The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-09-25
Full-Rigged H arv est
Queen Sinking When
Rescue Comes.
In CURRENTS OF
SARGASSO SEA
Lu1nber-Laden, old-Fashionee
Ship, With All on Board, Was
Being Dragged to Oceans
Bottom, When Signals
Flash Into the Air and
Bring Assistance.
tspeeial to The Times-pispatch.l

Especial 10 ne
New YORK, September 24.-"Wire-
less saved nineteen more lives on the
last trip of the Koenigen Luise. OF
the North German Lloyd, to the Medi-
terranean and back. She has Just ar
rived at this port. Captain Harras-
sowitz reports this, the saved lives
being those OF the crew of an old
fashioned full-rigged ship, the Har-
vest Queen, built score OF years be-
for wireless communication was used.
Twenty three years make big slice
or time in shipping. and this once
smart full-rigger, leaking. half-sunk
with water. drifting I'VE days help
iessiy In the sunny seas 1000 miles
OFF the nearest land-the Azores-with
three flags Of distress hoisted on tbs
mizzenmast, was surprised when
these signals had carried beyond two
horizons and brought succor.
One steamer an unknown Italian.
described the signals, made them out
"Ship full OF water" I'm instant need
OF help High danger"--and then
flashed over the surrounding seas by
her wireless apparatus:
ship 1000 miles due south Azores
sinking; we are too far away to as
sist In time"
Vessel to Rescue.
That message. cast upon the afr
about the waters, caught at the wire
less Instruments on board the steam
ship Koenigen Luise at o'clock Aug
"a, and clicked the spelling of the
| words twice over. The operator touch
ed the bell to the captains bridge,
the mate reused Captain Harrassowitz,
and orders were given to change the
course to the point indicated. So
we'll was II calculated that in four
hours. when day had clearly broken
i the disabled old ship vas sighted.
"She was only swimming. as the
sailors put 1t. A few steadyinS sails
were spread, but she rolled in The
swell like log in a swift River. There
were the three flags crying for aid.
Lumber was scattered over the sea
her deckload had been cast over.
Lookouts could see her going lower
and lower into the water.
According to the maritime register.
| the Harvest Queen was of 2,544 tons.
She had been captained by p. A.
Forsyth for twenty years, and was
owned by him and his wife. Other rec
ords aboard the Koenigin Luise showed
that she had sailed from Windsor.
Canada. for Buenos Ayres with a cargo
of cut lumber. She was now many,
many days out of her course. She had
been driven from one hemisphere prac-
tically to the other. The steamship
| bore down upon her with all speed.
Those passengers VINO had risen for
early coffee spread the news among
the cabins. and the passengers nocked
in wool wraps to the deck of the liner.
They cheered the boats that Were low
cred and sent off, but huddled along
the rails as they saw the full rlgger
slowly going down to her bulwarks,
settling YEARLY into the arms Of the
sea. The first boat to return brought
ten men, all the belongings they could
carry and word that there was rip
in the Harvest Queens bottom as wide
as chest, and that all that was
keeping her afloat was the lumber
witt. which she was laden. She had
stood up under all weathers for years.
but this year was number %. and the
weight of the cargo had split her
open. One of her own boats was used
for the last transfer of the crew.
BY order of Captain Harrassowitz.
Captain Forsyth, of the Harvest
Queen. took the petrol. out of her
dummy engine. sprinkled some fore
and aft, touched match to It. and
entered the last boat with the re-
mainder of the crew ami two kittens.
Not living soul Is left aboard"
said Captain Forsyth. arriving at the
Koenigin Luise as the smoke was en-
veloping the ship.
My wife usually sails with me, but
this time she stayed at home In Can
ada, ahc will be glad, captain. thar
you rescued these two kittens" And
Captain Harrassowitz accepted them
and gave the shipwrecked mariners the
most comfortable time of their lives 30
Gibraltar, where they went ashore.
In Snrgnsso Sen.
What disturbed the skipper-owner OF
the Harvest Queen was that he had
drifted within the currents of the sar-
gasso Sea, that meadow of thick sea-
weed which clutches derelicts and
sucks them farther and farther toward
the centre, which is about 55 degrees
west longitude and % degrees north
latltude; or halfway between where
1.-THE ship was picked up and the Bermu-
das No steamship can penetrate this
centre of weed grown sargasso, for Its
lpropeler blades would break In tho
choking entanglement Seamen fear 1t
| worse than other perils. for no person
going overheard c,n hope to escape
I. the tentacles of the cllngins weeds.
LIT Is Fortunate sailina vessel that.
Sencounterlng it through some mis-
Echance. is yet able and sound enough
I to work out of 1t, Nc lerelict ever
4 does,
I 1t never has been explored and so
|! has it's own special terrors to iaviga-
tors. Once, fifty %e1rs ago French
sailing master, Eap{ain Leps, clrcleN
1.-THE outer thickpfssA4 the sargasso and
observed and yrotcd the currents, not
going farther In because any way cut
would close I'M behind a vessel with
natural cIrculatorS drift, and RI would
never come out. IT Is one OF the few
parts OF the surface of tho
earth, and supposedly holds the expla-
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