Young New York Writer Astonishes the Sea Dogs by His Courage in the Face of Death

JACKSONVILLE, FLA., Jan. 3—Seventeen men are ac­counted for out of the twenty-eight on the Cuban steamer Com­modore. There is a chance that seven more are alive. Five men came ashore at Daytona this noon: Captain Murphy; Stephen Crane, the novelist; the cook; and two sailors. One of them, Higgins of Rhode Island, died soon after reaching land because of severe wounds received while landing. His family lives in Boston. One of the survivors gives the following details:

Story of a Survivor

"The tug[6]” sank at seven o'clock Saturday morning, twenty miles off New Smyrna, and the Americans on board remained till the last moment. The leak was discovered at about three o'clock a.m. The pumps would not work long, though they did good service for a while.

"When the captain saw the water still rising, he turned the ship toward shore, but she continued to sink. Twelve men were first sent off. One boat containing six men capsized, and I am afraid that the men were lost. The Americans all remained on the tug till she sank. One raft was made up from materials thrown to them, and they then disappeared from our sight. Cap­tain Murphy; Stephen Crane, the novelist and correspondent; Higgins; myself; and one other sailor left at the last moment. We tried to save the men in the water around us, but the heavy seas and blinding wind swept them away. The spray was so thick that we could see only a few rods[7]. We could do nothing. It was difficult to keep our small boat right side up."

Thrown into the Breakers

"For twenty-four hours we battled with the heavy seas, con­stantly bailing, and at last sighted land. As we attempted to land, the wind drove us, and all of a sudden the boat overturned and we were struggling for life. For an hour we battled for life, and then we managed to crawl out of the sands, almost dead. Captain Murphy saved Mr. Crane by helping him when he got tired. Higgins was struck on the head by floating timbers and he died soon after landing. He was a good sailor and a brave man. He worked to save his comrades."

PRAISE FOR CRANE

DAYTONA, FLA., Jan. 3—"That newspaperman was brave," said the cook of the Commodore tonight in reference to Stephen Crane, the novelist, who was after material for stories. "He didn't seem to know what fear was. He was listed on the ship's papers as an able seaman[8] at twenty dollars a month. When we started out, he insisted upon doing a seaman's work, and he did it well, too. When Saturday morning and the troubles came, he came on deck and knew that the vessel was sinking and that it was only a question of time when we would be at the mercy of the terrible sea.

"He stood on the bridge looking out at the horizon in an effort to see land. Once he climbed the rigging to get a better view. I was sure that he would be swept off as the vessel rolled from side to side, almost touching the water as she rolled down. "When the boats were launched, Crane was the last one, except Captain Murphy, to get in, and his courage helped all of us. In the small dinghy, he rowed as well as the others, even though he was so worn out that he could hardly hold his oar straight in the terrific seas. At the last moment he stood up and, seeing the big wave coming that overthrew us, cried out, 'Look out, boys, there's trouble for us. Jump, Captain!'”

Saves a Drowning Man

"Both he and Captain Murphy were thrown out on the same side. Crane was partially thrown under the overturned boat, but Captain Murphy saved him. We all battled there in the water for hours. Crane was a good swimmer, and he saved one of the sailors, as the man could not swim. Crane had to keep him up with an oar. These newspapermen are good even if they do tell such awful lies at times," concluded the cook, as he took another big drink of the "life preservative" provided by the good people here . . .

Comprehension

1. Where did these reports first appear? When?

2. What kind of ship was the Commodore? Where is it now?

3. When did the ship leave port? How long was it at sea when the trouble began?

4. What happened at two-thirty a.m.? At three o'clock?

5. What is a yawl? A dinghy?

6. Who went ashore at Daytona on January 3?

7. What did Stephen Crane do for a living?

8. Why was he on board?

9. What work did he do on board?

10. How did Crane save a drowning man?

PART TWO

STEPHEN CRANE, the writer, is safe, and readers of The Press may expect in a short time a treat from his wonderful pen.

Mr. Crane was on the way to Cuba to write about the war there. He will get to Cuba as soon as he can. He was frightened by the experience in the lifeboat. His letters will appear in The Press as soon as they arrive.

Mr. Crane has not told us what he is going to write; probably he does not know himself. But we know that his reports will be as interesting as his stories, The Red Badge of Courage, The Third Violet, George's Mother, and Maggie: A Girl of the Streets.

Experience as a Reporter

Stephen Crane has been famous in New York more than any writer lately. He was a New York reporter at the age of sixteen. In His newspaper work he didn't like working with facts, so he took to writing stories.

New York was happier then than now. Its lights and shadows attracted him. There he found all the human emotions. He listened and studied. His stories had as their background the slums and the palaces. They were very realistic. His English flowed simple and pure like a clean river.

His Genius Recognized

He was only a boy, but everyone loved his work. The old novelists found his war scenes so vivid that they could scarcely believe they were painted by one who never had smelled gun­powder except at a shooting match . . .