Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1908-02-05
HEROIC RESCUE OF SEANEN
Sailors Battle with Waves for Lives
Of st. Cuthbert's Crew.
MEN IN BOAT DROWNED
Men from Steamer Cymric Succeed
in Saving Lives of Thirty
seven from the Burn
ina Boat.

NEW YORK. Feb. 4-A wireless dis
patch to the Times from the steamer
Cymric gives details Of the burning OF the
steamer ST. Cuthbert. Soon after the Gym
ric sighted the burning vessel the steamer
Cambrian also came up and the two ships
lay by for several hours awaiting a chance
to lower safely n boat the terrific wind
which was blowing at the time making It
impossible for boat to live.
Finally, at o'clock the Cymric got a
boat away in command of First officer
Stivey and with a crew of six men. After
a hard fight with the waves, the boat,
which was brilliantly handled, succeeded.
aided by the quantities Of oil which had
been spread on the water, in reaching the
side of the ship For ten minutes they
lay by before heavy figure was lowered
into the boat followed by a second. Then
ten made their way down the ladder and
into the boat. All were friEhtfully burned.
The boat returned safely to the Cymric
and the rescued men were hoisted aboard.
The same crew then made a second and a
third trip back to the burning steamer
rescuing thirty-seven men I'm all. on the
last trip the boat was stove in by a wave
and barely reached the Cymric in safety
The officers and crew of the ST. Cuth-
bert had terrible story to tell. At mid
day Saturday, the fire was first discov-
cred smoke being seen emerging from
Ventilator. The first officer rushed to the
bridge, where the captain was, to tell him
of the fire, when almost Immediately ter
rible explosion occurred, blowing off all
the matches in the forward part of the
ship and destroying half the bridge. The
captain was thrown to the deck, badly
injured and blinded by the flames. The
wheelsman was driven away from his
post A boat was Immediately lowered
but was smashed and its crew of fifteen.
including the third officer, were drowned.
For thirty-six hours the crew fought the
flames but with small success. The fore
mast melted and fell, throwing stow
away who was hidden in the crows nest,
into the flames. which had by the time
burned through the forward deck. There
were nine stowaways on the ship and all
were caught in the forward holds and
burned to death without a chance Of res
cue. After the fall of the mast the fire
was partially checked. but poisonous fumes
of fuel OIL made the fighting of fire almost
impossible. The ship was loaded with in
| flammable materials.
The crew, however, kept up a gallant
fight and were rescued only lust in time,
| as the fire was rapidly gaining headway
| when the Cymric was finally enabled to
put off the rescuing boot All the rescued
members of the crew were cared for on the
Cymric and, although many OF them are
badly burned. 1t is thought all will re-
cover.
BOSTON. Feb. 4.-Up to 1O;80 a. m. to-
day the White Star Line offices here had
received no word from the steamer Cymric
regarding the loss of the steamer St.
Cuthbert and fifteen of the crew by the
wireless dispatches from Cape Cable. The
| Cymric is bound in for this port, with the
survivors of the st. Cuthbert on board
and was expected to dock late this after
noon.