The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1914-03-18
PICKED Up ADRIF1
TEXAN RANGERS CROSS THE RIO
GRANDE TO GET BODY.
were READY TO give UP
Icy Fingers Of Death Are Cheated
When Captain and Crew Are Res.
cued With Clothes Frozen to Their
Backs-Four Half Dead When
Taken Aboard Rescuing Steamer.

Taken Aboard Rescuing Steamer.
Adrift in the open sea, with their
clothing frozen and snow falling,
seventeen sailors Saturday prepared
for death. Already four Of the crew.
lying in the bottom of the boat were
dying, and with night fast approach
ing hope was gone. But a passing
steamer sees their plight and turning
about in the barren waste Of snow-lit-
tered sea, cheats the icy fingers Of
death.
The steamer Charlemagne Tower,
Jr., Saturday sank near the coast Of
Virginia, within three-quarters Of a
mile to safety. The first officer and
three members Of the crew were
brought ashore. The captain and SIX
teen men took long boat, but it was
80 overcrowded that they were afraid
to try landing it over the sand bars
that fringed the shore. Snow was
falling as they disappeared in the
sea. Lifeboats attempted to rescue
them but were unable to be launch
ed on account Of the high sand bars.
With four men half dead from ex-
posure, the shipwreck crew were
picked up near Barnegat Light of the
Virginia coast Saturday afternoon at
5 o'clock during a binding snow
storm, fire miles south OF where the
Charlemagne Tower, Jr., foundered
Their light attracting the attention
Of Captain Beranger, Of the steamer
Bayport just as that steamer was in
the act Of passing the small boat.
Snow was falling heavily and l,
was fast growing dark. Captain
Berarger, who was on the bridge
barely could see the light as it fared
up. The Bayport put about and dis
covered the half frozen and snow
frozen men huddled in a twenty-foot
boat.
A stiff wind prevailed at the time
and the men were water-soaked, theil
clothing frozen, and numb from cold
In order to make room for the over
crowded cargo, some Of the men were
forced to lie in the bottom Of the
boat and these were In worse condi
ton than the others, four OF them be
ing restored with difficulty after be
ing taken aboard the Bayport.
Captain Simmons Of the sunker
ship did not know Of the rescue o.
First Officer Thompson, one fireman
and two seamen, until his arrival II
port, as when last seen the men were
struggling in the surf, their small
boat having been swamped. The
larger boat put toward the open sea
fearing a similar fate. Unable t
make headway in the rough sea
which poured water into their little
craft almost as fast as it could bt
bailed out, the men decided to drift
and depend on being picked up.
They huddled together so benumb
ed and watersoaked that they hardly
cared toward the last whether deatf
came or not. It was 5 o'clock ane
showing hard when they saw the
lights of the Bayport and set off
torch. Had this not been seen and
respone made, Captain Simmons saie
he and his men could not have sur
vived many more hours.
In explaining the laundering OF the
Charlemagne Tower, Jr., Captain
Simmons said that her bottom seams
the vessel being Of wood, opened ane
about a. m. Friday water poured II
at such a rate that two hours later
the ship was filed to her upper
beams. He and his men barely hac
time to get of in the only two small
boats the steamer carried before she
plunged to the bottom. First Mate
Thompson and three men took to the
small boat and the remainder Of the
crew crowded into the twenty-foo'
boat picked. up by the Bayport.