The Portland daily press., 1880-06-15
THE SOUND DISASTER.
Statements of the Captains of the
Two Steamers.
BOTH CLAIM THEY DID THEIR FULL
DUTY.

USUAL COurSe, u6duluS 1Of COrQn6lQ Light,
when they sighted the Stonington. He was in
the wheelhouse and saw the Stonington's
lights on the starboard. He gave the signal at
once to pass to port, blew two whistles, then
steered to port and kept on, going about -
knots per hour: 1t was very foggy and dark
When he saw he could not get out of the way
he gave signal to stop and back her, and af-
ter the collision, when he found the steamer
on fire, he gave the signal to go ahead.
How do you suppose it happened that the
boats were unable to keep clear of each other
If the signal was given by you?
don't know was not on the Stonington.
There must have been misunderstanding
and yet do not see how they could have fail
ed to hear my signals.
Did you any from the Stonington?
What was done by you and the other officers
after the collision?
This question, like all preceding ones Capt
Young was very slow to answer his hesitation
seeming to be from desire to answer correct
ly and not altogether from Discrimination to
talk. Over this question, however, he hest
tated even longer than over the others.
Did you make any efforts to fight the fire?
1t was impossible to make any Roadway
against the fire, for it was everywhere at once
AS soon as the water came into the engine
rooms the fire spread from there and was
everywhere at once.
Did you go for the boats and and superin-
tend lowering them?
Yes.
Did you lower one of them yourself?
Yes.
How many boats were lowered from the
Narragansett?
Five altogether, and two life rats
Here the interview terminated.
James j. Horton, brother of E. S. Horton of
Attlebro, Mass, whose body was found at
Mantle and brought in by the Luce brothers,
| fishermen, says: We have pretty conclusive
| evidence that our brother was robbed after
drowning He always carried a gold watch
and chain, and was never without money. All
these were gone when he was found, although
| his attire was complete excepting his boots.
| When found Mr. Horton had on his life pre-
server, but the two children, little girls, aged
and years, were without life preservers.
| Mr.. Z. S. Ferry, reported lost on the Nara
| gansett, was saved and has returned home.
| Steamer Stenington has been hoisted into
| the dry deck, foot of Pike street, and many
| people visited her to-day. Her bows for
| nearly twenty feet aft and above the water
| line are completely demolished, and to pre-
| vent her from filling with water, canvas and
blankets had been nailed over the hole. Her
stem-piece was completely shattered, and the
| main deck leading back to the forecastle was
twisted and torn up, showing that the shock
was very severe. 1t was believed by some who
| examined the bows that the damages showed
conclusively that the speed was greater than
the law allows in fog. Upon the upper deck
| forward was strewn the torn, Soiled and
drenched clothing of the rescued passengers,
consisting of shoes, stockings, underclothing
| and overcoats.
| Funeral services over the body of Rev. e. B.
Lockwood took place yesterday, Rev. DR.. Ter
ry ofhclatlng. There was large attendance,
including some twenty divines. The body
was taken to Troy for interment.
MIR; Dix OF Brooklyn telegraphs that he has
found the body of the youngest of his three
children lost on the Narragansett
Timothy Murphy q deck-hand on the Narra-
gansett, is safe here. Detective johnson of
this city is reported among the lost.
Investigation as to the cause of the accident
will be commenced in few days at New Lon
don.
Capt. Nye of the Stonington said to a re-
porter: 81 did my whole duty; was in the
pilot-house all the time with my first pilot,
Mr.. Sheffield. We have both had twenty
years experience on the Sound, and neither
of us has ever had an accident of that kind be-
fore. We passed Cornfield light without see
ing it. Soon we heard the steam whistle of
the NarraganSett blowing at short intervals
When we first saw her lights we were within
100 yards In ordinary weather we could see her
seven or eight miles OIL, but collision was in
evitable. Our whistle was blown in answer.
AS soon as we saw the Narragansett we put
our helm hard aport, according to regulations,
rang the bell to stop the engines, and then to
back her. The engines were backing when
we struck the Narragansett. 1 have not talk
know what they have to say. The moment we
struck the shock awoke our passengers, and
they flocked to the deck. The very first order
given was Clear away the boats Then the
passengers were all provided with life-preser-
vers, as we did not know but we were in a
sinking condition. 1 Immediately sent to
ascertain the extent of the injuries
to the Stonington, and soon found
we were. not in danger of sinking.
l ordered the covering of the hole in our bow
yxyIfh fr ctr fI,nl Il
mined to lay by the wreck of the Narragansett
and save lives / do not think there was any
explosion OF the gas tank. That was too far
off to have occasioned tho fire. l think the
fire was scattered by the first rushing in of the
water through the break. We soon allayed the
fear of death among the passengers and went
to work to save life. do not think it was
over ten minutes after we struck that the first
life boat was launched. Most of the passengers
behaved well especially some seamen who
best. and were, believe, cooler and more self
possessed than the men. We got out four of
our boats properly manned, but did not think
there was any need of our other boats or of the
lfe-raft. Some of the passengers helped to
man the boats, and they were of more use thu n
many of our own crew who were deck hands
with no knowledge of boats. That is often
the case with crews of these Sound boats;
many Of them are fit only for trundling trucks,
and have not the seaman's education that is
needed in such an emergency. Ali our men,
however, did the best they could, and we lay
by the wreck of the Narragansett as long as
we could see any chance Of saving any one. 1
have made no official report, and l do not
know as 1 shall be called on to make any. 1
have not the slightest doubt that it was duty,
under the rules, to port our helm. as we did"
ATTLEBoRo, June 14.-The body of Robert
Fultan of Attleboro Falls, which was washed
ashore OF Mantle, will arrive tomorrow This
makes four victims from this place.
P. M. Carpenter, brother-in-law of Mrs.
Stillson, arrived tonight from Mantle with the
bodies of Mrs. Stillson's two children.
New LONDON, June 14.-Superintenden
Gardner of the Norwich line states that there
is no truth in the statement that the City of
Norwich passed the steamers Narragansett
and Stonington during the disaster. The Nor
witch did not leave New York till nine in the
evening and was fully fifty miles from the &C
cidenJ when it occurred, and the captain knew
nothing of the disaster until he reached Nor
witch.
New YORK, June 14.-Charles Wilson of
New York is another of the missing Nara
gansett passengers.
W. S: Mudgett of Searsport, Me-, passenger
ON the Narragansett, seeing Mrs Gourdier I'M
and and tied it on the lady, she protesting that
he should not make the sacrifice and thereby
greatly increase his own danger. Mr.. Mud
gett, after giving up his life preserver, plung-
ed into the water and swan for the Stoning-
ton, which he reached in safety although
nearly exhausted.
A good authority ON Sound steamboats, says,
speaking of the conduct of the crew: Every
one knows what the crews of these Sound
boats are made Of They consist of long
shoremen, wharf rats, and men who are not
seamen by profession, and it is rare thing to
find genuine sailor among them. They work
for $1S or $20 dollars month, land are changed
constantly, the mates picking up new men
and discharging others. Some of the officers
are equally ignorant, and are as helpless as the
passengers in an emergency. Look at the case
of the Metis and Massachusetts,. There will
never be safety on the Sound until the COM
panies pick their officers and discipline their
men. What they should do is to hire the men
for longer periods, drill them in the use of the
boats, and make them disciplined ships COM
panies instead of mobs that fall to pieces at
every fire or collision. The government ought
to make law that every one of these boats
should drill their men at least once week in
the use of the boats, and train them so
as to be OF use in fire and other emergencies,
as they do in public schools and hospitals, and
on board men-of-war. What's the use of re-
quiring boats and RATS and life-saving appara-
tus if the men don't know how to handle
them?
Miscellaneous.
BUFFALO, June 14.-Schooner Medora, man.
ned by non-union men, was prevented from