Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1884-08-23
Four Were Missing.

DR.. Black, surgeon. VIM. O'Donnell, sailor,
VIM. Jones. landsman, and George Foster
saloon boy. did not answer TO their names.
No one saw them go down. When last seer
DR.. Black was aft on the rail preparing 10
Jump. Whether he did so or not is unknown.
This was just before the boat sank and il is
probable he got caught under the ra,tling
The GOODNESS of the officers and men accounts
for the small loss of life.
The captain told me afterwards that every
one OF his men were NJ their places. aad as
the men went 10 the place assigned them, il
was rather amusing, in spite of the serious
accident, TO see negroes go for the life pre-
servers.
They were transferred to the Fish Hawk
and then TO the shore. The Fish Hawk at
once left for the scene of the wreck. As soon
as we returned TO the shore 1t. Commander
Morey telegrsphed to Washington for instruc.
tions. started tor home. | was the only
passenger and was at liberty TO do So
The others must wait al Woods Hall for
orders. The saddest part of the accident was
the loss OF the men. We did not suffer any
for it was q warm night. | don't know any
thing as to the cause of the collision.
We were going at a fair rate of speed and
had proper signals out. Lieut.. Commander
Morey on deck at the time. The captain
of the schooner did not offer any explanation
al the time | was talking with him.
WASHINGTON. Aug II.
The navy department was informed this
afternoon that Admiral Luce had despatched
the L. $. s. Yantc from Newport to the
wreck of the Tallapoosa to give such assis-
tanee as she may be able TO render.
BosToN, Aug 2l.
Lieut.. VIM. II. Everett. executive officer /;
Ensign VIM. b. Whttlesay and mate Hugh
kuhl, with 100 of the crew from the wrecked
Tallapoosa, arrived here tonight and pro-
ceeded to the navy yard, where they go upon
waiting orders. 1t. Everett saws he believ ed
the Tallapoosa did act in a manner to avoid
the line of water which the schooner would
cover. He was not on deck at the time, but
from the conversation he had he feels con-
vinced that the steamer was in the right.
The vessels he says were coming in diamet-
rically opposite direction, head on. The
schooner should have kept straight on and
the steamer would have passed on one side of
her. but it seemed as if the officers in charge
of the schooner were afraid that the steamer
would not alter its course and turned their
vessels head from the proper course. at is
perfectly an easy thing, Lieut.. Everett
said, 10 avoid fixed point but when that
point keeps bobhing around there's no telling
what to do. The way the schooner struck
would indicate that she had changed her
course coming as she Sid full head into US
instead of grazing along side
The statement of others of the steamer
would tend to show different set of move
ments were followed The general opinion
among the sailors is that the schooner was
wrong in such a way as to leave it TO the
option of the steamer of passing astern OF
har ~ Tnll III, a..
latter course and in endeavoring to run in
front was run into by the schooner. A sailor
who claims to have been in the pilot house
at the time of the disaster, SAYS: "The cap
tain, navigator and mate saw the lights of the
schooner but disputed whether it was green
or red light and finally the captain exclaimed
well, do something, turn her one way or the
other, and then we struck"
One Of the men at the wheel SAYS "They
gave the order hard aStarbOafd Wnen It ought
to have been hard aport" Wherever the
fault rested it is certain that the schooner
planged her full head into the TallapoOsa on
the starboard bow. and cut clean through the
timbers of the vessel, opening an immense
hole for the water to rush in. About l6 men
were on the deck of the government boat, but
according to the story of several of the watch
they and most of their comrades were asleep
forward. The men of the crew below were
rudcly awakened by the shock and sprang
hastily from their hammocks. The water
flooded the berth deck, and instantly the
sailors, abandoning everything, rushed on
deck through the debris. The blowing of the
steamers whistle drowned the voices of the
officers. The whistle was stopped and then
the first order yet heard was Man the
boats abandon the ship" There was no
&C
Twenty or thirty men took to the water in.
stead of the boats. All this happened in a
little over five minutes. The Tallapoosa had
already began to settle, and in few minutes
the hull was entirely submerged. Not one
of the officers had yet left the raft. Captain
Merry, Lieut. Everett, Engineer Towne.
Master Mechanics Steever and Walker and
four sailors took to the rigging, surmising
that the depth of the water was not sufficient
to submerge the msintop. The colliding
schooner had stood by to aid and the boats
made to her was also to the second schoon'
er, which hove to in response to calls for
help Having placed the men on board the
schooners, the boats returned and took uI
the sailors floating in the water and rescued
the others from the rigging.
Capt. Merry was the last man to leave the
vessel. No attempt was made to save per
sonal effects. The men were later trans
ferred to the steamer Gate City, Boston for
Savannah. which brought them to Woods
Holl Capt, Merry remains with few sea
men at Woods Hol. -Four men are reported
lost. but of these only two are known GER
tainly to have perished- Surgeon Clarence
f. Black at the time Of this disaster was be-
low IN the ward room The carpenter and
mate having their hands injured when the
mast fell rushed to Surgeon Black to have
their wounds dressed The surgeon was thus
engaged when the order was given 10 aban-
don the ship. The men rushed on deck and
the surgeon made way ait to the hurricane
deck. Here he stood under the awning
clinging to a settee, seeming not to realize
his dangerous position. The lieutenant per
ceiving him called out that he had better get
a life preserver. The surgeon responded
where are they?" The lieutenant pointed
them out, but his friend not not move.
sailor passing by heard the surgeon remark
well, guess this is the last of Black" and
almost neutrality-suspicious. sunk. 1t j:
supposed the awning prevented the surgeon
/ from clearing himself from the wreck and he
as Immediately drowned.
The second person lost was Geo. Foster
/ colored, saloon boy. He had seized a life
preserver and threw himself over the stern o.
( the steamer into the sea. In descending be
y u