Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1880-06-18
TERRIBLE CALAMITY.
Collision ana wreck on Long Island
sOund---A scene Of the widest Con
fusion and Terror---Seventy-nye or One
Hundred Passengers Lost.

The New York Times gives the following par
ticnlars Of the terrible disaster which occurred
on Long leland Sound on the night Of the llth;
The Sound steamer StoningtOn camein colis-
ion with her sister ship Narragansett, oil the
Stonington Line. between II 3 and IL o'clock on
Friday night, on Long Island sound near by
COrnheld Light, which is about one hundred
miles distant from this city; The Narregansctt
ately and was burned 10 the waters edge. The
damage to the StOnington is not very great;
There were about 800 or $50 passengers on board
Of the NaTragansett. OF these ~ are positively
known to have been saved, leaving trOiu thirty
TO eighty To be accounted for.
n explanation of the uncertainty as TO the
number of lives lost, IL may be said that no COM
plete list is kept Of the passengers on board one
of this olass, of vessels, An imperfect lst Is
usually made out containing the names Of those
who have hired state-rooms and such list was
made out Of those on board the ill-fated Nara
yansett. According TO the statement of the Pur-
ser, however. this list went down with the ship,
and there kind of helpless, hopeless igno-
rance shown blythe steamship companys officers
Yesterday which forbade and frustrated inquiry
as to exact data, IL seems the collision occurred
while thick heavy fog overhung the Sound, but
thc ytoi reoviot; fr hIo,5ins fog
whistles were violated and to this violation the
disaster is attributed. An official inquiry is,
The steamer Narragansett. of the Providence
and StoningtDn Steamship Line, sailed from her
pier, at the foot Of Jay Street, North River. FRY
day afternoon at 5:3I o'clock. having on board,
it is estimated, about 3 passengers. She was
commanded by Capt w. 8. Young who took her
pleasant evening, and everything gave promise
of prosperous voyage TO StOningtOn, where the
passengers were 20 be transferred TO cars for
Providence and Boston. Upon entering the
Sound gentle swell was encountered, but
there was no sign of rough weather, and the
passengers thronged the saloon, and chatted to-
gether, full of life and animation. Darkness
settled down upon the waters and most Cf the
passengers retired to their state-roOms or berths
to enjoy good nights rest About fifty, who
had neither stateroOms nor berths, settled them
selves to sleep rs best they could on the sofas
and easy chairs which were strewn about the
richly-turnshed saloon, and very few fingered
on the decks, although a dense log had risen
at about 10 O'Clock, and there was no moon.
There was not a soul on board the fated steam
er that was troubled with any presentment of
the terrible calamity which was drawing near.
The fOg-whistle was blown at intervals as the
Narragansett plunged ON her way through the
water, and this, with the splashing of the wheels
and the grOaning of the massive engine, was the
only noise which disturbed the stiffness. The
whistle was not blown as often as it shou d have
been, the sudden breaking up of this pleasant
ly-begup voyage would ncver have occurred.
Suddenly Just before midnight, when the
steamer was off Coruheld Light, opposite Clinton
and Madison, Conn., and GreenpOrt. Long Is and,
within seventeen miles, or two hours sail, of
StOnington, and one hundred miles from New
YORK, there was a crash, the lights Of the saloon
suddenly went out and the air was filled with
the screams of frightened men and women. In
moment vast volumes of scaldlng steam passed
through the cabin, and the place reSounded with
the cries of officers and men giving orders and
calling for aid. For brief sea on nobody knew
what had happened but those on deck saw dim
ly huge hulk locked fast to the Narragansett,
and the cry went out that there had been cOlll-
sion. The Stonington, of the same line, bound
from Stonngtun to New York, had crushed
through the NaTragansett, her bow sticking in
the port side, Just forward of the wheel-house.
Several of the Narragansetts passengers were
struck by the StoningtOn, and three state rooms
were carried completed ly away in the collision.
The StOnington backed out as soon as possible,
having lost her bOwsptit and about three feet of
| her stem.
The panic which followed this rude awakening
| 6
| BILE: Men, women and children jumped from
their beds and rushed shrieking from their state
rooms and berths, some in their nght-clothes
and none completely dressed. They filed the
darkensd saloon and pushed and iosted each
other in their frantic efforts to get upon the
deck. The officers seem to have lost their heads
completely, and with the exception of the Purs-
er, John klernan, not one of them, from the ac-
| counts of the passengers, seems to have done
anything to stop the panic. Kiernan reasoned
| with the frantic men and women who surround
| ed him, but he might as well have talked to the
winds. Lights were finally procured, and then
| the passengers fought for chairs. mattresses,
| hfe-preseryers and every article which could
| possibly aid to float them. There were heroic
| men in that struggling mass of terrified human
| beings and there were too cowar ily 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 separated from wives and children
| from parents, and all fought for but one object,
to grasp the life which was fitting from them.
| Some weaker than the others tainted away, some
| prayed and some rallied, while all shrieked wildly
| for aid.
| In The midst of the tumult the Narraransett
| was discovered to be on fire. The bow of the
Stonington had penetrated tNe boiler of the
| other boat, the burning Goals of the furnace had
been scattered the oiled woodwork of the
steamer and now to the fear of death by drown
| ing was added horrors of death by burning
| This increased the panic and rush was made
for the boats, But there were officers at their
| posts to ship them and the passengers cut them
adrift and piled into them like sheep The first
| to reach the water was overcrowded and swamped
| hnt he nfh haT mt RI hnIr
| clOus cargo. The steamer was settling. the heat
from the hre was glowing too severe to be borne,
| and men, women and children plunged into the
| dark waters with chairs, mattresses, pl lanks and
whatever else they could lay their hatds on. One
mother had left her babies in her stateroUm and
| the fire and smoke fought her back as she at
| tempted To rescue them, SO that she was obliged
| to leave them to perish in the flames Another
| jumped with her babe into the wafer already
| filled with struggling men and women and the
| little one was wrenched from her grasp and
sucked beneath the waters. The incidents of
| that terrible night are 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-
| lngton seemed to have lost their heads COM
| pletely. The passengers after being assured of
| their own safety, the fear of which for time
filled them with terror, urged the officers to
send boats to rescue the drowning passengers of
| the Narragansett. After long delay. the boats
were lowered and then it was found that there
| were no plugs to stop the water-hOles. To sup
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 rlssed and manned
but the men knew nothing of handling the oars
and the result was confusion and much loss of
invaluable time. Once at work, however the
boats of the StoningtOn did we'll and rescued
many of the drowning men and women. The
men worked with will, which made up in some
degree for their lack of discipline.
But other and more effective aid was at hand
Captain Lamphear, of the City of New York
bound from New London to this city sightec
the burning steamer, and. like true sailor
altered his course and bore down upon tn,
disabled vessel. The boats of the City of New
York were soon in the water, officer anS
manned by sailors who understood their wOrl
aud did it bravely. For an hour and hal
the boats fiOated around among the drowning
passengers whose struggles in the water WEI wei,
steamer, and the work of rescue wa
not given up so long as head was TO be seen o
a cry for help to be heard. Women were pulle'
into the boats by the hair OF their heads whei
they were just ready TO give up the battle
and men who thought themselves stron
fell down apparently lifeless on the decks .
the StoningtOn and City of New Yo-k after bein
rescued. Several persons who were taken o
board the St1nlngton aled from sheer e1haua
for nearly two hours. The women exhibited i
most cases hcroism and a calInness which
not looked for in their sex, while the oowardic
aud the selishness were reserved for the men t
practice. Several instances of cowaTdly brutal
ity on the part Of men are given IN che stories q
the survivors of this night of peril but all agre
in the statement that the women proved them
selves vertable herOines.
The steamer Narragansett was burned TO tn
waters edge and then the hull, with her entir
cargo, sank in eight fathoms of water. No acou
rate list of her passengers was kept, and man
who sailed in her are not now known. IL il
therefore, impossible to estimate the exact los
of life occasioned by this collision. OF the est
mated number of passengers, about 800, the Cit
of New York brought to this city some 25
while the StOnington carried several to Stoninl
ton. 1t is hoped that not more than twentY-hy
or thirty lives were lost, but it wi
be some time before the correct II
cord can be made up. The Stonington e
capped with comparatively little damage, but h,
bow was mashed in ten feet from the stem. I'll
managers of the line think that she is in COZ
dition to proceed at once. They expect her
arrive here this morning at about six oclOck.
IL is difficult TO assign any cause at this tim
for this terrible disaster or 70 locate the hlam
but thorough investigation is TO be ha
: as soon as an official account of the Co
, lision is received. MIR. Matthews ii
United States Inspector Uf Steamers at tn
port says that the regulation provides distinct
: that when passing through fog steame
must blow long blasts with their whistles at i
tervals not longer that one minute and IL is Il
: testimony of nearly all the survivors that Il
Narragansett did not comply with this regul
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