hagan displayed the
signal for assistance.
When the first lifeboat was lowered
from the Bostonian the small craft was
swept against the stern of the big ship
and destroyed and several of the sea-
men were injured. Yet despite the
boisterous condition of the sea, the
volunteers were rescued by lines
thrown out from their steamer.
Another attempt to reach the sinking
ship was successful. and thirteen men,
including Captain O'Hagan, were TAX
en- from the British King to the Bos-
tonian. Then again powerful billow
carried the lifeboat against the side of
the ship and destroyed it and the life
savers were thrown into the sea. to
be rescued only after an hours effort
by their comrades.
Volunteers from the Mannheim, after
a heroic battle with the waves, had
taken off eleven from the British King,
but after this neither of the steamers,
in consequence of the increasing gale,
could make an attempt TO reach the
laundering freighter. Moreover, dark
ness fell and it was an utter impossi-
bility to do anything but wait for the
moonlight to guide them to the stricken
ship. In the darkness the British King,
which was then waterlogged and help
less, plunged down bow first and was
lest
Fifty-six men. including a stowaway,
were on board the British King, and
twenty-seven of these persisted in their
ship.