Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-07-16
ALL ON HECTOR
REPORTED SAFE
AT CHARLESTON
Many of Them Are Badly
Bruised and Four of Crew
Seriously Injured.
BIG COLLIER EXPECTED
TO BE A TOTAL LOSS
Forty Men Aboard Eight Barges
Still at Sea and Not Yet
Heard From.
TUG GOES IN SEARCH OF THEM
Rains OF Almost CIoud-Burst Proper
tionS Cause Considerable
Damage.
TUG GOES IN SEARCH OF THE,
tions Cause Considerable
Damage.

CHARLESTON, $. g, July l5-The
40 persons aboard the naval collier
Hector. which IT is expected will be
total loss as the result of breaking in
'wo of Cape Roman. S. G. Friday
night were brought brourh, here to-
day
and four members OF the crew were
seriously injured. The death of
negro here and another at Savannah is
the only toll Of life exac,ed by the
hurricane which wrecked the Hector
Forty men aboard eight barges arc
vet ~ sea. and have not been heard
from
The tug wellington. commanded hy
Captain Nelson. left here today to
search for her two barres which broke
away during tho hurricane. II was the
Wellington which rescued l2l persons
from the Hector. The lighthouse buoy
tender Cypress. which took off the
other twenty-one men early to-day
went 70 sea after huoys and other aids
n navigation which the hurricane tore
loose Tho tugs Carolina, Eastern and
William y. keene each had two barecs
carrying about hvc men each. torn
sdrift in the hurricane and search is
being maze for them.
UNSUCCESSFUL. FIGHT
AGAINST I2O-MILE GALE
Tales of the unsuccessful fighting OF
the naval collier Hector against a gale Of
from 10 10 loo miles an hour terrific
seas, fires and disabled engines and
the daring rescue of the men b. the
tug Wellington were brought here
by the first survivors TO land. The
Wellington, storm battered herself and
having lost two bargas. worked for
six hours taking of members of the
crew and marines which the Hector
was taking from Port ROYAL to
Guantanamo.
The Hector left Charleston Light
ship on Wednesday and Thursday
morning Al about ! o'clock. ran into
the worst Of the hurricane that was
sweeping up the coast During Thurs
day huge waves broke over the vessel
and the water entered the matches. sur
vivors said. flooding parts Of the holds
and disabling the engines. When she
was unable to make way wireless calls
for help were sen, out
as tho big collier rolled in the water
az the mercy OF the wind which was
driving her toward Cape Roman fires
broke out in the hold. They did not
gain great Roadway, but added 10 the
terror of those aboard
WORK OF TRANSFERRING MEN
CONTINUES FOR SIX HOURS
The tug Wellington. with two daugh-
ters Of Captain Nelson. or the Well
!ngton aboard. reached the Hector at
o'clock on Friday afternoon, about
one hour after the collier had grounded
fourteen miles north northeast of Cane
Romain The Hector's launch had been
incapacitated hE the storm, but a small
boat Wy III line put outs had succeeded
in reaG ding the Welli{ gton. The dam
gerouE'work of transferring the men
was Immediately started and continued
for six hours.
Captain Newell with about "a score
Of men elected TO remain on the for
ward part OF the Hector. which then
had almost parted a about midship
The Wellington started for this port.
and the Cypress set out TO take off Can
tain Newell and his mep. as it seemed
certain there was no chance to save
the saolfer. At o'clock last night
Captain Nelson and his men were forced
TO leave the Hector.
There were five men aboard each of
the barges the Wellington lost while
trying to tow them from Philadelphia
10 Jacksonville.
REFUSE TO DISCUSS
ENACT CAUSE OF WRECK
Captain Newell. nor any of his of
hcers would discuss the exact cause
of the wrecking of the Hector, nor tell
of their fight against fires that broke
out while the vessel pitched in rolling
seas until her reckoning was lost and
she went aground.
II developed to-day that the reason
rescuers were late in reaching her
was that the Hector first reported her
self off Charleston Lightship, as an
nounced by the Charleston Navy-Yard
but that in reality she was off Cape
Romain some thirty miles to the, north
OF the lightship.
The four members of the Hector's
crew seriously injured are as follows:
c. E. Mercer serious burns.
T. Christine. ships carpenter, frac-
tured leg and what appeared to ply
sicians to be gangrene setting in
oiler Singleton, right leg fractured
Coal Passer McDermot. seriously
burned.
RAILROAD SERVICE
STILL INTERRUPTED
Railroad service into Charleston over
the Southern, the Seaboard Air Line
and the Atlantic Coast Line still was
interrupted Tonight, due to washouts
near here. Rains of almost the pro-
portions OF cloud bursts followed the
hurricane. Trolley service and other
public utilities virtually were restored
to-day. although it will be several days
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