Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-12-06
SUNK WITH ALL HER MEN.

AOoN AAOG Boat Run Down
oy the Alaska-Meeting OFF Fire
slahd-NO Knowing Yet How Many
men Were Lost, or Who They Were
capt Murray's Account of it.
NEW YORK, Dec. GA fishing smack
arrived last night at Stapleton, S. l.,
havlng, ON board wreckage picked up off
FIRE Ireland belonging to pilot boat No. s.
the Columbia. 1t is now deemed certain
that the Columbia was the pilot boat
run down in the night by the steamship
Alaska. All the pilot boats in harbor
have their flags at half mast. Four pilots
ana crew of six men lost their lives by
this disaster. Until this arrival 1t had
not been made certain what pilot boat it
was that was lost.
Ne'o York Sun, DecemberL l..
The Guion line steamship Alaska re-
ported on her arrival from LIVERPOOL
yesterday that she had run into a pilot
Doat just after midnight yesterday morn
ing, ana sunk her, with all on board. The
Alaska was steaming along with a light
at the masthead, to indicate that She
wanted pilot. She was about seventy
nVe miles east of Fire Island light. At
lz'lo, Capt. Murray being ON the bridge
ana Ill charge of the ship, a boat with n
light at her masthead was seen on the
port DOW. The steamship was then head
ing west, the wind was northwest. and
the plloC DOat was headed about northwest,
so that she was slowly approachino the
steamship on the port side.
A strong northwest wind was blowing.
Ihe night was starlight. AS the Alaska
pore down on the pilot boat the latter
burned her torches to let the steamer
know that the signal for pilot was seen.
lhen the Alaska reversed her engines un-
der full head of steam. The pilot boat
was then almost dead ahead of the steam
snip ana little to port. As the Alaska
slowed up her bow fell off until it brought
the pilot boat dead ahead. A minute later
the DOW OF the steamship cut the boat
down just back of the mainmast and ran
over III. There was one cry as she sWept
over the wreck, and that was ALL The
yaWl OF the pilot boat had Just been
launched and was swamped.
A life buoy burning a torch was cut
adrlft at once on the Alaska, and a boat
was manned and lowered. but neither
saved any one. The wind was so strong
that the boat was not able to reach the
buoy, Capt. Murray says, and the buoy
was not picked up until daylight. The
Alaska waited about until 1880 in the
morning, and then came in.
when questioned about the collision bv
number of Sandy Hook pilots after his
arrival IN port. Capt. Murray said that
ms snip was making leeway at the time,
he supposed, because he had reversed the
engine. He was watching the pilot boat
through his glasses. Suddenly he saw the
boat try to run across his bows from lee
ward to windward. In so doing she ran
into the Alaska's cutwater with her star
board quarter. The force OF the blow
broke the boat open. He tried to make
out the number of the boat on the sail
While she was approaching and as the
wreck drifted by, but he Was unable to
DO so. The lee side of the sail was dark
before the collision, and the sail was all
adrlft atterward, and was tapping so that
he could not make out the number.
Ihe pilots say that it is probable that
when the pilot boat first saw the signal of
the Alaska she was hove to under close
reeted mainsail and reefed forestaysail.
Under that sail she would make little or
no headWay, and but little leeway. On
seeing the signal of the Alaska, the man
at the wheel probably put up his helm to
let the boat run down to meet the Alaska
Having so little headway, she would hang
on for some time. When the Alaska re-
Versed her engines her bow swung rapidly
around to leeward under the pressure of
the northwest wind until She headed
directly for the pilot boat. The pilot boat
SOuAN hOO hdNO ucduWdy enough TO
attempt to sail across the bows of the
steamer, even if pilots were in the habit
of trying that.
"How long before you can tell which
boat was lostr' was asked of a pilot at
the Burling slip pilot office.
1T may be two weeks. Certainly several
days. Weshall have to wait until all the
rest are accounted for. Still, the yawI
might be picked up and identified"
AT the foot of Beekman street the Jersey
pilots said it could not be one of their
number. Two of their boats sailed yes
terday. One was about 400 miles out and
one was at Cape May. The rest were in
port.
The Alaska got Pilot Boat IA about $3.50
O'Clock, and took on Christopher Peterson.
On the steamer few of the passengers
knew of the collision until morning. Then
a collection of 81, 200 was raised for the
benefit of those dependent on the lost
men.
could it not have been a coast schooner
instead of a pilot boat?" was asked of
Capt. Murray by one of the pilots.
impossible. know pilot boat when
| see it''