Story of the Wreck of the Commodore Told by the Commander
CAPTAIN MURPHY's story:
"The engineer reported to me about midnight that the vessel was gaining water in her hold[9] and that he couldn't get the pumps to work. They had tried to get the water out, but the pumps stopped. The pipe was evidently broken. If the water is allowed to get up into the coal, the coal gets wet and chokes the pumps. All the water that entered the ship was in the engine room."
"Was it treachery, do you think?" asked the Times-Union reporter.
"No, I don't think so. It was neglect, more than anything else."
"I gave the order to use the buckets; also an order to throw everything into the furnace, hoping to get up steam to run into Mosquito Inlet, about eighteen miles west of us. The men worked hard. None stood back, but the water rose slowly and we had not gone three miles when the fires went out. There was no hope of saving the ship. I told the men to go to the boats. We got two of the boats off with all the Cubans.
"One boat had Julio Rodriguez Baz, and those with him were Manuel Gonzalez, Luis Sierra Mederos, and Jesus Alvarez. . . . Senor Baz's boat stood near us so they could help us, but we told them to go ahead. Later on we launched the ship's boat, with seven men, including Mate Crane. I told all those to go who wanted to. All went except Mr. Crane, a brave little gentleman, Steward Montgomery, and William Higgins. I wanted to stay with the ship and then put ashore in the dinghy. Later on we also left."
One Boat Stove In
"We had proceeded a few yards when we heard a cry from the ship: The big boat is stove[10]!' They were also flying a distress flag."
"I don't know how this happened, unless the mate returned and attempted to get something he had forgotten. We immediately went back and I told the men to build a raft; they made three. Meanwhile, our little boat was remaining distant about two hundred yards.
"Finally, they begged us to take them in tow. We made a towline, but the sea nearly filled our boat, so we let go. We went back again, but the sea broke our towline. The rafts were scattered. I told the men to return to the vessel and make another raft while I bailed out. Then, fifty yards away, the big ship sank. Three men went down with her, like heroes, with no cry, not a sound. I stayed by the rafts twenty minutes longer, but the wind was strong, so we allowed our boat to go wherever the wind carried us."
How They Landed
"Saturday afternoon at four o'clock, we saw the coast north of Mosquito Inlet. We saw people on shore, so I fired my pistol to attract their attention. I know that they saw us and our perilous position, for we were only a half mile from shore. Feeling certain that we had been seen, and thinking that they would send us a sturdy boat, we waited at the spot, pulling hard against the heavy sea and wind all that afternoon and all that night. I do not see now, looking back upon it, how we thought we could do it. The wind was too strong. The next morning we found ourselves off the beach of Daytona, and seeing no one, made one last desperate effort with our remaining strength to reach shore. I gave one life belt to the steward and one to Mr. Crane." [The captain does not say that he had a badly injured arm and shoulder.] "The sea upset the boat and washed us all away. I grabbed the boat and got on the bottom, but she rolled over again. Higgins tried to swim but sank. I tried to encourage him, and he made another attempt. The boat went over again, and I saw no more of him until his corpse came up on the beach."
Death of Higgins
"John Getchell, who lives near the beach, saw that we were in trouble. He got into the water and helped the steward and Mr. Crane in. I was safe in shallow water. I then saw Higgins' body on the wet sand. We rolled him and made every effort to save him but unfortunately failed. Poor fellow, he was brave and did his duty faithfully.
"We had not been on the beach long before the good women came of the town came to us with hot coffee. They were very kind. Not one of these women came to us without some present of food, clothing, or shelter. The people of Daytona buried poor Higgins at their own expense."
Captain Murphy had his arm in a sling but otherwise seemed all right. All of the men looked tired and worn out.
Crane's Splendid Grit
"That man Crane is wonderful," said Captain Murphy tonight to a Press correspondent in speaking of the wreck. "The sea was so rough that even old sailors got seasick, but Crane behaved like a born sailor. He and I were about the only ones not affected by the big seas which tossed us about. As we went south he sat in the pilothouse with me, smoking and talking. When the leak was discovered, he was the first man to volunteer aid."
Jokes Amid Danger
"His shoes, new ones, were slippery on the deck, and he took them off and tossed them overboard, saying, with a laugh: 'Well, Captain, I guess I won't need them if we have to swim.' He stood on the deck by me all the while and helped me direct the escape from the dying ship. He even took his turn at the oars."
Tries to Save Higgins
"When we went over, I called to him to see that he was all right and he replied that he would obey orders. He was under the boat once, but got out in some way. He held up Higgins when the man got so tired and tried to bring him in, but the sailor was so far gone that he was almost dead. When we were thrown up onto the waves, Crane was the first man to stagger up the beach looking for houses. He's a brave man with plenty of grit," concluded the captain.