The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-10-06
THURSDAYS GREAT STORM.
THE sOryD PALACE MISSACHUsETTS
Ashore ON LONG ISLAND.
IN the Rock. near Greenport Driven Out Of
her Course by the Gaie-A Fearful Night
for Tw. Hundred Passengers Seas Sweep
Ing the Decks until amer Daybreak- The
Probabilities ns to the Steamboats, Fate.

ing the Decks until amer Daybreak-The
Probabilities as TO the Steamboats, Fate.
GRErNPoRT, l.. l., Oct. 5.--The magnih
eent new steamboat Massachusetts,. of the Provi-
dencc and S,onington line. is on the boulders
OF Rocky Point. five miles northeast Of Green
port. broken and helpless. She struck there
at midnight on Thursday The Massachusetts,
and the Providence started from New York Mt 8
o'clock on Thursday in the storm. bound east.
In the opposite direction went the Stonington
and Rhode Island The night was pitch black.
A southcast gale blew with hurricanes force.
and sea as rough as is ever raised on the
Sound prevailed. The westward bound
boats reached New York safely. but.
although they escaped the worst OF
the storm their passage was dangerous. The
Providence put into Stonington for safety. but
the Massachusetts kept her course until the
gale. the sca. and the darkness increased, and
hor officers lost their reckoning. None are
ashore who can explain how the accident oc-
Cured. Fromthosc who have conversed with the
officers during the day IT has been learned that
the grcnt vessel was stcered solely by compass
and soundngs. The last sounding taken was
til Moore's Point in nine fathoms water.
few minutes before the wrcck oc-
curred The engineer says he was sig
nailed to slow" lie brought the speed
down tp seven revolutions n minute. and the
wheels had made forty five revolutions. when
the keel s,ru h on IA rock and thc hull was
crushed in. After that the great vessel did no
s.ir. There was no light to hc seen. Nothing
but the roar ~ the waves and the crunching
under the vessel to indicate whore they were
There wl- little excitement on board the vessel.
although 300 passengers wrr" in their hcr,hs
Two or tArcc VI the ladies' were with din 'uty
Que;rd. and there were one or two men among
A. a .f..
water that poured in the torn bottom and sides
OF thcvc reached a depth of Ave feet, putting
out the fires and floating off every movable
hing that would float. Tho sea that struck the
wreck dralt blows that seemed likely TO dash
her in pieces. and for hours continued to wash
clean over. tearing away her rails. sheathng.
and part Of her dock on the port side. Tho
crw Were instantly set to work to lightcn her.
AMI much Of the cotton. sugar -four. ale. and
heavier articles Of freight were thrown into the
bows. Tons and tons OF cargo were thus dis
e4ricd. but without effect.
Alter this nothing was dono until daylreak
The passengers. drenehed with Tia water that
burst through the side and IN from above. hud-
died together IN the cabins suffering intense
gold ana uua"ls to our, food or warmth
The bow %, ~" great II "alNloAt rested spllGly
TN the hea -h. lut the az r iatt tuHNled and
sNhycd v IA .Nr ~ "a. lE' -r it OF h'r
h'avy. shp-l.s' Aul! on tie D.. .s w.7 both ict
Tim Winters of Rocky Point Gr,, saw the
wreck. am with connlnlon hurried 70 the
sr"ne. tn. purser IN a life boat was the first
h. come ashore. AUrrward Winters went on
hoarL He found Capt. Jon = OF tile Massachu;
sctts tire! out. heavy, hearted. and disinciined
II. ENGINEER told him that IL. trouble was over
bead. n"aning IN the pilot house. Daybreak
r,eal q = nGuliaf speciarle Inc great YES
biny head on To tho beach IN a position show
In.. THAT -ho must have he,n sailing when she
stru.N southeast or almost the reverse o' her
rat snr WAS badly hos.ici. Her port
smoke stack WAS thrust lar upward 10y aio"k
under her Noel amidshir7. Great seas thun-
ucrrd against her port >! IL, and breaking INTO
spray shot lnio the AIR ana fell in torrents over
her. III" h'a'h was slrewn Tor more than
mllr wtu mcrrhan !isc in bales. harrrls. casks.
ana boxes. COTTON. grapes, '..r, ana Hour were
o. pr'rciFal .ummod tbs. H-r and there lay
Wrc'Sini.-t-r Tom HARRY i.eey,s WAS early
Bt the 'riie. and h' appointed twenty men 10
a. ist h.iu it .,uiriincthis .r-I.ni. Thosr men
borr Au.l-, p.-tp ; and clui =. I'll" a gradually
luiete'; l9e MASSACHUSETTS, llie boats wore
'wered 4 > orc OF small boats put out 10 the
wreck and by noon the llss n-ers were
being landed with their baggage They wero
ulu" with cold, and had uot d.y shrt q OF clotn-
Si ' he nh a,t'rn11n train. ant o,lois saIei at
o'rlo'k IN thc Frances. which WIS ordered TO
Or 'ouppri hy telegraph tor Stlnlnston.
Tho cooks ana most OF The wnt-ls deserted
the boa;-. q. lHe OH crs the si"wdr. and pur
h"r cub remained ashore. and they know only
LU." ri WhHt p'currrd IN IN" n llshi.
tn steward Is Responsible for the assertion
that thr 'c passengers sept until So'rlock in the
out eat Goa G. '" loo 9 al Ti,s,i a eoitoS SoSs Sgd
tnrr".~ 'A ~ water; there las been wreck
Capt H. :. Bahcook President II tho linc Mr..
St'mr- Ga. -lIp'ui.d,r; capt. Merritt. Supern,
tend ~ OF tc Coast WrecAing Company; and
Capt Builrr. chief Engineer Of the same COM
Lany. reached Grrenpnrt III the evening. Prcsi-
dent Bah .o l. and r.sleers visited the wreck in
d snaii ho 4 ihtr al night. Incy have Just re-
iufn"d mn .'niEhtl ana sny the vessel Is not
hogs"l. Sh ean be raised. Her Captain had
decided not 10 20 through the race on the Con-
hticui sior That might, ana DcllrNlng tn"Nes-
sol further ont than she really was. turned to get
nearer the shore IN safer quarters. he took a
sounding IN i"rty iathoms' ana then ran her to
tho soutnward sixteen minutes, ana was Just
Stopping merit Jet her laE until morning. when
freight Is yet aboard. and is ia good condition.
The tuE 6 'lops. bringing the wrccklng com
Ba.yr shSo4er toos ma hsndT Win T Esagh S,n
inEton YIN remove her, cargo tQ;norrow. ~,
Company WAS originally Il Spra.ue institution
nnut, altrr tho SpIasue failure, d. =. Babeock
President oi the sioninEton Steamship Com
pany, VIA, chosen President u the New York
and Providence Steamship Company. and the
two lines were practically consoidutcd.
The iasl great disaster on thus, line oc-
N Nhi h HAu, carrying down about sew
en,y persons. One Of the dire tors Of the
llne dis@ra"rd himself by nppropriating n
whol" h,at an orew to h s own use. He caused
q" bpm rev To row away with him. leaving
NJ drok, throusrd with sAri king passengers.
bruat eiori, ere made to keep from the press
,he hn7 oi Tie oaita Investigation which fo-
lowed
The destruction Of the Lexington by nre on
the night 90 Monday Jan. -, 1910. was the most
terrible disaster mat ever e.. urrcd on the
Sound. Ih" Thermometer was he.uw NrO that
night, ana only Tour mon, who llOuted away on
bales OF cotton, cs pped.
THF NARRATIVES OF THE PAssESGRRs
The Mns,achusetts' passensers got of the
Long Island railNuy tram iron Grccnport
at Hunters Point last evening. They all told
the same story. varying IN detnll with indiyid,
ual experiences. The vessel suddenly stopped
with IA slight shock soon after II O'clock. II
had been blowing hard all the evening but moi
sufficiently to excite serious apprehension
The ships stoppage however aroused those
who were asleep and created alarm. The
steamboat plunged ahead and then struck
heavily. The rock or sand bar on which she
stranded apparently penetrated the hole it had
mnde. and held the steamboat as though on
pivot. Tho middle OF the vessel AT once settled
and seemed 10 touch bottom. while the paddle
wheols yet llOated The vessel worked TO and fro
for hours the waves beating over her and The
wind blowing a gale from the northwest. She
illled " lth water below. 50 that the passengers
had 10 hudde together on the main deck, ex
posed to the wind and the water. Some sougl
refuge in the statrrooms that were not sub
merged but the minority were afraid to scel
cover lest the snip should part. Lille preservers
had been dOnncd. and the 200 passengers wait
cd through the weary hours OF III" night in mo