The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1914-05-06
STEAMER BUR NED
OFF c APE RACE
WAS COLUMBIAN
Boat With IS Survivors Picked
Up by FrancOnla
ONE OR TWO BOATS MISSING
Steamers Manhattan and Haverford.
Notified BY Wireless VIII
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Boston. May 6.-Thirteen surviv.
ors OF the British steamer Columbian
bound from Antwerp for New York,
which caught FIRE at sea Sunday
night. were picked up yesterday by
the Cunard liner Franconia. bound
from Liverpool fos Boston. In the
boat with the survivors was the body
OF the chief steward. Matthews. An
other boat. containing the chief and
second officer and II men was still
adrifi.
The survivors suffered terribly dur
ing 40 hou-s' exposure in an open
boat. Their exhaustion was so grea.
that II was impossible TO obtain a co.
herent story from them until several
hours after they we're picked up. The
Columbian caugh: fire Sunday night
when about 800 miles south of Cape
Race. A series OF violent explosions
followed almost Immediately. Capt
Mcdonald gave orders to the wire
less ope -ator. James Dohan. 10 send
out calls for assistance, but one Of
he explosions put the wireless APP
paratus out OF commission. cutting
off the Columbian from communca.
ton, with nearby ocean liners
which might have gone to the rescue.
With the vessel belching flames
and torn by explosions Il soon be
came evident that the crew could do
nothing to control the fire. and the
order TO abandon ship was given.
The men left the Columbian in TWO
boats. Chief Steward Matthews was
in cha-g of the first. This boat put
away from the steamer and lay to
for a time, but in the dense smoke
which surrounded the burning vessel
the other boat was not visible, and
the stewards boat finally drifted far
from the scene.
or their sufferings during the 40
hours in which they were tossed
about and OF the death of Chief Stew
ard Matthews during this time. the
men could say little when they were
brough: on the decks of the FraI
coma. Food and sleep was matters
of first consideration.
Having learned that another boat
with man prnho hlv ipolpdipu
Capt. Mcdonald. was still missing
and supposedly adrift, Capt. Miller
ordered the Franconia turned about
on a searching cruise. Estimates
by officials of the Leyland and Phoe
nix lines placed the number of the
crew at between 45 and so. The
messages from the Franconia told of
only SS men. represented by the. &C.
cupants of the two boats. 1t was
thought possible that there was a
third boat, commanded by Capt Nc
Donald of the Columbian.
After rescuing the occupants of
the first boat, the F,anconia search
ed until nightfall for the rest of the
crew. but without result Then
Capt. Miller of the Cunarder sent
word ashore that he had given ~
the search, and would proceed for
Boston with the survivors and his
1888 passengers. He said he expect
ed to arrive at Boston lightship at
midnight tonight
Search for the missing men of the
Columbian has not been given up,
however. Before turning for his des
tination, Capt. Miller had notified the
steamers Manhattan and Haverford
both eastbound, of the missing boats,
and they sent word that they had
changed their courses and were
heading toward the burning steamer
The Columbian was owned by the
Leyland line but was chartered to
the Phoenix line for a voyage from
Antwerp to New York She carried
no passengers.