Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1907-12-20
Big SEVEN
MASTER LOST.

Gale on the Atlantic sends
the Thomas W. Law
son, and many other
Craft, to the Bottom.
After successfully riding out a
succession of gales, which she en-.
countered all the way across the At
lantic in which she lost all her life
boats, the American seven-mssted
schooner, Thomas w. Lawson, was
capsized in Broad Sound, Scilly Is
lands, where the captain sought
shelter from the fierce storm raging
along the coast last Friday night.
OF the crew of eighteen, including
Pilot Hicks, who boarded the vessel
from life savers boat during the
night, only three were rescued.
These were Captain G. w. Dow, of
Melrose, Mass; Edward l.. Rowe,
the engineer, of Wiscasset, Me-, and
George Allen, of Branford, England.
The schooner left Philadelphia
November 10, for London with a
cargo of oil. She had hard battle
with the seas all the way across, and
when she entered Broad Sound, her
captain knowing the dangers of the
coast, threw out his anchors. Later,
IN answer to his signals of distress,
the life savers put out two life boats
and found the Lawson anchored in a
dangerous position off Gunners Rock.
The seas were running high and the
gale was increasing, and the life ga.
vers found that their efforts at rescue
were useless. One of the boats re-
turned for tug and the other was
compelled to put back to shore be-
cause of the exhaustion of the men.
During their absence the Thomas
W. Lawson turned turtle. Later
she parted in the middle and the two
pieces broke sdrift from rocks hold
ing her and sank.
Allen, one of the rescued men, is
not expected to live, while Captain
Dow is suffering from fractured
arm. His rescue was affected only
through the most superhuman efforts
of the life savers. Late Saturday
afternoon Captain Dow aud Eugin.
eer Rowe were seen alive on the Hell
wether rocks, to which they had
chung for upwards of fifteen hours,
and were rescued. Captain Dow
says that when he found his vessel
doomed he, the engineer and the
pilot dashed themselves to the mizzen
rigging. When the mast fell the
captain managed to get clear. They
jumped to the deck, but were wash
ed overheard, being carried by the
currents to the rocks where they
were found.
Just before leaving America six
of the Lawson's crew deserted.
The lawson was the largest
schooner and the only seven masted
schooner ailoat. She was launched
at Quincy, Mass. five years ago. Her
tremendous carrying capacity result
ed In making her a most profitab
investment for her owners At the
time of the accident which ended the
career of the vessel, she was under
charter which brought her owners a
return of $4,000 year. She was
valued at 100000, and carried no
insurance. She was controlled by
the Standard Oil Co.
The Lawson was 403 feet in lenp tn,
and the great boom of the aftermast
sail, and the spike steer bowsprit, SIS
feet long, made her measure nearly
500 feet from tip to tip. With q
beam of so feet and depth of 81 feet
live inches, she had Carrying ca
pacity of $500 tons. Her displace-
ment when loaded was IL 900 tons,
the load draught being 262 feet. She
carried crew of Is men.
1t is peculiar coincidence that
the big seven master went to her
end that night, inasmuch as that
FRIDAY, the 13tb) was the title of
book written by Thomas w. Lawson.
GREAT STORM ON THE COAST.
Sleet, hal and snow prevailed in
land Friday night, while at sea the
wind and rain swept at the rate of
60 miles an hour.
A stout bark went down off Sandy
Hook. Eleven transatlantic liners |
were driven off their course and were |
tardy in reaching port, while those |
in port hung close to their mooripes.
The big tug Hercules, with four
barges, went ashore off Rhode Island. |
and all have gone to pieces. Captain
and crews were saved after trying
experience, though some are still in
precarious condition. The tug
vas valued at $4,000 and the
barges at $4,000 each.
Schooner Augustus Welt, loaded
With thousand tons of fertilizer,
rom New Jersey to Savannah,
Grew were saved by a
Clyde liner.
Some fifty lives we're lost in the
English channel aboard fishing craft
SOME DEATHS.