The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-12-15
BIG SCHOONER
 IS CAPSIZED Fifteen Men Lose Their
 Lives. ONLY THREE SURVIVORS Captain and Engineer Had a Miraculous Escape. Live Savers Worked Hard to Save Both the Crew and the Ship, But
 Were Unsuccess-

dughtown, Dec. 1l--After succeas- fully riding a succession of gales which she encountered. all the way across the Atlantic. in which she lost all her life boats the American schoon- CT Thomas W. Lawson was capsisel in Broad Sound. Scilly Islands, where the captain sheltered from the derca storm raging along the English coast last night.
 Of the crew of eighteen, inciudine Pilot Hicks. who boarded the vessel rom the life savers boat during the nignt' only three were rescued. Thsss were Captain c. W. Dow of weirose Mass. Edward L. Rowe. the enrineer or Wiscassa. Me. and George Alien ot Bradford. Eng.
 The schooner left Phiiadeiphia Nov. ls, Tor London with . cargo Of oil She had hard battle. with the seas all the way across. and when she e1, tered the Broad Sound. her captain. knowing the dangers of the coaef threw out his anchors. Later. tn sn- swer to his signals of distress. the life savers put out two life boats ana found the Lawson anchored in A dan serous position off Cunners' Rock The seas were running high and tho gale was increasing and the life sav. CTS found that their efforts at rescue were useless.
 A and the other was compelled to put back to shore because of the exhausf- ed condition of the men. During their absence. the Thomas W. Lawson turned turtle.
 A. Allen. one of the rescued men. IA not expected to live, 1 while Capfafs Dow Is suffering from fractured arm His rescue was effected only through almost superhuman efforts of the life. savers and the gallantry of Frederick Hicks, the son of Pilot Hicks. who ae oompanled them on their second tris in the hope of finding his father
 Late this afternoon after a Ions search, Captain Dow and Euginea: Rowe were taken alive from the Hel. wether rocks. to which they had clunt for upwards of fifteen hours, the Ire. mendouK waves preventing their mak ing landing. Young Hicks piunges into the boiling seas and swan ashors carrying Ife line by means of whicf Allen and the captain weFH hauIes back tA the boat by the engineer. whs was badly injured. Hicks was able a reach the boat unaided, but the efforf exhausted him and the iife-savers or. dered him to remain quiet tonight.
 Captain Dow told the life-savers thai when he found his vessel was doomed he, the engineer and pilot Iasl1ed them selves to the mizzen rigging. Wher the masts fell the captain and the piios managed to get clear. They jumped t dock. but were washed overheard. be, ing carried by the currents to ths rocks. where they were found. Pile Hicks. however. seemed to be entan gled in the rigging.
 Was q Valuable Vessel.
 New York. Dec. 14--The Thomas W. Lawson which was wrecked in Broad Sound last night was the largest schooner afloat. She was launched at Quincy. Mass. five years ago. Her tre- mendous carrying capacity resulted in making her a most profitable invest ment for her owners. At the time of the accident which ended the career or the vessel. she was under charter which brougth her owners a return Of $7s,0O0 a year. She was valued at $500. 1000.
 The Lawson was designed by B D. Crowinshield. of Boston. was built by the Fore River Shipbuiiding Company and a little later came into the pos session of the Coastwise Transporfa- tfon Company. It was the transporta- ton company which chartered the Lawson to the Sun oil Company for a period of five years.
 The Lawson was 4e3 feet in length and the great boom of the aftermcst
 
 eiehty-five feet long. made her meas ure nearly 500 feet from tip to tip. With a beam of fifty feet and depth of thirty-four feet five inches. she had a carrying capacity of s.10o tons. Her disbursement when loaded was 11.000 tons, the load draught being twenty six and one half feet. She was not in- snred. She carried A crew of eighteen men,
 It Is a peculiar coincidence that the big seven master went to her end last night-Friday. the thirteenth-inas- much as that was the title of a book. written by Thomas W. Lawson.
 Although the Lawson was registered as being owned by the Coastwtse Transportation Company. 1t was said today that Mir. Lawson and has family owned a majority of the shares in the vessel and that their loss will be nearly Sl50 000.