The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1913-11-12
Died FOR nothing
CAPTAIN and CREW ABANDONED
SHIP In HEAVY SEA
BOAT WEATHERS GALE

Ship is AfterWard Found Drifting
in the Waters With No One on
Board-Four Are Lost.
The faded yellow pages Of the log
books of the New Bedford, Mass,
whaling fleet fail to record mystery
of the sea more battling than that
WedL esday presented, when the reve-
nue. cutter Gresham towed into the
port of"New Bedford the Gloucester
fishing schooner Annie M. Parker.
which was picked up Monday with all
sails set, her hold filed with fish and
without soul on board, sixty miles
east of the Nantucket Hghtship.
There is no trace Of any Of the nine
teen men composing the schooner's
crew.
In its details the mystery recalls
the case Of the Boston brig Marie
Celeste, which some forty years ago
was found abandoned at sea. The
fate Of her crew never was known:
The British steamer Astrakhan,
bound from New York for France,
sighted the Parker drifting with all
sails set. Boarding the schooner, Of
fcers Of the steamer found four Of
the dories missing. A few burned
pieces Of bread was all the food In
the galley, indicating that before
leaving the crew had hastily gathered
together supply Of provisions.
The schooner was not leaking and
was in perfect condition, except for
the loss Of one lib. Salt fish valued
at about $4,000 filed the hold. A
prize crew from the Astrakhan took
charge Of the. Parker and turned her
over to the Gresham.
The Parker's owners said she sail
ed from Sydney, N. S., for her home
port October 2s, after fishing trip
to the Newfoundland grand banks.
She was in command of Capt. Vincent
Nelson, veteran Gloucester skipper,
and was manned by a crew Of eigh-
teen. The owners could offer no e1.
planation for the abandonment OF the
vessel. There is possibility that the :
Parker's crew was picked up by some
sailing vessel. Had they been taken.
on board a steamer the rescue prob.
ably would have been reported by
wireless.
4 Wednesday dispatch from Port
land, Me-, tells Of the resuce Of most
Of the crew Of the Annie NJ. Porter.
The dispatch says the probable loss Of,
their captain, Vincent Nelson, and
three OF their shipmates and the
three of their shipmates and the
the sea brought by the survivors Of
the crew Of the Gloucester fishing
schooner Annie NJ. Parker. The fact
that their abandonment OF the
schooner near Nantcket and the loss
of life was unnecessary was not
known to the crew until word reached
them Wednesday night that the
schooner virtually undamaged was in
port at New Bedford.
Nine survivors of the Parker's
crew reached Portland, Me-, aboard
the lumber ship Tifton from Jackson
vile, which had rescued them from
dories thirty miles of Nantucket Sun
day morning after they had been
afloat twenty-four hours without food
or drink. A tenth survivor, Henry
Nelson, Of Beverly, son of the cap
tain, was left behind on the Boston
fisherman "Jose and Phoebe, e1-
hausted from the experience. but hop
ing to find trace OF his father.
Reuben Kenney, the cook, was
drowned when he was swept over
board from dory while his mates
looked on powerless to help. His
home was at Glenwood. He leaves
seven children. The missing men. be-
sides Capt. Nelson, are: Lester
Fletcher, of Argyle Sound, N. s.;
Ross Worthern, Of Pubnico Head, N.
S.; Thomas Landry, Of Arichat, G. B.
The Annie K. Parker. bound home
from the fishing grounds and carried
off her course by adverse winds. went
aground on Rose and Crown shoal,
off the Nantucket coast early Satur-
1av morning. The vessel was wreck
ed by the waves and the entire crew
agreed with Capt. Nelson that hope
for safety lay in getting clear Of
their craft.
The schooner Annie NJ. Parker ran
aground near Nantucket and was
abandoned, supposedly wreck.