The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1876-07-24
From the New York Tribune of Saturday.

STEAMER TROY.
from the New York Tribune of Saturday.
The sinking Of the yacht Mohawk in the
harbor. OF Stapleton, on Thursday after
noon, resulted in the death OF five persons
William T. Garner, Mrs. Garner, Miss
Adele Hunter, Frost Thorne, and the cabin
boy, Peter Sullivan. All the bodies have
| been recovered except that OF Mr.. Thorne.
| The excitement over the catastrophe con-
tinues unabated, and severe comments upon
the management of the vessel are freely
made. Captain Rowland, the saiing-mas-
| ter Of the Mohawk, has been placed under
arrest, pending his examination, but denies
| that he was either negligent or nmprudent.
Mr.. Garner had carried on his enormous
business upon such system for some years
past that probably no injury will result to
commercial interests.
THE sAILrSG-MASTER'S STATEMENT.
"I first got orders on Wednesday from
| Commodore Garner to get in readiness to
sail about 3 O'Clock OH Thursday. I went
up to New York on Thursday morning and
4. shipped couple Of cooks. / came down
| in the , O'Clock boat, met some members OF
the New York Club at the clubhouse; at
their request took them off on board the
Countess OF Duh'erin, and allowed the party
on that yacht to 60 on shore after other per-
sons who wished to visit the Mohawk.
They fell in with Commodore Garner and
his party on shore, and SO went with
the Commodore on board the yacht Mo-
hawk. l was on the Countess of Dutferin
at the time. The Commodore sent
launch for me. and ! went back to the
Mohawk. The Commodore then asked me
what the chances for breeze were. There
was very little wind from the south and
west at this time. l replied that l thought
! we should have 4 breeze on the change OF
the tide. It was at that time nearly high
water. There came up mt that time little
sauall OF rain, and the Commodore and his
| party went below to avoid getting wet. At
| this time the party who were going sailing
! on the Mohawk were all on board, and the
other visitors had gone ashore.
THE ANCHOR CLEARED.
! II gave orders to heaye short--that is, to
get the anchor clear Of the bottom-in order
| that we might pay her off and get away.
This was done. At the instant that the
anchor got clear the squall came on, though
there had previously been no sign OF wind
except little furry of rain. This is the
fact, no matter what others may say. At
this instant this vein of wind-for it was
not squal properly speaking-struck the
vessel in the upper part OF her sails and
topSails. There was very little wind on
deck at the time. And this very point is OF
great Importance. for 1t was 4 very unusual
thing. We heard the cracking above, saw the
topsails strained full, and the lower sails only
part full and Tapping, and perceived that
the vessel was careening over, while on
deck we felt very little wind. 1t was
strange phenomenon, and perhaps second
or two was lost in the surprise which such
q state OF things caused. But it was only
a second or two. BY this time the rail was
under water. [ gave orders to let go the
the fore-sheet, to throw her up to the wind,
to let 90 the iib-sheetS, and let the fore-top-
sail run down. No orders, however, were
carried out, except that the fore-topsall was
hauled down on the masthead. The vessel
had now her rail and part of her deck un-
der water. Failing to have my orders car
ried out forward,
TIE VESSEL FELL OVER.
~ cast off the main sheet directly behind
me, for was standing at the wheel. The
main sheet ran off part way and iammed in
the block, cntangling my coat ut the time
and hauling me down upon the block. The
vessel fell over on her broadsidc. The
guests were all below. The Commodore had
been standing in the gangway looking at
me, without any expression OF anxiety or
alarm on his face. called to him to get his
wife and guests out OF the cabin ut once, as
the vessel was on her beam-ends and had
lost stccrage-way. He said, 'There is no
danger and did not appear fright
ened, but upon my insisting that he
should do so he went into the cabin
and never saw him again. Mr.. Howland
came cut with 1 lady guest, Miss May, at
that time. / was holding on to the wheel at
the time, which kept constantly turning
round, obliging me to release my hold. !
had given orders to lower one Of the boats
aft, small boat, over the aft gangway, to
receive anybody who might come ont.
Son1c sailors on the windward side OF the
vessel had been preparing to lower this
boat, and were Just lowering it, when lost
nv hold and dropped over the side in the
water, and partly under the main-sail.
soon got out, however, struggled to a boat
which was near by, and got into it, and got
the parties in the boat to set me on the
steanl-tug, and Immediately took the yacht
in tow, and sent for the divers and wreck
ing gear.
UNDER WATER EXCEPT BOW.
..The Yacht was then nearly all under
water except little OF the bow. Some par
ties wanted me to tow her on shore opposite
to where she lay. did not think propert to
do this, os | believed that all below deck
were dead at this time, and feared that thell
bodies would be washed out by the action
of the felry-boats, which make great sue
ton. I accordingly towed her INTO the
Kills and on the flats, where she ROW lies,
and as soon as the divers arrived cut holes
through the deck and made every effort to
secure the bodies. Failing to do 50, we
procured two schoOners and endeayored
to right her up. While in the act OF
doing 80, and at about l O'Clock,
! was arrested on warrant issued by the
Coroner upon afidavits made to the effect
that was responsible by the quartermaster
Of the Yacht, one Frederick Palm, and
! Ouarermaster Thomas Thompson, though
one OF these parties, Palm, was asleep at
the time of the disaster-it being his Watcn
below-in the sail-room, underneath the
cockpit in the after-part Of the vessel, ana
so kno5rs nothing about the matter, not
withstanding his oath to the contrary:
| Ouarter,naster Thompson had also deserted
| his post on the quarterback and gone for
| ward without oMers, and am satlshed
must have been below, since called him
several times and got no answer.
CAUSE OF THE DISASTER.
~Mr. Garner, whose vessel I joined on
| the 18th Of November last, was one OF the
| finest and kindest men I ever knew. had
entire charge Of his vessel and all business
| e., ( II mo- pDly 10okp6 nnOn