The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1884-08-28
LOST VESSEL.

- COTTAGE CITY, MASS, August 49,
The United States steamship, Talla
pooSa, sank off here last night. Tn
survivors anded at Woods Hole. Sh,
collided with three-masted schooner
She lies with her mainmast and smoke
stack out of the water. 1t is stated
two lives were lost by the disaster.
ANOTHER ACCOUNT.
BosToN, August 22.-The facts Of
the sinking of the Tallapoosa are as
follows: The TallapooSa, with lac
men and officers, was hound 80 New.
port to take on board Secretary Chan.
dler. At II O'Clock last night, during
a thick fog, three miles northeast OF
Oak Bluff, Martha's Vineyard, was
struck IN collision by the schooner
Jas. s. Lowell, of Bath, Capt. Reed
from Baltimore, for Portland, with a
cargo of coal. Her side was crushed
! in, and she sunk in five min
uteS in ten fathoms of water. AS she
went down, her whistle blew as sig
nal OF distress, and was heard by the
steamer Gate City, which came up i'm
medlatelv, and, with the schooner
Mary A. Hood, which happened to be
IN the vicinity, rescued the crew, with
the exception of the surgeon and one
man, who are said to be missing. The
Gate City blew her whistle, and the
steamer Fish Hawk, lying on the
wharf, at Woods Hole, sent over her
steam launch. The Gate City lay to
until $3.50 o'clock, transferring the
crew to the launch. The Tallapoosa
lies on what is known as Squash
Meadow Flats, and her Smokestack and
the top of her mast alone are visible.
The schooner Joseph A Lowell also
has aboard several of the Tallapoosa's
crew.
THE MISSING.
WASHINGTON, August 22.-The
names OF those missing from the Tai
lapoosa are Assistant Surgeon Clar-
ence E. Bacht and George A. Foster,
landSnan. Some of Secretary Chan.
dler's personal effects were on the YES
sci When she sank.
THE PAYMASTER'S NARRATIVE.
Paymaster Iarbell, passenger on the
Talapoosa, says: About 10 o'clock when
the schooner struck, he was in bed
and supposed she had gone aground.
Some one called down the companion
way, "All hands abandon the ship!"
The men rushed ON deck, but there
was no excitement. Officers and men
were very cool. A few who were near
the bow jumped overheard, but most
of us took to the boats. AS soon as
we were clear from the ship We could
See the result of the collision. We
were in the channel and the schooner
had struck us square on the Stdrboard
side by the foremost. The schoOner'S
bow cut half way through the
ship, tearing terrible hole in her side
through which the water rushed. The
foremost Was cut away. The ITALIA
poosa sank in 10 minutes. All that
can be seen of her is about half of her
smoke-Stack. She sank bow first, and
there was no time to save anything.
We had to leave everything. just as
we turned. out of bed, the schooner
sent out boats to help up those in the
water and render any assistance neces-
sary. Another schooner also came
up and took part of the men,
while the remainder went On board
the schooner that run us down. She
was leaking badly and the captain
was afraid he could not keep above
water. The water was gaining on
him, so our men took a turn at the
pumps until he could get his steam
pump working. After that he was
all right. The Gate City came up in d
few minutes and took all the Talla-
poosa's crew. Our men were desti-
tute of clothes, but their wants
were supplied by officers and men.
When we were together at roll call, it
was found that two men were missing
DIR. Black. the surgeon, and one OF
the men didn't answer. They were
drowned. No one saw them
go down. When last seen DR.. Black
was on the railing preparing to jump
The GOODNESS OF the officers and men
account for the small loss of life.
The captain told me every coats
crew was in its place and the men
went to the boats assigned them. 1t
was rather amusing, in spite OF our
serious situation, to SEQ a negro go for
the life-preservers. When we reached
Woods Hole we were transferred to
the Fish Hawk and then to shore.
The Fish Hawk at once left for the
wreck. The saddest part of the acct
dent was the loss OF the two men. We
did not suffer any, for it was war n
night; don't know anything as to the
cause of the collision; Commander
Merrie was on deck at the time. The
captain of the schooner did not offer
any explanation of the accident. l
was talking with him.
Later advices from Cottage City re-
port four persons drowned from the
EalIapoosa, as follows: DR.. Clarence
L. Black, surgeon; William O'Don-
nell, seaman, of Boston; William
Jones, Washington, and George Eos
ter, colored, saloon boy.
CAPTAIN OF THE sCHoo NER LOWELL
Capt. Reed, of the schooner James
S. Lowell, states he was passing
the sound last night, with
strong southwest wind, all sails set,
and was going at the rate of nine
knots an hour. The night was clear
but dark. When two miles away the
lookout reported "a light ahead"
shortly it was seen to be a red light,
and l said, speaking to the wheelman,
Red light; keep her straight
stood near the wheel during all the
time and the course was not altered,
until word came that the green light
could be seen. To avoid collision,
seeing the steamer was doing nothing
to avoid us, l ordered the helm hard
down, but before it could be done,
and before my vessel had altered her
course at all, the two vessels struck
each other, their sJernS seemingly
coming together exactly. Our vessels
stern glanced by the Tallapoosa's and
penetrated her hull. After the vessels
stopped the steamer swung round
aIon0side the lowell and her crew
might have jumped on board, but it
was not then known what was the
condition of either vessel. After
getting my family into the boat, [ ex-
amined my vessel and found she was
leaking quite badly, though not in
immediate danger of sinking. The
Tallapoosa drifted away from us and
sank within ten minutes, before many
of the officers and crew had left her.
AS she went down those who could
do so took to the rigging, and We're
taken off later. Our vessel was badly
damaged, the stern being started and
the wood ends injured. She leaked
to the extent of 81 inches of water in
short time. Touching the collision,
Capt. Reed says: ct was the most
careless piece of work / ever saw. The
night was clear, the lights of the Low
ell were burning all right, and per-
fectly visible for long distance"
There is a difficulty in obtaining
| the story of the steamer, the executive
officer to, whom the reporters are re
ferred, declining to make any state
ment. One of the men, on the LOOK
ing-out of the steamer, says he saw
4 L..