Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1914-03-07
EIGHTEEN MEMBERS
OF STEAMERS CREW
CONTINUED From First pagel


mate, and three of the members of the
crew were brought ashore. The rev.
enue cutter Itasca reached the scene
after the steamer went down. The
commander of the cutter was sig
nailed from shore of the predicament
of the eighteen men, among whom iS
the captain, and the Itasca put to sea
!; to search for the missing men.
Life Savers Handicapped
There are two big sand bars near
the spot where the steamer went to
the bottom yesterday and the life
savers were seriously handicapped in
launching their boats. One was finally
launched but was upset and the life
savers waded ashore.
The captain of the Tower and the
seventeen men took to a long boat. 1t
was so overcrowded that they were
afraid to try landing on the first bar
and hung around outside hoping the
turbulent sea would subside. Snow was
falling; 1t grew thicker about a. m
to-day and the long boat was lost
from view.
Could Not Use Oars
The weather lightened up again
about 4.30 and there was then no sign
of the long boat. When last seen the
men were so cold they could not use
the oars and therefore could not con-
troll the craft. Unless found by the
revenue cutter or some steamer, 1t is
believed here all will perish.
1t is possible that the men have
reached an inlet and landed or may
have been picked up by life saving
crew along the coast. Wire commune
cation along the coast has been COM
pletely Frustrated since last Sundays
great storm, and communication
, nnrnpr he P4 - .xHn
cult and only accompanied after delay.
The self-bailing lifeboat of the Bar
negatt Life Saving Station has been
out of commission for the last three
weeks waiting repairs, and the men
cannot therefore go in search of the
helpless long boat.
The Tower was owned by the South
ern Transportatit n Company, with
which Charles w. Morse. of New York.
is identified. 1t is said this was the
first trip of the steamer in six years
and that the crew was new to the
officers.
Three Boats On Ship
The captain is Harold Murphy. Ac-
cordlng to the crew, he edged in
toward shore because he did not care
to risk going on the bar and have the
boat pound to pieces. All hands were
ordered into the boats an hour before
the steamer sank. There were only
three boats on the ship and one was
used for the clothes and other per-
sonal effects of the crew. This boat
came ashore to-day at Barnegat Inlet.
The members of the crew were vir-
tually strangers to one another, they
being known to each other only as
Mike" Charlie etc. The second
mate of the Tower is named Neaves
and his home Is in Boston.
Thompson, mate of the Tower, after
he came ashore with fragment of
the crew, talked about the ship. He
said the repairs to the machinery at
Hampton Roads on Wednesday were
nasty and not well done. The engines
went bad again soon after putting to
sea and this condition, combined with
heayy seas, due to the storm, resulted
IN the wreck. The ship sprang leaks
In bow and stern, he said and in the
end all the plates were shaken loose.
water poured into the doomed vessel
as through a sieve.
Pumps Kept Going
me steam pumps kept her going for
a While. Then, with the aid of hand
pumps, the crew tried desperately to
hght back the inrushng water. but
their struggle was unavailing, and II
flnally reached the engines.