The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-03-15
TWenIy-SeVen Members Of the
Crew Carried 10 Death
.LIFE8OATS ARE SHATTERED
For Three Days the Captain and Crew
of the British King Fought for
Life Against Desper-
ate Odds.

Boston. March 14.-sufferng. mental
and physical and numerous acts Of hero
ism in saving life rarely eaualled in the
record of tragedies of the sea, attended
the loss of the Phoenix line steamer
British King, which on Sunday last in a
raging Atlantic storm foundered about
$50 miles south of Sable Island, and car
ried to death twenty-seven members Of
4 the crew.
Thirteen men we're rescued from the
sinking vessel by the Leyland line steam
er Bostonian. bound from Manchester to
Boston. and eleven by the German tank
steamer Mannheim, Rotterdam for New
/ York. Five others who had been drawn
down in the vortex into which the Brit
sh King was engnlfed. were picked up
by the Bostonian from frail bit OF
wreckage which they had grasped after q
desperate struggle for life in the whlrl-
pool The Bostonan arrived here this
afternoon, and the details of the disaster
became public.
Capt James oHagen of the British
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 to-
day include James Flannigan, the Sec
ond officer; J. d. Crawford the chief en-
| gneer. Adolphus Beck the fourth en-
gineer. and William J. Curry the stew
ard. The others were coal passers and
sailors. mostly Belgians and one stowa-
way Henry Parkotch Of New York.
Lifeboats Crushed to Fragments.
Two life boats from the Bostonian were
crushed to fragments and the volunteer
crews which manned them we're thrown
into the high running sens while engaged
in the work of rescue, but all were safe
/ ~ landed on board the steamer When
/ the first life boat was lowered from the
! Bostonan, the small craft was swept
against the stern Of the big ship and de-
stroyed. and several of the seamen were
bruised and manned. Yet despite the
bosterous condition of the sea- the vol7
unteers were rescued by lines tle'own out
| from their steamer. A second attempt
to reach the sinking ship was successful
and the thirteen men, including captain
| O'Hagen were taken from the British
| King to the Bostonian. Then again q
powerful billow carried the life boat
against the side of the ship and destroyed
it, and the life savers were thrown into
the sea to be rescued only after half an
hours effort by their comrades.
Darkness Stops the Work.
! Volunteers from the Mannheim, after
| a heroic battle with the waves, had taken
| Off eleven from the British King, but af-
| ter this neither of the steamers in con-
/ sequence of the gale could make an at
! tempt to reach the laundering freighter.
Moreover darkness fell and 1t was an
J ole htt unit
| for the moonlight to guide them. In
! the darkness the British King, which was
then waterlogged and helpless. plunged to
| the bottom.
For three days her captain and crew
working against unconquerable odds, had
tried to prevent their ships destruction.
/ The wind finally increased to hurri-
cane and carried away the deck fittings
of the steamer and the deck cargo of oil
| barrels washed into the sea. Some of the
matches were torn open, great volumes
! of water poured into the ships COM
| partments. disabling the engines and soon
the ship because absolutely helpless.
| Realizing the necessity of quick action.
! Captain OHagen himself went into the
hold and strove to repair the most dam
| aged sections.
Captains Leg Fractured.
1t was while doing this that a barrel
| of oil fractured one of his legs In two
places. The injury was so severe that
! piece of bone protruded from the flesh.
| Despite this he continued to direct the
efforts of the crew. At the end of three
days when all hands had labored cease
Iessly without rest and with little food
! the Bostonian and the Mannheim were
| sighted and to these Captain O'Hagen
displayed the signal for assistance.
1t was expected that the Mannheim
would reach New York tomorrow or the
next day. Until that time the names OF
| the men who were lost cannot be learned.
| The Mannheim saved the third officer and
ten men. but the identity of the sailors
| Is not known here.
The British King went down in latitude
! Al 40 north. and longitude COLL west; or
about 450 miles east of Boston light and
$50 miles to the south Of Sable island.
Both the Bostonlan and the Mannheim
stood by the scene of the wreck until
| Monday morning, but no bodies were re-
covered The British King sailed from
! New York last Wednesday bound for
Antwerp with a miscellaneous cargo in
| cluding $50 head of cattle.