Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1907-12-15
Seven master Wrecked Near ScIIy
Island and Fifteen Of Grew
Lose TheIr Lives
WELL Known IN NEWPORT NEWS
Was at Ono Time Engaged In Coal
Trade With This City As Her Homo
port-was Fire Transatlantic
Voyage And She Had storms All.
the Way.
By Associated press)

lIuGHToWN, sCILLY ISLANDS,
Dec. li-After successfully riding out
n succession OF gales which sho en-
countercd NIL tho way across the At
lantlc, IN which she lost all her life
boats, tho American seven niastod
schooner Thomas w. lawson was
capslzed In Broad Sound. Sicily Is.
lands. of the extreme lower coast Of
England, where tho captain sought
shelter from the fierce storm raging
along the coast last night. or tho
crow of Is, including Pilot Hicks. who
boarded the vessel from life savers
boat during tho night, only three
wore rescued. These were Captain
q. w. Dow of Melrose, Mass, I'D
ward l.. Rowe. the engineer, of wis.
casset, Maine; and George Allen OF
Branford, Eng.
Tho schooner left Philadelphia for
London with cargo of oil. She had
a hard battle with the seas all tho
way across and when she entered
the Broad Sound, her captain know
Ing the dangers of the coast, threw
out his anchors.
4 L.
distress, the life savers put out two
life bonts and found the Lawson an
chored in a dangerous position off
Gunners' Rock. Tho seas were rum
ming high and tho gale was incrcas-
Ing and the life savers found that
their efforts at rescue were useless.
One of the boats returned for tug
and the other was compelled to put
back to shore because of the ex-
haustion of the men.
During their absence the Thomas
w. Lawson turned turtle.
Allen, one of the rescued men. Ia
not expected to live while Captain
Dow is suffering from fractured
arm. His rescue was effected only
through tho almost superhuman eff
forts of the life savers and the gall
lantry of Frederick Hicks. the son
of Pilot Hicks, Who accompanied
them on thoir second trip in the hope
of finding his father.
After long search, Captain Dow
and Engineer Rowe were seen alive
on the Helwethor Roclss, TO which
they had chung for upwards of 10
hours, the tremendous waves pre-
venting their making landing.
Young Hicks Hero.
Young Hicks plunged into the boil.
ing seas and rwam ashore, carrying
/ life line by means of which nc
and the captain were hauled back
,, to the boat, with the engineer, who
was practically unlnjured. After as
sisting Captain Dow, Hicks was able
to reach the boat unaided, but tho
: efforts exhausted him and the doc
, tors ordered him to remain quiet to-.
, night
, Captain Dow told the life savers
, | that when he found his vessel was
doomed, he, the engineer and the
4 pilot dashed themselves to the miS-
zen rigging. When the masts fell
the captain and the engineer managed
to get clear. They jumped to tho
deck. but were washed overheard,
being carried by the currents to the
: rocks, where they were found. Pr
lot Hicks, however, seemed to he
. entangled in the rigging.
:, Something About the Lawson.
,, (By Associated Pressl
NEW YORK, Dec. 16-The Thomas
i w. Lawson, which was wrecked In
! Broad Sound last night. was the larg-
ost schooner and was one of tho
/ only two seven masted schooners
$ afioat. She was launched at Quincy.
Mass. five years ago. Her tremen-
dous Carrying capacity resulted in
making her most profitable Invest
mont for her owners.
: At the time OF the eccident which.
ended the career OF the vessel. she
was under charter which brought her