New Bedford, Massachusetts
Schooner J. W. Campbell Wreck
April
20, 1896
NINE FISHERMEN LOST.
Schooner Campbell of Gloucester Sinks Off Long
Island.
STRUCK BY A SUDDEN SQUALL.
Terrific Blow Came Without the Slightest Warning
– Seven Survivors Picked Up After They Had Spent
a Night and Day In an Open Boat Without Food –
Like a Tropical Storm.
NEW BEDFORD, Mass., April 20. –
Nine Gloucester fishermen were lost off Long
Island on Friday night, when the fishing
schooner J. W. Campbell of Gloucester was
sunk in a squall. The seven survivors arrived
here last night to tell the story. They were
brought into port by the Gladiator from the
schooner Norman, which picked them up
after they spent an entire night and day in an
open boat without food. The names of those lost
are:
CAPTAIN ROBERT SMITH.
JOHN M. MCGUIRE.
FRANK SYLVIA.
THOMAS ROGERS.
GEORGE ELA.
WILLIAM MCALLISTER.
A. L. MCCORMEY.
GEORGE GRAHAM.
CHARLES DOHERTY.
Squall Came Without Warning.
The sinking of the Campbell was
remarkable in several respects. The fatal squall
was one of the most sudden and terrific in the
memory of the surviving seamen. It was all over
in about a minute. It happened so quickly and
there was so little warning that there was no
time to avert calamity or provide for escape. As
it was, it seems remarkable that there was a
single survivor. The escape seemed but a trick
of fate. When the squall struck her, the vessel
careened under the terrible blow and all
realized that their lives were in danger. Seven
of the 16 sailors quickly clambered up the
masts. No sooner had they done so than a second
and far more powerful gust of wind seized the
craft and seemed to lift it bodily out of the
sea. Then, as if in a mighty grasp, the vessel
was wrenched and given a sudden twist with such
violence that the masts snapped off even with
the deck like toothpicks and were hurled far
away from the reach of the vortex made by the
ship as she fell back into the water and sank
like a piece of lead. This is the story as told
by the survivors. They left New York at 8
o’clock Friday night and the squall struck them
soon afterward. There was not the slightest
warning. The wind was blowing only about two
knots and everything seemed favorable for a
smooth trip. After the squall had subsided the
moon came out and by its light the seven
survivors who still clung to the masts in spite
of the awful shock of being thrown through the
air and striking the water as they did, were
able to find a dory in which they climbed after
bailing it out. All night long and all next day
they drifted helplessly about the sound without
food or water. Then they were picked up by the
schooner Norman and later were
transferred to the tug Gladiator, which
brought them to this port. They lost everything
except the clothes they had on their backs.
The Evening News, Lincoln, NE 20 Apr 1896
Transcribed by Regina
McVey. Thank you, Regina!
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