New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-12-04
A PILOT-BOAT RUN DOWN.
ALL THOSE ON BOARD LOSE THEIR LIvEa
TILE IDENTITY OF THE BOAT IN DOUBT AND THB
NUMBER OF LIVES LOST UNKNOWN

|
boat when making steamer to launch its yawl 80
that it shall drift down the leeward side of the
steamer and the pilot who is going to board stands
ready to catch the swinging ladder which is thrown
| out. The boat itself endeavOrs to keep the
| windward side SO that as soon as the boarding has
been effected, and the yawl has drfted to the stern
Of the steamer the pilotboat may shorten sail and
| take it in This is somewhat dangerous opera
ton, since either the schooner or the yawl must
the bows Of the steamer In this instance the
pilot-boat had launched the yawl which was being
rowed to the steamer and then attempted to get to
the windward of the Alaska. In this she did not
succeed, and the huge steamer passed completely
over the pilot-boat, which went down instantly.
| The pilot and his two in the yawl, Mortified at
| the sight, forgot their dangerous position, and
were lifted by swell against the steamer and cap
sized. They screamed for assistance. One voice
was heard crying !" For Gods:sake, me. am
| father" Other voices were heard, also, and tho
| listeners find it difficult to tell how many
were in the water struggling for their lives Life
| buOys throw to them and the boats were or
dered out but there the usual delays, all the
boats were securely housed on deck, and according
to the most favorable statement the first boat was
not in the water until six or seven minutes after
| the yawl had capszed. Four minutes after tho
first boat had been launched second was in the
water. The boats were rOwed in circles around
che spot for nearly an hour without any success.
The catastrophe had taken place shortly after II
o'clock, and at l o'clock the boats were recalled
without having found any trace of yawl, plot-boat
or the men who had been on board of them.
From the proximity to port of the disaster it is
thought that the pilotboat probably left New York
on Sunday morning with full complement of pilots
on board, varying from seven to ten. 1t is the
practice for them to cruise about until all the pilots
hova NJ uIa fba haa 10
headed for New-York and returns to her anchorage.
awaiting her turn to go out again. From this rou-
tine, which is well known, fears are felt that
the number of men lost is comparatively large.
There some difference of opinion among the
passengers the steamer about tho occurrence,
and when a paper exOnerating the captain was
taken to them for signatures, many refused to at
tach their names, stating that they believed the
Alaska was going at the time at an unusual rate OF
speed and that the cause of the catastrophe was q
desire TO make rapid passage Others exonerated
the captain from blame. Twelve hundred dollars
was subscribed however, for the families of tho
who lost their lives, aud placed in the hands Of
Robert p Porter who has been a special corre-
spOndent of The TRIBUNE to investigate the con-
diton of Industrial England, France and Germany,
and who was among the passengers.
STATEMENT OF THE CAPTAIN.
Captain George s. Murray. commanding tho
Alaska, said to TRIBUNE reporter regarding the
accident:
About twenty minutes to IL o'clock the
night of December 2. l observed the torch of a
pilot-boat. l slowed almost Immediately, which
means half speed and kept that rate nine minutes.
At few minutes past ~ the pilot-boat stopped on
my lee bow in good position for launching its yawl.
Observing the pilot-bOat attempting to cross
my bow subsequently, / put the ship full speed
astern but too late to avoid the collision. So far as
l could judge the Alaska struck the pilot-boat on
the starboard quarter. The boat went down In
stanty. Immediately gave orders to lower life
boats and throw over buOys, and used all possible
means TO save life. By tho time the first boat had
been lowered the ship had drfted out of position.
A second boat was lowered when she brought
up to it again. The first boat was in the water
threequarters of an hour, yanly attempting to
pull to windward against sea. and wind. 1t was
freezing hard at the time and blowing q stiff north
wester breeze. heard the cry of drowning man,
but there were probably from eight To twelve or
possibly even fifteen persons on board the boat.
As only saw one or two men struggling in tho
water, l am in great hopes that the lesser number
may prove correct. l cannot understand why the
pilot-boa attempted TO cross my bsws was on
the bridge and the four first officers were at their
duty ut the moment of the collision. The first aud
third officers were on the bridge with me, and the
tending to the ropes and the other looking after tho
ladder. No one dcplore the terrible accident
more than do. The first life-boat was lowered in
about eight minutes. The pilot-boat and
seemed to be sucked under the steamer almost in
stnntly We driftcd around the spot of the acci-
dent for some time until all hopes Of recovering any
ono of the lost men had completely vanished"
WHAT WAS SEEN FROM THE DECK.
Among the passengers was Edwin d. Worcester,
secretary of the New-York Central and Hudson
River Railroad Company, with his family One Of
his sons, Edwin ID. Worcester, jr, gave the follow
ing account:
~ was on the upper deck from about halfpast
II o'clock to half-past -, and was walking up and
down on the port side Soon after II, near as
can remember. | pilot-boat making signals
some distance ahead Oh port bow. The boat
rapidly approached the steamer. | went down to
the passageway just outside the smokng-rOom, and
was standing there when heard n low crash
felt at the same time shock if the steamer had
struck something. rushed out of the doorway on
the port side, and leaning the rail looked for
ward TO see what had happened. had barely
reached the rail when saw in the water below =
small boat capszed passing rapidly astern close by
the steamer heard the loud screams of men who
seemed to be in the water close beside the capsized
boat Their cries very wild could not SEQ
them, and could only judge by their voices that
there might be three or four. Almost smultane-
ously with the collision heard the officers the
bridge shouting out loud orders As the small boat
hoated by me. several sailors rushed past toward
the stern. stood where was and looked toward
the stern. The steamer seemed to me at the time
of the collision to be moving forward at fair
speed, but she was stopped almost Immediately, and
began TO move backward. In n few minutes saw
a boat put oil from the steamer and row about on
our port side. | think it must have been in the
water within six seven minutes from the time of
the collision and possibly sooner Before the boat
nppeared 81 q life.huoy 20 by with q bright