The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1914-05-06
SOME OF THE SAILORS
ADRIFT so HOURS
News of Ocean Disaster Was
Brought in Wireless Mes
sages Last Night and This
Morning-The Abandoned
Vessel Lies in Lane of
Liners

Boston, May 5.-The rescue of Cap
tain Mcdonald and thirteen of the crew
of the burned steamer Columbian by
the steamer Manhattan, announced in a
wireless message to the Sable island sta
tion this morning, brought the number
of the known survivors to twenty-seven.
The Cunard liner Franconia is expected
TO arrive off Boston Light at midnight
with thirteen men and the body of Chief
Steward Matthews. The steamer Man
haitian remained at the scene, searching
for third boat containing nineteen
men.
The first survivors were picked up by
the Franconia, after having been adrift
for 80 hours, during which they suffered
severely. Captain McDonald's boat was
adrift more than so hours. The Man
hattan's dispatch said that an engineer
was killed by an explosion and one sea
man was drowned.
The freighter Columbian was discov-
cred on fire in the west bound trans
Atlantic steamer lane south of Sable
island, and for 4s hours nothing more
was learned until last night, when the
liner Francona sent a wireless message,
telling of the burning of the Columbian
and of the rescue of thirteen of her
crew from small boat. Captain Miller
of the Franconia sent word that he
searched until nightfall for the rest OF
the crew of the Columbian, after which
he gave up the search and started for
Boston with the survivors he had picked
up and with his own l,733 passengers.
Before turning for his destination, Cap
tain Miller notified the steamers Man
haitian and Haverford, both eastbound,
of the two missing boats.
The local Office OF the Cunard line to-
day received report from Captain Mil
Ter of the Franconia, telling of his part
in the rescue:
"0n receipt of message from the
steamer Georgia telling OF a steamer
afire | changed my course and arrived
near the Columbia at o'clock yester-
day afternoon and sighted boat A
heavy swell was running. The boat CON
tanned thirteen men and corpse lying
awash in the bottom of the boat. The
survivors had used trousers leg from
the corpse on the end of boathook for
a signal of distress. They were in
state of extreme exhaustion and mental
collapse. Some were burned by the fire.
They said they had been adrift 40 hours. |
The lamp trimmer's son states his father
was coming forward calling for him
when the deck blew up and the lamp
trimmer fell into the burning hold. All |
agree the fire started at midnight Sun
day; cause unknown.
Il am carrying to Boston the chief |
stewards body, frightfully injured by /
the explosion. | have marconied all |
ships to look for the missing boats and |
received replies from the Manhattan, |
Haverford and Marengo."
Columbian Caught Fire Sunday.
On Board Franconia, via Sable Island |
\. S., May 6.-Thirteen survivors of the |
British steamer Columbian, bound from
for New York, which caught I
fire at sea Sunday night, were picked
up yesterday by the Cunard liner Fran
COMA, bound from Liverpool for Boston.
In the boat with tho survivors was the
body of the chief steward, Matthews.
The survivors suffered terribly during
forty hours exposure in an open boat.
Their exhaustion was so great that it
was impossible to obtain a coherent
story from them, even several hours aft
er they were picked up.
The Columbian caught fire Sunday
night, when about 800 miles south of
Cape Race. A series of violent explo-
sions followed almost Immediately.
Captain Mcdonald gave orders to the
wireless operator, John Drohan, to send
mt calls for assistance but one of the
explosions put the wireless apparatus
,ut of commission, cutting off the Co
umbian from communication with near.
1y ocean liners.
With the vessel belohing flames and
.orn by explosions, it soon became evil
lent that the crew could do nothing to
control the fire, and the order to aban-
lon ship was given.
RITIJFT STRUCK CHILD.