New-York tribune., 1910-01-31
SAVED FROM SHARKS
NINE MEN RESCUED.
Wrecked Sailors Picked from
Raft Far Ont at Sea.


Savannah liner City of Atlanta. sent a
fairly complete story of the rescue OF the
crew of the schooner George A. McFadden
on Saturday night, sailornen Of the At
lanta were able to give some details that
may have been side-tracked by the tall
buildings In lower Broadway. The Atlanta
came In yesterday. 1t was told in The
Tribune how the McFadden, while carrying
lumber from Jacksonville to New Bedfori,
was blown on the Diamond Shoals off Cape
Hatteras on Thursday and dismasted by
stiff northeaster. The first report had IL
that the schooner which was big four
master, had broken up on the shoal, but
reports from Eorthbound steamships say
she has been blown seaward and is now a
dangerous derelict on the northbound
coastwise track
The City Of Atlanta, from Savannah
brought Captain F. II. Meader and the
eight men of the McFadden to this city
Yesterday. They had been picked UP by
the British tramp steamship Katherine
while clinging to the schooner's deckhouse
some seventeen miles north of the wreck
Later they were transferred to the United
States gunboat Paducah. which put them
aboard the City Of Atlanta.
When the men got in yesterday it was
learned that the gale was not wholly TO
blame for the grounding of the McFadden.
The skipper said his compass out
and that the weather was thick off the
shoals. After the schooner struck, her
deck fittings and life boats were carried
away by the high cor1bers and the men
took refuge in the jiSger rigging. Realiz-
ing that 1t would be only a question of
time before they would be dashed out of
their temporary haven. the men jumped
to the deckhouse, which they saw was
working itself loose from the schooner.
SWEPT FROM THE WRECK
The deckhouse, which was IS by 90 feet
finally did bound away and drift seaward
There were several boat rings and frag-
ments Of ropes on the inlprovised raft, and
half of the crew managed TO lash themselves
to the rings. The others clung to the men
who were lashed. Before the deckhouse
gave way the men who had taken refuge on
II were constantly nenaced by the heavy
tinbers which made up the deckload and
which rolled about as the ship pitched in
the seas
The McFadden had plenty of provisions
on board. but they could not be hauled out
from below. A cask containing twenty-five
gallons Of fresh water was smashed before
the men drifted from the wreck. In the
afternoon an onion foated by the deck
house and the men reached for It, but
hungry wave carried il away They never
saw that onion again. Later a bucket COW
cred with a wire screen was washed TO
them, and the hungry men caught it. The
find was hardly worth catching for the
bucket contained a turnip and a few dozen
salt pickles. Edmond Roscoe, an able sea-
man, said Lets eat all of that turnip now
said, NO; We'll keep part of it for to-nor-
row"
I'VE won't be here tomorrow" replied
Roscoe and the skipper agreed that his re-
mark was blamed near true"
Every man on the deckhouse believed
that he had only one chance in hundred
OF being rescued. but all clung tenaciously
TO that one chance. Just as reminder
that there were some ninety-nine chances
against them. schools Of big sharks dis
ported themselves with open jaws about
the himsy raft.
ONE SHIP BRUSHES BY.
An American barkentine. which the skip
per believed was the Daisy Reed. came so
close to them that the sailormen were able
TO make out the lookout and the man at
the wheel But she went by. There was
A-oS~A--A
when he said he could see the barkentine
and she could not see him. Another sail
ing vessel also went close TO them, but did
not stop. 1t was not until the British
tramp Katherine bore down upon the IS by
20 deckhouse that the ninety-nine chances
in favor of the sharks vanished.
Captain A. G. Whyte. OF the Katherine.
took good care of the McFaddens crew
after they were hauled up from the water.
Two of the men had their feet caught be-
tween the deckhouse and the steamships
side, and limped yesterday when they came
ashore from the City of Atlanta.
Captain Whyte, who was bound for Tam
pico, intended TO put the men ashore at
Key West until he sighted the gunboat
Paducah. Then came the red tape Of the
government when he signalled that he
wanted to put some shipwrecked men
aboard The Paducah wanted to know if
there was sickness on board the Katherine.
Then she wanted TO know if the helpless
sailors were sick. When assured that they
were not she ran close and transferred the
men in her own small boat. The Paducah
later got into communication with the City
OF Atlanta and put the McFadden's crew
aboard.