New-York tribune., 1908-09-21
STEAMER PULVERIZED
AGAINST ROCKS.
Crezc, IN Bad Plight, Rescued from
Castle Island.

plled between New York and Baltimore and the
west Indies. is no more. The hurricane which
buIeted the huge Mauretania about like a cork
IN mirace snote her a week ago Saturday.
and her captain and crew were brought TO port
yesterday. some of them seriously ILL., on the
steamer Prins WiIlem L from Hayti
The men the Yumuri were blown about
On their helpless craft for two days, and would
most likely have died had not the Prins Willem
responded TO their signals. displayed from the
shore of Castle Island where the Yurrluri went
to pieces
The Yumuri left Port Antonio for Baltimore
on September 10 in fair weather. On the fol-
lowing day. about noon, the barometer began
to drop rapidly and stiff gale came from the
north. She then about eighty-four miles
south a half east of Castle Island, and Captain
Engebretson prepared for a heavy storm. He
kept the Yumuri under mere steerageway until
the hurricane hit him with its full force, and
then all attempts to keep the little fruiter on
her course abandoned.
COMBER DISABLES ENGINE.
The skipper reversed his engines at half
speed, and had his steamer under fair control
until mountains of water broke over her decks
and poured into the 1reroom. The pumps kept
the water out for while, until a terrific COM
Der struck her amidships and the engine was
disabled. The Yumuri drifted with the gale
until repairs were made and her master again
got her under control
Six hours later a succession of high seas broke
over the decks and the fires were put out. The
steam pumps could not be used and the crew
worked with buckets to keep out the flood until
they fell exhausted in the hold. Captain Engel-
bretson could net see ships length ahead of
him because of the rain and spray blown by the
gale but made close estimate Of where he
By reversing his engines before they were disabled
he managed to keep off the rocks toward which
he knew the hurricane blowing him, but
with his propelling power gone he had to go
with the gale.
The Yumuri was blown fifty miles from the
place where her engines gave out. and Sat
urday morning she pounded heavily on the rocks
off Castle Island. The house was carried away
and the crew sought protection in the forecastle
where they passed the night A high rolling
sea lifted the steamer from her position the
rocks and threw her against another reef. break
ing her to bits. The lifeboats were smashed to
splfnters and everything above the deck was
carried away.
At intervals the captain saw through the
binding rain that he was only two ship lengths
from shore. and he ordered the crew TO put on
their life preservers and swim for the land be-
fore the bow, on which they were perched like
seagulls. was swept from the reef Captain
Engelbretson put the ships papers and his log
book in a bal and bound il around him. When
the last man jumped into the water he dived IN
himself
CHIEF ENGINEER BARELY SAVED.
The chief engineer, Carl Evensen was i'll
from exposure, and had to be lifted over the
side by his shfpmates. Two men tried to swim
with him to shore, but he torn from their
grasp and sank Harold Olsen, the second Of
fcer. dived after him and brought him up.
Sigobad Dahl, the second engineer, managed
to get back to the unconscious man, and with
Olsen started with him again for the shore
Again Evensen sank but his two comrades
| dived for him, and at last dragged the sick and
| unconscious man to shore. None of the men
had yet landed.
AS Olsen was about to fight through the surf
to help the others he the remainder Of the
| crew swimming shoreward four of them hold
ing the bleeding head of the captain above
water Two minutes after he had directed the
removal of the chief engineer from the shat
tered bow Captain Engebretson was hurled
against sharp ledge and knocked unconscious
Stunned and unable to swim, he pounded from
one rock to another until he sank. and two men
had to dive twice to bring him up.
All efforts for the time to restore the captain
and the chief engineer to consciousness were in
vain, and the crew hardly able to stand crawled
jungle to the lighthouse the south end of
the island The keeper and his family
the ONLY inhabitants of the island They dealt
out enough beef broth and biscuits to revive
the famished crew.
THE PERILOUS WORK OF RESCUE.
When the Prins WiIlem 1 hove in sight the
lighthouse keeper ran up signals on the top of
the light The hurricane had moderated some
stiff gale drove a mountainous surf
up onto the shore. Captain Nyboer or
dered MI Wagemaker, his chief officer, and
four men to go ashore in one of the steel life
boats. Their steel boat was hurled against the
rocks smashing a big hole in the bow. Then
comber caught the lifeboat and threw it high
and dry with its occupants on the beach.
Wagemaker patched up the hole with canvas
and took six of the wrecked crew aboard the
Prins WiIlen, after fighting through the surf
for a good half hour. Then he went through
the surf on a second trip, and, anchoring the
Iifeboat beyond the breakers, threw out life
line which drifted to the shore. One by one all
the shipwrecked men were hauled in on the line
n the boat and taken to the Dutch steamer.
wagemaker made a third trip for Captain
Fngebretsen This time hole was ripped in
new IIfeboat. and while Wagemaker waited for
the line 70 drift with the surf TO the captain OF
the yururf a seaman held his arm thrust
through the hole
C,aptain Engebretsen tied the ships papers on
his head as he waded into the surf but wave
carried them away. sailor manning the l1re-
bost Jumped overheard for the captains lost
bundle but could not get it.
The captafn and crew of the Yumuri were re-
moved TO various hospitals and boarding houses
when the Dutch steamer docked yesterday.