Martinsburg statesman-democrat. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1906-1921, 1908-02-21
Heroes Of Tsaay.


Crest tales are told IN song and
story o. the heroes II prodigious
stunts in the days of chivalry. Bat
there was none who went TO battle IN
boiler plate psnoply with couIage
hifher than that Of SEINE Of The heroes
Of to-day whose deeds arc not sung by
troubadours in castle halls. but merely
enronicled by reporters and embeilish-
ed With descriptive headlines by sele-
graphic editors
The steamer St. Cuthbert, from Ant-
werp, bound for New York, with
cargo. OF MATCHES, rags, wickerwork
ana napthaline, ran into gale of the
coast Of Noyia Scotia. While she was
being driven through the STERN the
cargo caught fire and an explosion
blew the matches off the form ard hols..
AS The crew began lighting the fire,
Ave more explosions occurred, aud the
forward pari u The ship beeanlea mass
OF fame. With the prospects Of being
blown to atoms by the napthaline the
men continued to fight the fire. With
out food or water, scorched in front
and frozen by the blizzard in tie rear,
the ST. Cuthbert's crew kept up the
light twenty -four hours.
here is the Boston 6iebe's report. in
the words of a survivor, of how things
were going:
1 SstIbaro xyare sa,,an os.,x.o,paxu o,, tho
burning ship, all. but two OF them
Americans, the others beng Russians.
Two OF them were forward with num-
Der OF the crew when the fire broke
out. So quickly did the tire spread ow-
ing to the series of explosions that
these men and the sailors were cut off
from the after part of the ship. Tho
men saved themselves by hanging to
the anchor fiukes and remaining there
until veil into Sunday morning.
"When the fire had somewhat sub
sided they managed to crawl along the
rsil and by rushing over the red hot
deck TO gain the after part Of the ship.
The two stowaways tried TO crawl aft
| by means ofthe jumperstay from the
foremost to the funnel. One succeeded
in this wonderful feat, but as the sec
ond was half way over the mast tot :
tered and he was thrown into the fam
ling nold and was seen no more.
''rne mast then fell and remained
hanging over the bow rail, causing
dangerous wreckage.
"Sunday morning soon after day
light it was decided to abandon the
ship. AS the first boat vas being low.
cred from the steamer ii was caught
by wave and smashed into crum-
pied mass. Third Officer White and u
sailor were caught in the wreckags
and were drowned before help could
reach the a..
1.-THE second boat was gotten out
with men it. Before 1t had gone more
than dozen lengths from the steam
ship. the terrifie waves overturned 1t
and those on The vessel saw all occu-
pants drown without being able to aid
them.p
/ The English steamer Cymric hove
in sight and made arrangements to ef-
feet rescue OF the survivors. The
mercary was rs degrees below zsrs
and the wind was blowing snow heri-
zontaIly across the water. Every sailor
on board the Cymric volunteered for
service in the lifeboats. The distance
between the rescuing steamer and the
wreck was half mile. Several trips
were made, forty-one men were saved
aud when the lifeboat arrived with its
last load it was so nearly wreck that
1t was cut adrift as not being worth
hosting abroad.
| A Cymric passenger thus describes
the action.of the British sailors:
"Heroes are made by such trying ex-
periences. At times we were driven OIL
most mad by the no rrible spectacle
and at thei next instant We would be
hysterical over the wonderful bravery
OF thosemen of the Cymrle's lifeboat
crew.
| When standing by the ST.
Cuthbert the officers and men of tie
Cymric to man volunteered and beg
ged the captain to permit them TO go
at once to the rescue.
capt. Finch said he could not al
low them to sacrifice their lives, but
would wait until the sea was quieter.
| about o'clock the captain told
the crew they might go. Then the men
OF sne Cymric almost fought for places
in the lifeboa. y
| A western cattleman, tae only pas
senger on the ST Cuthberi, says that
b. has witnessed many hair-raising
events in the west, but never saw any