The semi-weekly messenger., 1907-12-17
VESSEL CAPSREO
Disaster OVcrtakeS S5Ven-Mas-
ted Schooner Lawson
t15 OF CREW DROWNED
From Philadelphia for London With
Cargo of Oil

Encountered Succession OF Gales
While Crossing the AtlaIItiC-SOught
Safety i'm Broad Sound. Scilly ISL
and-Life Savers Prevented From
Boarding Vessel on Account OF High
SeaS-Was Largest and Only Seven
NaSted Schooner AflOat.
HughtOwn, Scilly Island, Decem-
ber 14.-After successfully riding
out a succession of gales which she
encountered al 1.-The way across the
Atlantic in which she lost all her life
boats, the American seven masted
schooner Thomas w. Lawson was
capsized in Broad Sound, Scilly In
land, where the captain sought Shelf
e1 from the fierce storm raging along
the coast last night.
Of the crew of 18, including Pilot
Hicks, only three were rescued.
These were Captain G. w. Dow, of
Melrose, Mass; Edward L. Rowe the
engineer, of Wiscasset, Maine, and
George Allen of Branford England.
land.
The schooner left Philadelphia, No
vember 10Th, for London with a car
!. go OF oil. She had a hard battle
I 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 in two life
savers and found the Lawson anchor
er in a dangerous position off Gun
lei S rock.
The seas were running high and
the gale was increasing and the life
savers found tina. their efforts as res
carers were, usei SIS. One OF the
bcats return3d TOR a tuG and the
ether was compelled to PIT back to
shore because of the exha lstion CT
tha men. During their absarce the
Thomas w. Lawson turned turtle.
Allen, one of the rescued men, is
not expected to live, whl'.a Captain
Dow is suffering rom fractured arm
F4is rescue was effected only through
the most superhuman efforts Of the
life savers and the galantry of Fred
erick Hicks, the son of Pilot Hicks,
who accompanied them on their sec
ond trip in the hope of finding his
father.
search Captain Dow and Engineer
Rowe were seen alive on the Hell
wether rockh which they had clung
for upwards Of Is hours, the tre-
mendous waves preventing their
making landing.
Young Hicks plunged into the
boiling seas and swan ashore, car
rying a life line by means Of which
he and the captain hauled back to
the boat the engineer who was prac-
tically uninjured.
After assisting Captain Dow Hicks
was able to reach the boat unaided
but the effort exhausted him and the
doctors ordered him to remain quiet
tonight.
Captain Dow told the lifesavers
that when he found his vessel was
doomed, he, the engineer and the pi
lot lashed themselves to the mizZen
rigging. When the masts fell, the
captain and the engineer managed
to get clear. They jumped to the
deck but was washed overheard, be-
inS carried by the currents to the
rocks where they were found. Pilot
Hicks, however, seemed to be entang-
led in the rigging.
New York, Dec. 14.-The Thomas
w. Lawson which was wrecked in
Broad sound last night was the larg-
Is and the only 7 masted schooner
4oat. She was launched at Quincy,
Mass, five years ago. Her tremen-
dous carrying capacity resulted in
making her a most profitable invest
ment for her owners. At the time
of the accident which ended the ca
reer of the vessel, she was under
charter which brought her owners
return of $4,000 a year. She was
valued at 100000.
The Lawson was designed by B. B.
Crowninshield, of Boston, was built
by the Fore River Shipbuilding Co.,
and a little later came into the pos
session of the Coastwise Transporta-
tion company.
1t was the transportation CON-
pany which chartered the Lawson 10
the Sun Oil Company for a period of
fy!. years.
The Lawson was ;e5 feet i'll length
end the great b ;om Of the aftermost
sail and the spike steer bowspriI, S5
feet long, made her measure nearly
sos feet from tip to tip. With a
beam of so feet and a depth of 81
feet five inches, she had ii carrying
CAPACITY of s, l09 tons. Her dis
placement when loaded was 1000
tons, the load draught being EGA
feet. She was not Insured. She car
.Tied a crew of 4 8 men.