The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1922-12-22
SHIPS STARVING
CREW PREPARES TO
''''' '''''''':: r :, : MASCOT
Rudderless Schooner Rescued
and Towed to Port
LONG VOYAGE OF sc DAYS
Food and Water Gone When
Derelict is Sighted From
President Garfield
LONG VOYAGE OF sc DAYS

New York harbor last night and her
crew OF nine. shipped on the African
Gold Coast, leaped ashore to race FOR
the nearest restaurant.
1t was Il tough voyage, this trip
from AKIN to Boston, with a load of
mahogany, but the toughest part
came, not in uncharted seas, but in
the very center of transatlantic lanes,
when help might have been expected
at any moment.
For 10 days the schooner bobbed
about in those lanes, her larder about
empty-so empty that her old salt OF
captain was almost ready TO shatter
tradition of the sea and order the
execution of the ships mascot, an
Airdale terrier The crews only
water was caught from the skies.
A torn jigger sail was rigged crazily
from her fore-peak. Her mizzenmast
was nothing but a ragged stump. Her
third pole was bare Gone was her
rudder and she had no sea anchor.
At night one feeble light was all she
could display. Altogether she was
the most helpless craft Capt. Look of
the liner President Garfield had ever
seen-and even he was shocked when
he bore down upon her yesterday
morning.
The schooner, craft of 500 tons,
owes her rescue to Capt Look and the
keen eye of "Wally" Bates. lookout
on the Garfield.
At about a. m.--E.55 the Garfield
log says-Bates spied something dead
ahaad uoc on,, tiyaIv I,,
but in winter weather q choppy sea
is calm, and Wally was not certain
that what he saw was ship. but Capt
Look caught the flash of something
waving from the schooner's crowsnest
and he slowed down.
a small boat, manned by four men,
put out from the Rosa, Capt. f. l..
Sanchez climbed YEARLY aboard the
Garfield He put his case bluntly.
I'VE want food We want help. We
are hungry. We are thirsty We are
sinking and we have no rudder."
Five minutes later the small boat
returned to the schooner with flour,
sugar and water, meat, canned stuff.
Then began the battle to get the
Rosa in tow
For II hours it continued. The
Garfield finally got tow rope aboard.
II broke. She got another aboard.
II lasted until the steamer got un-
der way. A third held until 10 o'clock
iat night.
For five hours the Lisle gun spoke
spasmodically, shooting rope across
the Ferita's bows. Six times her
crew got the rope only to lose II be.
cause they We're too weak to pull in
the heavier cable
Finally they made fast Through.
out the night. swept by freezing
spray, the schooner bobbed along be
hind the rescue ship.
A tug picked the schooner up off
Fire island this morning, releasing
the liner for its final dash to port
with details of the rescue which she
had reported tersely by wireless yes
terday.
The Ferlita's crew, tired and lard
sick, stuck grimly by their schooner
as she was towed by the tug the last
few miles.
The Ferlita encountered hard lucl,
first day out, hitting calm after
clearing the headlands OF AKIN
roads. Five days she was becalmed
within sight of her starting point
Twelve days out she hit head
wind, and was driven off her course.
Two weeks later she ran into q
storm and for almost three weeks
fought wind, rain, snow and waves
until her rudder snapped.
That was 10 days ago The ship
hanging close to the wind and ship
ping floods with every lurch, lunget
heavily and swung around. When sh,
steadied, her mizzemast, as we'll a.
her rudder, was gone.
Then Capt Sanchez began his rea
battle for life. After four days a line
passed well to starboard, but tn,
high waves hid the Ferlita's signals.
Night after night, with lookou
lashed to tottering perch in tn,
foremast and the captain tied secure
ly to wheel that did not answer
! the schooner tumbled about in tn,
sens. Twice her crew saw the light
of passing ships. but could not al
tract attention.
Tuesday, there was food left TO
only five more meals--at quarter ra
tlons. The fate of the Airdale and
r monkey brought from Africa hung 4
the balance.
. Both live until nothing else +,
!. mains" was the shippers order.
> Then the Garfield bore down o
, them.