New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-05-22
MARRIOTT ESCAPE FROM COLLISION At SEA.

THE GERMANIC ALMOST RUN DOWN BY AN ANCHOr
LINE STEAMER OFF FIRE ISLAND.
The officers of the White Star steamship Germanic
were reticcnt yesterday on the subject of narrow
escape from serious collision off Fire Island which
the steamer had on Saturday at about midnight.
"Wel no." said the third officer in reply to a
TRIBUNE reporter, " cannot deny that there was
very nearly bad accident"
1t must have resulted IN large loss of lfo If 1t
had occurred ?" suggested the reporter.
"Wcll, yes, perhaps but you had better see the
chief officer"
The chief officer. however would say nothing.
"The captain and have made statements
which with the log are in the hands Of the agent
Mr.. COris, in Broadway-and we have determined,
TO say nothing more about it. Do not 90 and be-
lIevo all that passengers NAV tell you, hut am
not going to deny anything. Yes. we believe that
the other vessel was Anchor Line boat"
The reporter then returned to the third officer,
who said Yes, we suppose she Anchor
Line boat; she a large vessel, about as long as
the Germanic, with Il black funnel"
"Wcre you near enough TO see if there were many
people on her decksW
"Oh YES we were near enough, but | did not
notice the vessel. Our passengers could tell You
better a. they were down at the side watching her
us, | turned away The vessel was very close"
r. J. Cortis, the company's agent, denied having
received any statement from the captain
or chief office " II would not be their place to
make any st ltcment to me-" he said. " No doubt
they have sent one TO Liverpool. There is the log
on the wall Yes, have had a conversation with
Captain Kennedy on the subject, but that was
purely unofficial and | would rather not repeat
what he said"
On the log no mention was made of the occur
renee The last vessel spoken was the Alaska, three
dlys before the narrow escape occurred.
One OF the passengers who was seen IN tine
office Of an uptown hotel, said: " believe we
very nearly being run into. | did not see il,
because had just turned in and was in my bunk at
the time. heard IA noise gong on on deck. and
then one of my cabin companions came down and
told me We had only just escaped beng run down.
So tar as | understand it, when the lghts of the
other vessel were first seen she was on our star
board quarter, moving SO as to pass under our
stern. Suddenly she shifted her course,
audnpparen'ly intended to our bows but there
was no chance OF her doing anything but running
right into US. We ported hard. but every one
thought for minute or that the collision must
come. Eventually. however. she appeared To sec
what was happening and again dropped astern. and
we just managed To clear her. | believe 1t WAS en-
tirely the other boats fault. She must have mis-
taken our lrhts-that was the only explanation any
of the officers could suggest for the
sudden change of course. We had some
thing over 100 saloon passengers, and the
stccrdge WAS full. Fortunately, II was about
midnight the PASSENGERS were nearly all down
below IKE me. but those who were on Ie,k-0liicers
crew and all-wcrr pretty well frightened by H."
Another passenger who was seen could add little
to the narrative Ito was on deck but on tue port
side, ana did not know what was going on TIL The
last minute. heu first saw the other vessel. ,
he said, "she had lust missed Us, and
from the place she was IN and the
course she was sailing do not
know how she missed rs at all. Everybody who saw
the vessel said that ii passed frIghtfuv close 10 us
and that 1t was the other boats fault. II was gen.
orally supposed that she was an Anchor Line boat.
but do not know IT onc was going out just then or
not
The Anchor Limo steamer Ethiopia lett this port
On Saturday afternoon for Glasgow.