The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-08-11
NAVAL TUG SINKS
Four Members of Her Crew
Known to Have Drowned.
Captain and Others DriftedAway
on a Life Raft.
CARRIED ONE BOAT.
In This the Captains Wife and
an Officer Made Shore.
Lost Vessel Was Loaded With
Anchors and Chains.

/ Rockport Mass, Aug. 1.-THE cargo
of anchors on board the naval tug
Nezinscot. Captain Evans, proved too
great a burden as she rolled down th1
coast from Portsmouth to Boston be
fore northerly gale today and after
| the seas had flooded the engine room,
the tug rolled over and sank off Cape
Ann.
Four of her crew lost their lives,
while nine others, including the cap
tain's wife and boy. reached land after
hard struggle. The lost were.
CHARLES F. TROTTER, actirg as
sistant surgeon.
G. L. TAYLOR, ordinary seaman.
Z. F. WHITE, colored ships cook,
first class.
L. R. EDWARDS. coIored. seaman.
Captain Evans and Machinist's Mate
A. Belfric were taken from an oah
grating by life saving crew after they
had been in the water nearly five hours
and had seen DR.. Trotter washed off
into the sea.
Chief Boatswain's Mate Bitter strug-
gled an hour with Mrs. Evans and the
boy on a narrow plank. Engineer Pratt
and three seamen managed to gain the
ships boat after the sinking of the
tug and righted her, hauled Bitter and
Mrs. Evans on board and then rowed
ashore.
Half an hour later a dozen fishing
boats put out from here as we'll as the
life saving crews from StaitsmOuth and
Gloucester, to rescue the men adrift
The Nez1nscot left Portsmouth early
today with cargo of anchors, anchor
chains and searchlights for the battle
ship Missouri The tug was a boat of
low free board and her cargo brought
her down until her decks were nearly
awash. She was manned by five Off
GERS and a crew of about 10 men. Cap
tain Evans, who was in command halls
from Quincy, Mass. and has been in
charge Of many battleships for the
Fore River Ship Building company dur
ing their trials on the New England
coast.
The westerly gale was blowing when
the Nezinscot left Portsmouth so Cap
tain Evans hugged the shore as far as
Ipswich Then he headed across for
Cape Ann. AS the tug went off shore
she met rising seas and began to roll.
OFF HalfbUt Point, a big sea bore the
little boat over until the water flooded
her engine room and she became help
less. Captain Evans ordered the single.
boat carried to be lowered and put in
it his wife and little boy and the sec
ond officer. Scarcely had the boat
touched the water when the Nezinscot
lurched and plunged under the waves.
The captain. surgeon, engineer and
three or four of the crew managed to
maui themselves aboard a life raft.
Then 1t was found that three of the
Nezinscot's boat was being rowed to-
ward shore. the life raft was driven
seaward by the gale. When the boat
landed at Lanesville, the second officer
Immediately notified two life saving
stations and nearby fishermen of the
plight of those on the life raft. The
commandant at Portsmouth also was
informed of the accident and replied
that the tug NJ. Mitchell Davis would
leave at once.
An hour later the gale was still blow
ing, but the wind had worked more TO
the northward, which the fishermen
here said made it possible the raft
would be blown across Massachuset
bay and that the men would be able 10
make a landing somewhere inside of
Cape Cod. The Nezinscot was attached
to the Portsmouth navy yard
Captain Evans and Engineer Bel
frio were picked up by the Delivers
neck life saving crew and landed here
at 11:30 a. m. DR.. Trotter was wash
ed off the grating and drowned The
men were picked up inside of Ipswich
bay. about four miles off shore.