Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-05-24
CREW MAY Be ALIVE
Missing Ship Arthur SeWaIl
Said to Have Been Sighted.
HIGH AND DRY ON REEF
Wreck Reported Seen by Steamer
Hampstead.
BAND IS PROBABLY MAROONED
May Be Leading Robinson Crusoe
Lives on Little Island-Owners
Anxious to Send Help.
BAND IS PROBABLY MAROONED
Special Dispatch to The Star.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
NEW YORK. May 23.-Cast away on a
desert island in mid Pacific, subsisting on
whatever they can pick up from the sea
and the scanty land around them. and
waiting for help to come, the crew of the
ship Arthur Sewall are supposed to be
leading the lives of modern Robinson
CruSoeS.
News of the supposed plight Of the
thrty-five members of the crew of the
Sewal posted missing at Lloyds and
by the insurance companies here. reached
Lloyds at the maritime exchange today
in a report from Capt. Hill, master of the
British steamer Hampstead. which re-
Gently arrived at Sydney, y. S. W., from
the Hawaiian islands.
Sighted Stranded Ship.
Capt. Hill states that upon passing
Middleton reef the latter part of April
he saw lead-painted sailing ship of
about $500 tons high and dry on the
north side of the reef. with sails care
fully slowed along the yards. The vessel
was undoubtedly American. according to
the master of the Hampstead.
He was not aware at that time that
the Arthur Sewall was overdue. Hence
his failure to stop and learn details OF
the fate of the crew.
The Arthur sewall left Philadelphia
April 3 last year with a cargo of coal
for Seattle. When she failed to arrive
it vas supposed she had been burned at
sea.
The news from the Hampstead is SO
convincing that Arthur SewaM & Co.
of Bath, Me-. have taken steps to
learn whether the stranded vessel is the
Sewall and how many of her crew are
marooned on the little Pacific reef
All the Sewall ships have been painted
a lead color until recently, when the Will
liam B. Frye's hull was turned into green
The Sewalls decided to abandon lead color
for their vessels because of it being more
difficult to distinguish them in a haze or
fog.
Sewalls Anxious for Details.
The Sewalls have cabled to the master
Of the Hampstead for complete descrip-
ton of the vessel which he saw on the
reef. The British bark Annasone went
ashore on the same reef last year. She
was painted black. was of only 400 tons
register and had only three masts. She
could not have been the craft referred to
by Capt. Hill.
Middleton reef is an exceptionally bar
rem island. There was much speculation
among members of the maritime exchange
as to how the crew could live there for
any length of time. 1t Is located in a
spot not frequented by vessels crossing
the Pacific.
The Sewall was commanded by Capt.
Arthur Gaffry. Among the crew was H.
o. Fritz. nineteen years old. whose father,
William II. Fritz, wealthy lumberman
of Berwin Pa, sent him to sea because
of his opposition to his sons marriage to
Miss Daisy Fair an actress.
There was considerable interest aroused
in the repOrt of the HampStead by the
thur Sewall well. and who were proud of
her being one of the few American sail
ing vessels left. These were inclined to
believe there might be some hopes for the
crew after all.