The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1906-03-21
SHIP GOES down
And Twenty.Seven Lives Are
Lost in the Atlantic.
FOUNDERED AT SEA.
There Were Many Acts of Heroism and
Self Sacrifice. Twenty.Four Mem.
bers of the Crew Were Picked
Up at Sea and Carried to
FOUNDERED AT SEA.
There Were Many Acts of Heroism AMI
Rosten.

HOSl0u.
Sufering, mental and physical, from
numerous acts of heroism in saving
life, rarely eq1alled in the record o1
tragedies CT the sea, attended the les:
Of the Phoenix HE steamer British
King, which on Sunday, March IL, in
a raging Atlantic storm, foundere6
about $50 miles south OF Sable island
and carried to death q members o.
the crew. Thirteen men were rescued
from the sinking vessel by the Ley
land line steamer Bo tonian. bound
from Manchester to Boston, and IL by
the German tank steamer Mannheim,
Rotterdam for New York. Five Others
who had been drawn down in the yor.
tex into which the British King was
engulfed we're picked up by the Bos.
tonian from frail bit CT wreckag:
which they had grssped after deS.
perate struggle for lie 10 the whir,
pool. The Bostonisn arrived at Bos
ton Wednesday afternoon and the de-
tails OF the disaster became known.
Capt. James O'Hagan Of the Brit.
ish King died on board the Bestonian
from the effects of terrible injuries
sustained In trying to save his ship.
o. of the boats OF the Bostonian was
crushed to fragments and the Volun.
teer crew which manned 1t were
thrown into tie hign running seas,
8hile engaged in the work Of rescue,
out all we're saftly landed on board
the steamer.
Volunteers from the Mannhe i'm
after a heroic battle with the waves,
had taken IF IL from the British
King, but at6e. this neither OF the
steam srs. in consf Qlence OF the tr.
creasing gale, could make an attempt
to reach the + undering f;eighter.
Moreoyer, darkness fell and it was an
utter impcssibility to do else but wal,
fer 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 auG
crew, working against uncoE Qusrable
odds, had tried to prevent, or at least
postpone, their ships destruction.
Barrels Of Gil and Wreckage forming 6
into a powerful arm, were d-.Ven down
upon her sides with crushing force,
opening up the vessels plates and al
lowing the water to pour into her
holds.
The extent Of the leak was not uu.
derstood until the following day, how
sver, and then, although al hands
were placed at the pumps, the water
gained considerably. The fires had
been extinguished and the engines
.endered useless by the rising water.
The only re medy at hand lay in re
pairirg the damaged sections, and
while personally experimenting his
work, Capt. O'Hagan sustained q
fractured leg and internal /: lries. Al
though he was unable to stand he COR
sinued to direct the Efforts OF his
c:eW. At the end OF the three days
when all hands had labored ceaselass
ly without rest and With little f)od,
the Bostonian and Mannheim we're
sighted, ard to these Capt. O'Hagan
displayed the signal for assistance.
Both the B)stonian and Mannheim
stood b. the scene OF the wreck until
Monday morning, but no bodies were
rec ,vered.
The British King sailed from New
York bound fo- Antwerp with mis-
cellanecus cargo OF $50 head Of cattle
TIE passage was unsVeot1ul until + i
day morning, when the ship was struck
by strong northwesterly wind, which
suddenly developed into a hurricane.
Sone Ct the matches were torn open,
great volumes Of water pouring into
the ships compartments, disabling
the engines. and soon the ship became
absolutely helpless, the rudder also
having been swept away. Real Eng
the necessity Of quick action, Capt.
O'Hagan himself went into the hold
and stroVe to repair the most damag-
ed sections.
It was. while doing this that a bar
rel OF oil fractured one OF bis legs in
two places. The Injury was 50 severe
that a piece OF the bone protruded
through the flesh. In spite Of this he
ordered that his leg be bound up and
when this had been done, resumed
command and directed the eff )rts
which we're being made to plug up the
hole In the ships side. But all efforts
5 repairs were fruitless. All hapds
were forced to take refuge on the
main deck. The cattle were swept
overheard gradually by the seas and
drowned.
at 6 o'clock Sunday morning Ca2t.
O'Bagan sighted the Mannheim and
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 5 o'clock she sent another signal
which read: "Do not abandon me. :"
The half hundred OF more men OF the
wrecked steamer were in plain view OF
those on board the Bostonian and
Mannheim, who could, however, do
nothing at that time in the way Ct res
cue on account OF that was running.
At lao p. N. the British King sig
nailed: "Help US, we are sinking" q