The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1925-03-24
SCHOONER WILL
NOT BURN OR SINK
REMARKABLE STORY OF DER
ELICIT ADRIFT ACROSS AT
LANTIC. PERIL OF SEA.

A remarkable story OF a derelict
schooner's drift across the Atlantic
was told in Lloyd's list recently II
concerns what is almost phantom
ship. the Governor Parr (972 tons
cross. which LETT Ingramport Sep
TENDER 1928, for Buenos Aires Her
crew left her on October 5, 1873, some
700 miles south OF Newfoundland, and
she has since become familiar OBJ
iect OF the north Atlantic, some thirty
reports of her having reached Lloyd 5.
Several attempts have been made to
rid the ocean of her menaclng pres
ence. but it is yet too early to say that
the latest of them was successful.
Less than a month after her aban-
donment she was boarded by boat
from the Cunarder SaXonia, and was
found to be waterlogged, but in good
condition, with her fore and main
masts standing. Early in November
the United States coast guard cutter
Seneca. which makes 1t her special
business to guard the seaman from
such perils as ice and derelicts, got on
the track OF the Governor Parr, but
before definitely locating the schooner
she was herself disabled and had to
give ND the search. Still reports came
and inst before last Christmas the
Tampa, another United States coast
ouard cutter, lett New York with or
ders to locate and destroy the dere-
lict More fortunate than her sister,
the Seneca. she found the Governor
Parr on New Years day, 1924 in 45.o0
n. 1870 W.. took her in tow, and
bore up for Halifax with her making
three and one-half knots IN heavy
southerly gale.
Abandons Tow.
The weather was too cruel; 1uel ran
short. and on January 3 the Tampa
had TO abandon her tow She was
again ordered out to search, but met
with no success, and on February II
the derelict was sighted, lar to the
eastward of her previously reported
position, by the Emergency Aid, big
shipping board freighter outward
bound from Hamburg to New Or
leans, says the Manchester Guardian.
There seems to be no reason to
doubt this last report, but, assuming
if to be correct, the Governor Parr
afterward doubled on her tracks in
remarkable manner, for the Majestic,
which had previously seen her at III
o'clock on an October night five days
after her abandonment, again met her,
this time in the broad daylight OF
spring afternoon, on April Il, IN MD
Atlantic. Nineteen days later another
American freighter, the West Wanna,
renorted her as being five feet out OF
the water and drifting due east at the
rate Of thirty miles day On May
the Tampa again saw her or heard OF
her (it is not clear which,, and on
Tune IS, some 800 miles off the coast
of Portugal she was seen by the
American steamer Glen, whose master
reported that she had her starboard
bulwarks and stern partly smashed,
her bowsprit, anchors and deckhouses
apparently intact, and that she was
floating on an even keel with about
six feet of freeboard. The Booth liner
Hubert saw her on July 8 still near
to Portugal
The derelict had now drifted very
close to the coast Of Portugal and was
soon right on the main trade route
running from the 1dIdI lCS Hol tliWdI "
Reports came thick and fast The FL
nina saw her on July 20, and on the
same day she was sighted by the
Fordejord. Four days later she was
a little north of the Tagus, and
Lisbon tug was tempted to search tor
her on mo cure, no pay" terms. The
weather was bad again, however, and
the tug had to put back without sight
ing her quarry.
The homeward bound West African
liner Zara encountered her on Aug
ust s and boarded her. She was water
logged and awash amidships, while
her timber cargo was swollen SO much
as almost to force the decks apart.
The boarding party resolved to make
very determined effort to rid the
seas of this peril Two drums OF par
affine were obtained from the Zaria,
and this, with some oil found on
board the Governor Parr, was used to
start two fires, one in the forecastle
and the other aft of amidships. The
derelict was well ablaze when the lin
er proceeded on her voyage.