The weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1878-1881, 1880-06-22
TERRIBLE MARINE DISASTER.
from seventy to Ninety Lives Lost.


FROM seventy to Ninety Lives Lost,
NEW YORK, June 12.-The sleamboats
Stonington and Narragansett were in collision
ast night on Long Island Sound, near the
Connecticnt river, and the present announce
ment Is tnat the Narragansett took fire and
sunk. The passengers were rescued and scat
tered along the Long Island shore.
SToNINGToN, Conn.,, June 12.-Tbe
steamer Stonington arrived at $50 a. M. with
ABOUT hfty survivors from the Narragansett.
The bow Of the former was stove in nearly to
the water line. She struck the Narraeansett
at 11:3O on the starboard side, forward of the
wheel house. The shock burst the gas tank,
and In fifteen minutes the Narragansett was
on lire and soon sank. The steamers New
FORK ana Providence came to the assistance,
and all the boats and life RATS of the four
steamers were lowered and put into service.
Two hours elapsed before the last passenger
was picked up. Most of the passengers were
transferred to the City of New York. The
passengers say the officers ond crew Of the
Narlagansett behaved with great coolness and
nerve. On the arrival of the Stonington the
village was aroused and men and women
hastencd with clothing and assistance. There
were Twenty-Five women OH board "A their
night clothes. One died before reaching here
from the shock. The body is not vet identi-
fled. One man also died-Rev. Z. b. Lock
wood, of the SiXty-eighth Street Methodist
church, New York, who was Oh his first trip
east. Most Of the eastern bound passengers
left on a special train. No estimate can be
made here of the loss of life.
President Bolicack says he is making every
effort to get list of the passengers of the
Narrasanselt, but it has probably gone down
with the boat. From the best information he
could gather lie was led to hope the number
of persons lost would not prove to be more
than 20 or 25, and perhaps less. Clerk Kir-
nan, OH the contrary, says from Is to 100 are
missing.
A passenger and a naval cadet were SWIM
ming about for oyer an hour before they were
picked up.
One young man was seen to deliberately
shoot himself when the cries Of lire and he
boat was sinking were raised. The eport of
pistol was also heard in all another dlec-
ton.
A deck hand of the Narragansett says he
Jumped overheard as soon as the collision took
place and clung to broken SPAR
In five minutes after the collision there was
five feet of water in the hold, and in ten
minutes the steamer burned To the waters
edge.
NEW HAVEN, Conn, June l2.-Samuel H.
Waldron. purser of the steamer Stonington,
passed through here this afternoon for New
FORK with nine of the survivors. He assisted
in saving thrty-two. He has a little girl
whose mother was lost, name unknown. He
Athinks TIN. lost ~ III mot exceed thirty. q "a
Mrs. e E. q. Souie, Of Boston, was heard to
say to her child: Nellie, il jump, will
you follow me?" The child replied :" will,
mamma" Both were saved. Charlie Clare
was placed on a raft by his father and was
saved, but his father was drowned.
An old lady struggling in the water was
found to have all eight mouths babe clasped
in her arms, her grandchild. The shreks
and cries of terror ef men and women were
terrible. A raft was made and passengers
crowded upon 1t in such numbers tha5 some
persons tainted after getting foot-hoid upon
t. Ropes flung from the raft were eagerly
clutched and frantic efforts made to reach it,
although the weight of the people sunk it
six inches under the smf 1t was final taken
in tow by row boat.
Leonard of Booths theatre, one Of the
passengers, condemns strongly the officers and
crew of the Narasansett. The Icaptaln was
the first to spring for the life-boat
"A woman threw Il siN-year-od child to 4
lifa-boat and then jumped from the mann deck
and was rescued. She only had night clothes
on and the child was naked.
Some of the passengers think 40 must
have been lost. Wives, mothers, husbands,
children, all mourn lost ones in tones never
TO be forgotten. Some children were rescued
stark naked, while very few women had any
thing on but their underSarments. 1t is said
the officers did not let the passengers know
the true state of affairs and many women
were induced by them to return to their state
rooms, thereby losing time and likely their
lives.
The news caused intense anxiety in this
city and throughout New England where the
passengers in general belonged.
A deck hand in lfe-boat beat the fingers
off an old lady desperately clinging to the
side OF the boat. She begged to be saved,
but was finally. compelled to let 90 her hold
and was probably dro"ned
A passenger describing his escape, says: \
lady and her baby, not more than eight
montes old, were left behind on deck. she
begged us to let her in, but the ooat had
toated away several feet from the steamer
and we had no oars. She kept on beseechlhS
us to save her. The last saw OF her she had
her hands raised crying for us to come. we
had to oo then, because the steamer was be-
canning wrapped in flames. There was only
a little spot left where the fire had not
reached. and she was standing there crying.
The gentlemen took their hats and pa'itileu
70 gel away from the burning Narragansett.
In about fifteen minutes another ile-poat'
mt as full as ours, came up and gave lis two
oars. A gentleman and three children were
in the waller near our boat. They begged TO
oct in. but we told them no, the boat woulo
cansize, They hung on to the stem of our
,,nst don't know what become OF them
after that. We saw two other children, boy
about six wears old and girl little younger
in the water. They seemed to have no life
preseryers. saw them sink little distance
off.
CHICAGO, June IA special from Eau
claire, Wis, SAYS that 6O,OOO,OOo feet OF logs
have gone down with the broken poitloh Oh
lhe dam, besides many houses oa,ns' e1.. ~
The river rose twenty-ohe lee', leaen,s ue