New-York tribune., 1908-05-08
TO RICKMERS RESCUE
sandy HOOK CREW GOING
Hundred Men on Sea Pounded Ship
47cait JERSEY LifesaUers.

Belabored by the pounding seas which
bowling soueaster sent surging over the shall
lows off Short Beach the four -masted ship Peter
Rickmers with hundred men on board. lay in n
position Of the most extreme peril last night
When night closed in and shut OF the view she
was being swept from side to side by white seas
only her jigger mast remained and on board
her OF forty-odd men and the sixty
sent down from New York by the Mer-
ritt Chapman company to jettison the cargo %
case oil and TO kedge the big Dutchman out into
deep water. Once lines flung across the
boat. but the wind and seas swept them away
Early this morning she shifted her position.
and now lies stern 70 sea All her masts
had been carried away and she was leaking bad
Iy -Four lifesaving crews standing bv
waiting for daylight. The weather was still
foggy. but the wind and were moderating
Although the wind began 70 die down after
sunset it still hung south OF east and the YES
sci is doomed without doubt in the opinion OF
the Hfesavers and baymen- 1t is impossible 70
reach her from offshore, and whatever succor
the fvescore men may expect must come from
seaward
The Sandy Hook Hfesavfng crew boarded The
revenue cutter Mohawk last night. and with
their power boat Rescue in tow started for the
scene of the wreck. Directly afterward. how
ever. unable to stand the seas, the Mohawk
anchored in the bay. and toward midnight the
Iifesavers returned TO the Sandy Hook station
They were to make a new start for the wreck
at 3. 80 o'clock this morning. and hoped to reach
the vessel by daybreak- But should the Mo
hawk reach the wreck it viii take at least three
trips for her to carry of both wreckers and
crew.
The boat lies off Zach's Inlet. which is about
twelve miles this side Of Fire Island Light and
Inlet The Mohawk with the Rescue probably
will reach the stranded vessel by daylight The
work of rescue cannot we'll be Undertaken until
then 1t viii be under the direction of Captain
Chester A. Lippencott who has had good deal
Of experience in such work
MASTs AND RIGGING CARRIED AWAY
When the gale broke yesterday morning ths
chances OF floating the Rickmers looked bright
A good part of her cargo Of case oil had been
Jettiso1ed and she had been kedged out seaward
for about fifty yards Work had To be absn-
doned and the sou'east wind, the worst that
could have blown. began to send the seas pound
ing against her body The tugs sought deep
water none too soon. and in a short while it wa7
impossible to stand in within couple Of miles
of the Rickrnerz- At dawn when they stood in
and picked up the cables again. the strain from
their efforts and the harnmering Of the seas sent
the foremast over by the board. A quarter OF
an hour later her mizzen went oversize. and be-
fore the vreckaze could be cleared away the
manning above the deck Rugged TO royals and
skysails there was a mass Of wreckage pounding
alongside for an hour that seriously threatened
the life of the vessel With axes and clasp knives
the and vrackers worked away until the
spars went pounding shoreward through th-
surf and away from the Rickmers-
The crews of the IifssHviug service from Short
Beach. Just across Jones's Inlet from Ions
Beach. from zach-s Inlet. opposite Seaford- AMI
.
through the forenoon to get life line to the
Rickmers The wind swept their lines back and
TO the west of the wreck. but finally tell
athwsrt the vessel abaft the mzzen mast Il
was made fast the butt of the jisser toPrlsst-
but after tho shore anchorage had been set UP
and the men hauling away on the hawssr
which carries the Dreeches buoy the line parted
under the press Of the weight OF the breakers
Just after the line parted the men from Jones's
Inlet station came UP with their surf boat Sew
eraI attempts to reach her from Shorevsrd wsrs
made. but the attempts were doomed to failure
from the start
STEEL SEAMS OPENED
At evening the men made desperate efforts -
reach the Ricku1ers. for while the Wind had died
down a little from the fffty-knot gale which had
been blowing the seas still ran unabated Her
peril grew greater mOmentarily after nightfall.
when the tide began make again. for it
surged shOreeard the seas began 70 run higher
Her seams opened BY the strain put upon the
vessel by the wreCking tugs in their efforts 70
pull her out Of the sand cradle
The iettisoning Of the cargo Of the Rickners
has been a boon to the beach coInbers who have
been garneriug the harvest Of fotsar brought
ashore by the wind and waves. The wreckers
put the cases Of oil each containing about ten
gallons. overheard intact. This not dons
until the men owning the oyster beds in Great
South Bay grew fearful that the spiIIins OF th4
oil from the broached cases would ruin thei-
beds and protested After that the cases went
over the side unbroached AS soon as the bay
men learned of this all focked down 70 the
beaches to CLEAN this harvest Of the seas
The big four master one OF the largest square
rggers this port has seen for long time sailed
for Rangoon last Thursday. She had on board
III geo ten gallon cases of oil from the STANDARD
Oil plant at Constable Hook Right after shs
crossed the bar she ran into cross winds which
finally piled her up on the edge OF the Fire
Island ship graveyard Captain Bachnan and
her crew tried 10 get off. and the next day ths
Merritt Chapman company sent down thres
wrecking tugs but their efforts. assisted by the
revenue cutter Mohawk, were unavaiIins The
wrecking company had four barges down there
also. and several thousand cases OF oil we've
lightered The rest of the cargo for the most
part has been jettisoned.
The Richmers has not been exactly 2 ~hspDv
ship for some time. Among her latest n1ishag,-
was one two weeks ago. when First Officer rat;-
man fell 70 the deck and fractured his sNuli
When she first got in from Bremen Captain
Bachman had several of the arrested ON
suspicion OF stealing junk Besides this som
in the crew drank several cases % becr
meant for the "old mans" private consumption