New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1907-07-13
SCHOONER CUT IN TWO.
STEINER PLOWS INTO 1T.
Three Fishermen Lost When Ro-
manic Looms Up ont of Fog.

Il
manic Looms Up ont Of Fog.
When ten miles west northwest of the Nantucket
South Shoals Lightship in dense fog few min
utes after midnight Thursday the fishing schooner
| Natalie B. Nickerson cut in by the big
White Star liner Romanic. and three OF her
went down with her in twenty-seven fathoms of
water.
The Romantic which her way from Bos-
ton. where she had discharged her passengers from
Naples, arrived here last night with Captain John
S. Seavey and fourteen Of the Nickerson's crew.
Tho schooner had than S1.0dO worth OF
mackerel in her hold. and about to return TO
Newport with her catch when the big leviathan
bore down upon her. The fishermen felt safe
they out of the track of transatlantic liners.
and never thought Of being down in the fog.
But the Romanic Iooned up before them without
minutes warning and, according to the
schooner's crew, 1t q miracle that the captain
and fourteen men saved
AtweIl P Davis, Of West Boothbay Harbor where
the Nckerson halls from, told the story Of the col
hsion and the yesterday on the deck the
Romanic Davis is about twenty-five years old.
He declined to take any credit for what he did
when he heard the siren OF the Rornanic, but the
crew declared that had It not been for his quick
wit all would have gone down with the schooner.
for she only stayed afoat about ninety seconds
after the big liner struck her. Davis said
I'VE were jogging along under mansal, fore
sail and forestaysan We had ntnety-eight horse
power engine aboard. which could drive along
at eight knots. but IL was not running John Miller
and I were on watch The skipper and the
OF the boys below asleep
1T clear overhead. but # seemed II
were in n well Of fog. for could not six
fathoms in any direction. I had been forward
and I walking aft heard one blast OF
| steamer Off the port bow. l ran TO the hatch and
shouted Steamer! steamer Everybody on deck!
'I grabbed a fare torch, lighted st with match
md vyav ! had
once when saw the mast light of the Romanic
In another instant her bow struck US ait OF the
main rigging and before could get to the dory
in the stern the Nickerson sank and we were hoat-
Ing in the water.
| and we didn't know she had stopped until two Of
her Nfrboats burning blue lights from the bow.
up 10 and picked us up. dory which
had been resting on the deck and was not l9shed
down ioated when the Nickerson sank, and eleven
Of uE climbed into that. We unloaded the men
| into the boats from the Romantic and looked for
those we heard shouting IN the water.
''I3n Farmer stayed with the dory after some
he heard the cry Of a drowning He rowed
| about a boat length and grabbed Captain seavey
! Of the Nickerson. who was about to 90 down for
Just az he pulled the skipper into the dory he
| b.orJ , vein ana found that Spot seavev the
/ captaIn's dog had stayed by her master and WAS
! trying follow him into the small boat Farmer
! reached over and pulled the dog in TOO. From the
! way the Romanic shot away into the fog after
! she struck us imagine she was running at pretty
good clip"
| on the bridge when the steamer cut the hshing
schooner in two His account Of the collision dif-
! fers somewhat from the story told by the Nicker-
we left Boston at noon Thursday" Captain
| ReadneI said. "and after rounding Cape Cod the
| weather became thick. and by p. m. when we
J yrara between Georges Bank and Nantucket, we
! had 70 reduce speed to mere steerage"aS we
| hnar7 the e,,I,narnA bell on the Nantucket South
! shoals Iiphtshp a row minutes past midnight and
! knew that we were little over Il mile southeast
OF IT.
! "rbjef officer Hickson with on the bridge
and we heard the horns OF dozens Of fishing
schooners all around We blew our whistle con
tinualy and were actually craving aiGrE.l nnlsaao @
say we barely moving AFTER blowing once
/ 8 revy minutes before struck the schooner we
heard one blast CT her horn.
.sV-hon 7 sgvy her flare torch I tried 10 swing 10
mort hut as we were going along too slowly the
| steamer did not have enough hendway to respond
! nuicklv and we struck her. I stopped as soon as
! 7 co,,d and First Officer W!nsow ard Third officer
! parton each took ? feboat. nut hack to the wreck
age and brought back the captain and fourteen Of
when thcy told me that three men wero rn,ss-
~, atavcd bv for ncarly two hours hoping to get
.Loaa. moor fellows, who might possibly be floating.
| hanging 10 the wrockaEe. The men in boats
vent over the snot carefully burning blue lights AZ
| intervals and think II OF the missing
| were afo1t would have got them. too"
V,hcn the Romantics hoa's went haclS for the last
| time they found Bert Wylie' whose arm had
been shot off several years ago elinging TO spar
| rIo was exhausted when the lifeboat came along
| side, and being unable with his one arm to help
! himself aboard he had 70 be ho'sted to the deck
! with block and tackle.
captain seavcY was suffering from shock when
,ol,on aboard the steamer. He revived somewhat
/ ,,,dnr tho care Of DR. Joseph C. Hines. but before
the Romanic reached Quarantine the captain be-
came dclirlous and last night lie said 20 be in
n serious condition.
Ills pet dog. SPOT Seavey remained beside her
! master through tho dav. and Ind 20 he dragged
from tho door Of the steamers hos?ita Yesterday
,ap the photographers asked to take her picture.
The missirg' fishermen are William Winchester
! oF I)iclv County Nova Scotia: Everett Greenleaf
or6 EIu,eu C;reenIcaf. brothers. Of TrcVett Nc
charles Croenleaf cook Of the Nckerson a son
Of Everett Greenleaf. was grief stricken yesterday
/ over fbc loss OF his father and uncle
/ The Natalie r. Nickerson was built in West
! zaoatbbav Harbor. Ne. in 1901, ani owned by
r.icka-son Brothers. of Boothba. Harbor She was
zoe fcot long had n 2f-foot beam and her tonnage
was n she was reftted about a month ago at a
| cost of S5e0,