The Washington times., 1907-12-15
WRECKS At SEA
COST 40 LIVES,
MILLION LOSS
Twenty Persons Perish
in Storms Off the
SCilly Islands.
Schooner Lawson DiSaS-
ter the Most Serious, on
Friday the 13th.'

| LONDON, Dec. 14-Wrecks litter the
| coast OF south England and its neighbor
Islands from the Scilly group to the
mouth OF the Thames. Nearly a score
/ OF vessels. great and small, came TO
| grief in Friday nights and today's
/ storm. The dead total a list Of close
at forty; the property loss totals at
| least 100000.
The heaviest single loss was that OF
| the American seven-masted schooner.
Thomas w. Lawson, which turned turtle
| in Broad sound, SciIly Islands. Sixteen
OF her crew perished. OF the three sur
vivors. one will die. The money loss
on the Lawson and cargo Is 1920. .OOQ
! She was uninsured.
Eight Of Crew Lost.
The other most serious wreck was
that OF the cutter gunboat speedweIl.
which ran into a mountainous sea near
! Sherness and went down wish eight
Of her crew OF thirteen men.
The other lost vessels were all small
/ but nearly each wreck cost a life or
| two.
Ashore the storm did almost as much
/ property damage as at sea. 'thopQh
thus far there have been no reports of
loss of life.
London felt the full force Of the gale.
/ Roofs were torn on by the dozens
windows were blown in by the hundred
chimneys and wires are down ever
where.
The Thames and other streams ara ont
| OF their banks. The entire valley OF
the former stream is a vast lake and
immense damage has been done to riv-
erside residences.
Lawson Wreck Worst.
The Lawsou's wreck was one OF the
most serious on the south coast an
years. The big schooner-the la+past
sailing vessel and the only seven-master
| In the world-was bound from PhIla-
| delphia to London. with 100000 gallons
Of gas OIL in bulk.
| From survivors Il was learned that
| the vessel fought bad weather from the
west TO the east side of the Atlantic
| Every boat had been swept away before
\ the Scilly islands were sighted yester-
/ day. 1t was then blowing great guns.
| and. fearing to navigate the dangerous
| reefs in the darkness. Capt G. w. Dow.
1 Of Melrose, Mass, dropped anchor OF
| Gunners rock.
Two lfebOats put or from shore. hut
Captain Dow and the crew refused to
] leave the Lawson. w. c. Hicks. n
| Scilly pilot, scrambled aboard to guide
the schooner TO safety IN the morning.
and the boats ran for shore. AT dawn
/ the ship was seen, still held fast by
her anchors. floating bottom upward in
! deep water.
/ Sweeping the neiEhboring islands with
| their glasses, the life-savers sighted G.
! W. Allen, an English seaman, on Anett
| Island, an uninhabited rock, and brought
| him 10 St Agnes, where he IS dying OF
injuries suffered when the waves dashed
! him ashore.
Found on Rock.
/ Captain Dow, a second survivor, was
washed upon another pinnacle OF rocE
where he was sighted late in the day.
BY this time the sea was high and lac
boat could 1--we. So Frederick Hicks. =
son Of the pilot who went aboard the
Lawson last night plunged into the
waves with a line, reached the rock.
and brought the skipper to safety with
him.
Engineer L. l. Rowe. OF Boston, wa.
saved soon afterward from another
! island. IL is certain that First Mat,
B. p. Libby, Of Marlborough. Mass
Second Mate OCrocker. OF New York
Pilot Hicks. the two iremen, steward
cabin boy, and nine sailors perished.
/ The Lawson was launched at the Fore
River Yards IN 1902. has always beer
known as a "hoodoo" ship. and finished
her career on Friday. the 18th OF tn,
month. She was designed for the coal
carrying trade, but was recently char
tered by the Sun on Company OF Phfla.
deIphia as a tank carrier OF OIL She wal
I owned ry the COastwtse Transportati tor
/ Company Of Boston.