Hertford County, NC - Passenger Steamer Olive Wrecked ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Atlantic Constitution Atlanta, Georgia February 18, 1903 "CYCLONE SWOOPS ON SHIP AND SHE GOES TO BOTTOM" Passenger Steamer Olive Wrecked in Chowan River by Storm - SEVENTEEN PERSON KNOWN TO BE DROWNED - Majority of Passengers and Crew were below at the time of the Storm and Were Drowned Without a Chance of Escape. Norfolk, Va., February 17. - A cyclone struck the passenger ship Olive which piles between Franklin, Va., and Edenton, N.C., at 9:30 o'clock last night and sent her to the bottom of the Chowan River off Woodley's Pier between Mount Pleasant and Oliver's Wharf. Seventeen people are known to have been drowned and those who were rescued are in serious condition. The whirlwind, when it struck the Olive caused her to go over on her beam's [end?] and when she righted it was only to sink on account of the water she had taken. A majority of the passengers and crew were below at the time and had no opportunity to reach the pilot house of the vessel. This point was the only port left above water and in it standing wa[?] deep from the time of the accident until 6 o'clock in the morning, Captain George H. Withy and five others were saved. According to the statement of Captain Withy to the Associated Press correspondent here tonight, seventeen persons known to have been lost on the sinking steamer, and a life boat loaded with Engineer Conway, Assistant JP. Murphy?, Fuser J.N. Bell, one white and two colored deck hands, which left the steamer in hopes of reaching a vessel [which] could be seen in the distance, is yet unheard from. If these have been drowned the death list will reach twenty-five. JAKE LASSITER, white, aged 25, home Rick Square, N.C., salesman for Carolina Fulton, Baltimore hardware dealers. MRS. BENNETT, Franklin, Va. TWELVE-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER of MRS. BENNETT. MRS VAUGHAN, Franklin, Va. FRANK HUNTER. GEORGE BUTT. W. H. EDWARDS. ANDREW VAUGHAN, colored hand ABRAHAM COOPER and PRESCOTT SCOTT, colored firemen. ESTHER WILLIAM, colored cook. JOHN COOPER, colored porter. GERGE WHITE, colored preacher. AN UNKNOWN COLORED MAN. ++++++++++++++++ The Captain's Story. Captain Withy reached Norfolk this afternoon in company with Martha Barr[?] Colored stewardess of the steamer. the Associated Press correspondent made the following statement: "We left Franklin on our regular trip to Edenton yesterday morning at [?] o'clock. A heavy southwest wind was blowing, but along the Chowan river [?] did not mind it much. At 9 o'clock [?] night we passed Hollies Wharf, and headed for Edenton bay. The weather [?] came so heavy that I would not risk the open water and put the boat about to [?] turn up the river for safety. It was just about 2 o'clock when, everything became inky black and a terrible roaring broke out of the night I was alone in the pilot house and most of those [h?] turned in. In a second something [?] the boat on her port beam and [?] her over on her starboard side. [?] she would never right herself. [?] monster wave dashed over us. [?] the hold and smashed every [?] around us. With the rush of water [?] her hold the Oliver slowly right[?] in less than two minutes after [?] struck she was resting on the bottom only the pilot house above the river. [?] life boats were swept away and one left. Into this the engineer, assistant engineer, purser and one white and colored passengers climbed and pu[?] in hope of catching up with a tow [?] that could be seen ahead of us. I never saw the after they left our side. T[?] going left the stewardess and one w[?] and two colored passengers on board with me. We stood in water waist deep until 6 o'clock in the morning, when a Norfolk [?] and Southern steamer hove in sig[?] to us off and landed us at Edenton [?] we took the train for Norfolk. [?] sunk so quickly after being struck that none below had a chance to [?] the deck and all must have drowned in the berths." Those saved were: Captain Withy, Engineer Cor[?] ser Bell, the colored stewardess [?] white passengers. At 6 o'clock this morning the steamer Pettit hove in sight and [?] [Continued on Third Page] "CYCLONE SENDS SHIP TO BOTTOM" [Continued from First Page.] the almost frozen survivors. The Olive was a small single screw steamer owned by J.A. Pretlow, of Franklin, Va., and has been plying between North Carolina and Virginia for several years. She left Franklin last evening for Edenton, and had almost reached her destination when the cyclone struck her. Swept By Tidal Wave. The Olive was an inland passenger steamer hailing from Norfolk. she was built in 1869, and was of 287 tons gross; 120-9 feet long. 20-4 feet beam and 7 feet depth of hold. A terrible wind storm and tidal wave swept across Mundens. Point, Va., last night, destroying several houses, barns and the roundhouse of the Norfolk and Southern railroad, from which several persons narrowly escaped with their lives. The residence of Thomas Morris was entirely destroyed Mr. Morris, his wife and daughter were in the house at the time and narrowly escaped being crushed to death. All were injured. The house of Elijah White also was entirely demolished, the occupants narrowly escaping with their lives, Mr. White being quite badly injured. The round house of the Norfolk and Southern railroad was swept to the ground by the storm and one of the engines, which was in the building at the time, was damaged. At high tide a tidal wave came across the land between the ocean and Pamlico sound, which washed away everything in its course. Several people living on the water front were compelled to wade through water up to their waist in order to escape from their homes, which were being washed away by the tide. The storm struck Moyock, N.C., on the Norfolk and Southern railroad, last night. Two two-story dwelling houses were picked up and carried about 20 feet. The crew of eight who embarked in the life boat were picked up after rowing four hours by the tug Gazelle, of the John L. Roper Lumber Company, and landed at Tunis There they took the train for Suffolk and later went to Franklin. They reported that they were unable to over take the tug, which they set out to reach, and finally came up with a barge anchored in the river, from which they were taken by the Gazelle I was learned tonight that a white man named Wilder, of Coleraine, NC., is also among the drowned, making the eighteenth victim. Work will be started tomorrow to recover the dead bodies and if possible to raise the steamer. Five years ago the Olive while running an excursion, sprang a leak and went down within sight of last night's scene. At that time no lives were lost. TWO SCHOONERS ARE LOST. Newport News, Va., February 17., - Two small schooners, the Roger Quarles and the Decantur, laden with building materials, sank in the harbor today during a severe squall. Both will be floated The crew escaped. Snow fell here today and there has been a gradual fall in the temperature. A heavy rain has been running all day and while the wind continues high, little can be accomplished toward loading and unloading the numerous small craft in port. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The Landmark Newspaper Statesville, North Carolina February 20, 1903 Fifteen Drowned on the North Carolina Coast Elizabeth City Special, 17th to Charlotte Observer. The steamer Olive, while on her regular run between Franklin, Va., and Edenton, when near Holley's wharf, about 20 miles from Edenton, at 9 o'clock last night, was truck by a terrific southwest cyclone and completely wrecked Fifteen lives were lost, the majority of whom were colored passengers, and members of the crew. Among those missing are; Mrs. Bennett and grandchild, of Franklin, Va.; Jacob Lassiter, a traveling msn, of Rich Square, N.C.; Rev. C.L. White, colored, of Edenton, and nine of the crew, including William Hayes, mate of the steamer; JN. Bell, purser; C.L. Conway, chief engineer. Three negroes took to the lifeboat bout have not since been seen. George A. Withey, captain of the steamer; a colored chambermaid and four colored passengers were saved by remaining on the floundered steamer. [A special from Suffolk, Va., says that a crew of eight persons embarked on the life boat and were saved, and that the total loss of life from the Olive was 18. - THE LANDMARK. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ [This weather report was published on the same page of The Landmark Newspaper, Statesville, NC February 20, 1903 and is interesting so including it:] There was a severe stress of weather throughout the country the first of the week. It began Saturday night and Sunday with a heavy snowfall and blizzard throughout the West, with severe cold. In the South the rainfall was heavy and streams flooded while the wind was so strong in some sections as to reach cyclonic proportions. In Tennessee Monday and Monday night there was rain, sleet and snow, heavy winds, severe cold and high water; and in Mississippi, Georgia, and Florida high winds and floods prevailed. At Jacksonville, Fla., the wind reached a velocity of 77 miles an hour and some damage was done. At Bowman, in Elbert county, Ga., it is reported that several houses were demolished and a number of people killed and injured. At Honea Path, Anderson county, S.C., buildings were blown down and two men killed. In North Carolina there was no serious damage but at Wilmington, Charlotte and other points awnings, signs; wires and other property of like kind suffered somewhat. In the North and West the snow and sleet and severe cold greatly impeded traffic. Monday Williston, North Dakota, was recorded as the coldest place in the country, the temperature reaching 42 degrees below zero. _________________________________________________________________ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by Marianne Nichols Ordway ___________________________________________________________________