Northern Ohio journal. [volume] (Painesville, Ohio) 1872-1896, 1880-06-19
TERRIBLE CALAMITY.
Collision and Wreck on Long Island
SOund---A scene of the Widest Con-
fusion and TcrrOr---Scventy-five or One
Hundred Passengers Lost

Hundred Passengers Lost.
The New York Times gives the following par
tlculars OF the terrible disaster which occurred
on Long Island Sound on the night of the 1lth:
The Sound steamer Stonington came in collis-
Stonington Line. between II d and II o. clock on
Friday night, on Long Island Sound, near by
miles distant from this city. The Narragansett
began to sink. but caught fire almost immedi-
damage to the Stonington is not very great
There We're about 800 or $50 passsengeIs on board
Gf the IA ira VI these ~ are &
to eighty to be accounted for.
In explanation of the uncertainty to the
number of lives lost, it may be said that no COM
plete list is kept of the passengers board one
of this class of vessels. An imperfect list is
usually made out containing the names of those
who have hired state-rooms and such a list was
made out of those on board the ill-fated Nara
Ser, however, this list went @ down with the ship,
and there was kind of helpless, hopeless lgno-
Whch
as to exact data 1t seems the collision occurred
while thick heavy fog overhung the Sound, but
the testimony seems to be overwhelming that
the governmental regulations for blowing fog
Ehistles were violated and to this violation the
disaster is attributed. An Official inquiry Is,
however to be made.
The steamer Narragansett, of the Providence
pier, at the foot of Jay Street North River. FRI
day afternoon at $50 clock. having on board,
It ID as taSl sss
out on this occasion for the first time. 1t was
and tS
Providence and Boston Upon l' entering ing the
there was no sign of rough weather, and the
PASSENGERS threnged the saloon, and chatted to-
settled down upon the waters and most { f the
passengers retired to their state-rooms or berths
had neither staterooms nor berths, settled them.
selves to sleep as best they could on the sofas
and easy chairs which were strewn about the
rlclly-turQIShe0 saloon. q
on on the decks, although dense fog had risen
There was not a soul on board the fated steam
er that was troubled with any presentment of
the he terrible Saiam,ty TSh hn was drawing near
Narragansett plunged on her way through the
water, and this, with the splashing of the wheels
and the groanlng of the massive engine, was the
only noise which disturbed the stiffness The
whistle was not blown as often as it should have
ly-begun voyage would never have occurred
Suddenly, just before midnight. when the
and Madison, Conn.,, and Greenport, Long Island,
within seventeen miles, or two hours sail of
York, there was a crash, the lights Of the saloon
suddenly went out, and the air filled with
a moment vast volumes of scalding steam passed
through the cabin, and the place resounded with
the cries so OF officers and men giving orders and
" huge hulk locked fast to the Narragansett,
and the cry went out that there had been colli-
sion. The Stonington, Of the same line, bound
from Stonington to New York. had crushed
the port side, just forward of the wheel-house.
Several of the Narragansett's passengers were
struck by the Stonington, and three state rooms
were carried completely away in the collision.
The Stonlngton backed out as soon possible,
having lost her bowsprit and about three feet of
The panic which followed this rude awakening
of the passengers on the Narragansett was terri
blc Men, women and children jumped from
their beds and rushed shrieking from their state
rooms and berths, some in their night-clothes
darkensd saloon and pushed and jostled each
other in A. their frantic efforts to get upon the
completely, and with the exception Of the Purs-
er, John klernan, not Sne of them, from the ac-
counts OF T. the s+ sen seems to have done
with the franJic men and women who surround
ed him. but he might as well have talked to the
the passengers fought for chairs, mattresses
Hfe-preservers and every article which could
men in that struggling mass Of teri terrified human 1H
beings, and there were: too, coward1y creatures,
who took advantage of the weakness of women
and children to save their own worthless lives,
In the confusion and terror of the moment hus-
bands were separatefd par f iron from wives and children
to grasp the life which was fitting from them
Some weaker than the others tainted away, some
R5asadd sd ana some "niie all wildly
In the midst of the tumult. the Narragansett
Stonington had penetrated the boiler Of the
other boat the burning GOALS of the furnace had
steamer and now to the fear of death by drown
ing was added horrors of a death by burning.
This increased the panic and rush was made
for the boats But there officers at their
posts to ship them and the passengers cut them
adrift and piled into them like sheep. Thesfirst
to reach the water was overcrowded and swamped
but the others were put adri ft with their pre-
cious cargo. The steamer settling. the heat
and men, women and children plunged into the
dark waters with chairs, mattresses planks and
whatever else they could lay their hands on. One
mother n herS tat and
the fre and smoke fought her back as she at
tempted tore to rescue them 50 that she was Obliged
jumped with her babe into the water already
filled with struggling men aud women and the
sucked beneath The waters. The Incidents Of
that terrible night full of suffering and
agony to scores OF human beings.
While these terrible scenes were being enact
ed on the Narragansett the officers of the Ston-
pletely. The passengers. after being assured of
their own safety, the fear of which for time
send boats to rescue the drowning passengers Of
the Narragansett; After a long delay. the boats
were plugs to stop the naf To snp
| ply these created another delay. and all the time
| the cries Tor help from the burning steamer and
from the black water. were ringing in the night
| air. The boats were finally rigged and manned
| but the men knew nothing of handling the oars,
invaluable time. Once at work, however, the
boats of the Stonington did we'll and rescued
men worked with win, which made up in some me
| degree for their lack of discipline. -
| Captain Lamphear of the City. of New York,
bound from New London to this city. sighted
the burning steamer. and, like a true sailor,
| disabled vessel. The boats of the City of New
be IN who a
and did 1T bravely. For an hour and half
the boats foated around among the drowning
steamer. and the ~ work Of sas rescue a'nans Was
| fuiuo 1oy,u hopd %,I
into the boats by the hair Of sher heads Mhen
Tba bst tsoa t5ssaa to Y sse
| fell down apparently lfeless the decks OF
fS
board the Stonington died from sheer ,exhaus-
ton and fright after haEEng E been in the wats,
most cases heroism and calmness which is
not looked for in their sex, while the cowardice
practice. Several instances. of cowardIy brutal
ity on the part Of men are given in rhe stories Of
the survivors of this night of peril but all agree
in the statement that the women proved them
selves veritable heroines.
waters edge. and then the hull. with her entire
cargo. sank in eight fathoms Of water. No accu
who sailed in her are not @ now s Known. s T Il IS
q fs By this Collision q iSs the sss saa
| mated number of passengers, about 800, the Gi t,
while the Stonington carried several to stoning 1
WILL sue&e Aioo euoH tWcuGY-uvt
before .oss s6e 0ee Correct se we re-
cord can be made up. The Istonington es
capped with comparatively little damage. but he
bow was mashed in ten feet from the stem. Th
managers of the line think that she is in con
dition to proceed at once. They expect her t,
arrive here this morning at about six o clock.
1t is difficult to assign any cause at this tim,
for this terrible disaster or to locate the blame
but a thorough investigation is to be has
as soon as official account of the col
lision is received. Mr.. Matthews, tn
| United States Inspector of Steamers at thi
port says that the regulation provides distinctl,
that when passing through a fog steamer
must blow long blasts with their whistles at in
/ tervals not longer that one minute and it is thu
| testimony of nearly all the survivors that tn
| Narragsnsett did not comply with this regula
| ton and it certainly seems improbable that the
collision would have occurred if she had.
The news of the disaster created a profount
sensation in this city. and the offices of the Com
pany were visited all day by persons having
| friends on the lost steamer. But little satisfac
tion could be given to them however, for tn
| managers of the line knew but little more thai
| the general public. The bulletin boards of tn
| various newspapers were the centers of curiou
throngs anxious for the latest news. and the res
! cued passengers were forced to tell their storie
again and again. until they were almost ex
| hausted. sfs- Eatsf
''FIND out your child's specially" i
the urgent advice of a phrenologist