The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-02-20

or seven feet of water at low tide. Had there been sufficient depth, the ves- sel would have gone down and a loss of life would have been inevitable. As it is there is a fair chance of saving It, though it will be some days before the vessel can be hauled off, Another such storm as that of last night, however, would probably reduce the disabled sea traveller to kindling wood. The task of freeing her from where she is inn prisoned is one that will task the in- genuity of the wreckers' crew, who are
 momentartly expected. It may. be found necessary to dig channel from the outer harbor, half a mile inland, deep enough to float her.
 High water last night was at 10:31. The gale which had been blowing for
 upwards of an hour increased in fury
 until 1t reached the force of @ hurri-
 cane. The cut-ups of the weather.
 heightened by seemingly concerted effort upon the part of the four winds
 of the earth to tumble the sea into a chaos of deviltry, seemed intent up- on having the Starin folk for the midi night lunch of the habitutes of Davy Jones' locker. Hardy old veteran of the sea that he is, Capt. Van Pelt to- day conceded that in all his days and these include his nights, he never dreamed such night could be begot by the goddess of evil. Bleaker winds he has known: seas of a more turnult- ous nature he has laughed defiance at; torrential downpours of chilling waters vaster in volume he faced before; but the mixture of these clements sur charged with such a terrific fury of the seas hereajbouts he knows, naught of.
 Said Capt. Van Pelt to a Farmer re- porter, before daybreak today:
 ''You writin' fellers kin say any darn thing you like bout that spell of weather yistidy night, but you won't never know what it looked like, no- how"
 Once the ship crashed onto the rocks it was pinioned for the wind and tide was in the right direction to render futile all efforts of crew to release it. It was as helpless as rat in a trap. Churning seas flung themselves across it's partly dismembered superstructure carrying everything before them. Box after box of merchandise was washed away, the tumbling of the vessel, dur ing her wild and uncontrollable jour- ney towards the rocks, tossing the freighted contents about with the abandon of a child who delights in finging about the laundrywoman's clothespins.
 As the hour was not late, it lacking a quarter of Il o'clock when the leak was discovered to be dangerous one, most of the crew were about. The one exception was the purser Joseph Miriam, of New Haven. He was asleep and the first he knew of the accident was when he was awakened by the crash on the rocks. His story of what then occurred as related to a Farmer reporter follows:
 When we struck the rocls,'' he said. | the jar threw me out of my bunk and | just as I got to my feet was thrown |
 e..JI conscious that we had met with a 1 lnishap, I grabbed part of my attire l and jumped headforemost through the i window leading to the main deck As | did so I heard the captain giving | orders to lower the boats. There was not a light left burning on the. ship and the darkness was intense. Added | to this the wind blew furiously and | 1t seemed that the rain would never stop. We set to work to lowering the l boats. It was an awful task, for the only way we could get them into the 1 water was by lowering them on the port side across the rocks However here was no great danger of their ,apsizing. No small boat could live, however on the starboard side.
 "I did not see any light on the end ,f the breakwater.''
 Both the pilot, and the first mate, as
  lid not see any light on the breakwa- CT as the ship rolled in, but they did zee the lighthouse flame flicker stead ly throughout.
 Beyond admitting that he did not see light at the end of the rocks the pi- ot did not care to make a statement
 In the opinion of local seafaring men he Starin must have been at least wo miles off her course when she leaded for this port. How she came o be in such a position is not defin- tely known. Most of the members f the crew roamed about the city af- CT gathering their effects. They are waiting to hear some decisive word rom their employers. They were ompelled to trundle their way with 1 heir effects in grips and improvised ackages across the sharp edged rocks hat form the breakwater for there 7ere no boats that could be utilized. While hurrying along the rocks at | ;teeplechase, about 3 this morning, arrying a lantern and buffeting the dement's, Harbormaster Morris stum- led and fell, cutting his face. Un- aunted by the dangers which the risk ntailed the intrepid harbormaster his journey until he reach T d his destination