The sun., 1908-09-21
YUMURI Ia WRECK, CREW SAFE
LITTLE FRUITER CAST ON A
DESOLATE BANANA ISLET.

Captain and Chief Engineer Hurt-Only
Lighthouse Keepers Family on the
Island-No shelter and Little Food
n Dutch Steamship to the Rescue.
The loss OF the little fruit steamer
yumuri and the rescue Of all hands was
news brought In here yesterday by the
steamship Prins Willem I. OF the Royal
Dutch West Indies Line. Capt. Enge-
bretson OF the Yumuri Is still marveliing
At the miracles through which he and his
crew Of fifteen sturdy Scandinavians
escaped death when, in one Of the widest
tempests ever brewed in the Belt Of Gains,
where West Indian howlers are launched.
the fruiter was hammered to scrap iron
on the reefs OF the dreary bit Of low
wing land called Castle Island. in the
Bahamas just south Of Acklin Island
and across the Old Bahama Channel to
the north Of Cape Maisi. The skipper.
with all his men but one. who wouldn't
come, got here yesterday aboard the
Gears of his stru ggle for life in the breakers
that hurled him on the jagged strand Of
the islet His chief engineer, Karl Even
zen, was even more fearfuly battered
and was sent to the Marine Hospital.
Staten Island.
The Yumuri called from Port Antonio.
Jamaica. on September 10, in pleasant
weather. About O'Clock the next after
noon the glass began to drop and the
skipper recognized on the horizon eymr.
toms Of a cyclonic blow. He was thon
eighty-f four miles south half east of Castle
Island. The wind rose constantly aad
soon had hurricane gait on. Hatches
were cloeed and covered with tarpaulins,
which meant loss OF bananas and oranges
by decay in tho unventilated holds. The
rain came in fierce. thick squalls that
made il impossible to zee half a ships
ength. and the skipper kept his whistle
shrieking to warn Of any craft that might
be near The little ship could hardly
hold her noee up tc the combfag eeas
at s O'Clock that night when the islet
that was lying In wait for her was thirty
eight miles away.
At midnight the wind was blowing more
than eighty miles and the engines coul1
just turn. The ship wouli not obey her
helm and the skipper tried putting her
full speed astern in the hope OF avoiding
the reefs OF the islst The combers made
clear breaches over her. carrying away
the funnel. wher she finally drifted into
the trough. Tons OF water poured into
the cabin and ports. and ripping OF the
hatch covers fi,l,i the holds. The steam
pumps did their limit and every man was
bailins with bucket The fires under the
boilers Veterinary arownei out and tine
ship. which was lighted by electricity,
drifted in darkness.
The gale had become so strong that
living on deck was impossible and all
hands sought shelter In the deckhousos.
These began to 60 to piece, under the
pounding Of the seas and everybody went
forward upon the bridge. The ship was
rolling her rails under. The skipper and
every man wore life preserver. as it
was apparent that there could be little
hope Of launching boat; yet this is what
the desperate men. attempted to do after
two Of the port beats had been smashed.
just as they we're making ready to launch
the starboard lifeboat the ship struck
hard and sea that ourled- over the star
board side broke the lifeboat in halves.
The rain was torrential ami nothing
could be seen Of land, but tn, s'sippe,
knew that he had hit the islet th1t he
had dreaded. Presently In Ietup In
the rain the beacon of the lighthouse
on the siet was seen and then the skipper
was sure Of his position.
The lighthouse keeper 'and his family
are the only inhabitants OF. the place
and they were two miles from the scene
OF the wreck and knew nothing about
it. This was before daylight on the
morning Of Saturday. September II.
The turbulence OF aad on shore was IS
bad when dawn came The after half
OF the ship went to pieces and was swal-
lowed in the breakers. The men moved
forward to the forecastle head. budding
together and watched the taions Of the
storm tear the fruiter to pieces under
them. The low, which had imbedded
Hsef between two reefs. began to culver
and crack.
The skipper then gave his last COM
mand As he stood in the bow ready
to plunge backward he said: Boys.
we have got to jump!' In a second he
was battling with the breakers. The
beach was about two ship lengths away
through surf that rose more than
hiteen feet. All hands followed the
skipper to what seemed to most Of them
certain death. But all were cast up
alive, although not one was unhurt and
The engineer and skipper we're uncon-
scious when they were dragged from
The verge Of the ferment by their luckier
shirmates.
The rain had ceased and 1t was broad
daylight. They saw the last Of the ship
vanish in the sea. They also saw the
lighthouse two miles of and prepared
10 take their wounded commander and
the engineer, whose faces and heads were
cut and bloody, to shelter there. They
made stTetchers of brush and tree limbs
ana put the patients on them. The two
t,'e stretch was across swamps and
'hicK tree growth and oil hands were
eAhausted when they reached the light
mouse bag Of oranges was all that
naa been saved from the wreck. The
nehthouse keeper was hospitable, but
nls Resources were limited and the cast
ssays lived chiefly on the oranges.
Inc lighthouse proper, in which the