The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1884-08-27
sunk by a Schooner! n Navy
Mourns her Loss but Nobody
Else Does.

You have read about the u. ). Naval
steamer, TaHapooSd. She attained
National notoriety by reason OF her
frequent use rs 4 junketting boat by
the well-fed officials, and their wines
and bancers-op. at Washington. Even
favored gang OF Congressmen enjoyed
frequent ''sprees' in her luxurious
saloons, during trips TO Old Point Long
Branch. aud elsewhere. We noied
with pleasure the remark in a recent
exchange that none OF the present
North Carolina delegation had joined IN
tins peryerting the naval service and
the public funds. But the 1dHopocSd
is no more. She has taken water
and ignobly passed under.
Boston, August 22-The United
States steamship Tallapoosa sank off Cot
tage City last night, collidlng with q Bal
timore schooner IN a fog. -Four hives
we're probably lost. They were DR.. {.
+. Black, the surgeon Vim. y Donnell,
seaman, Of Boston William jones, lands
man, Of Washington, and George Foster,
a colored saloon boy. The steamship
T~allapoosa. with one hundred and forty
men and officers, was bound 10 Newport
to take on board Secretary Chandler. At
eleven o'clock last night during a thick
fog, when three miles northeast Of Oak
Bluffs, Martha's Vineyard, she was
struck bow on by the schooner james ).
Lowell, OF Bath, Captain Reed, from
Baltimore for Portland with a cargo OF
coal. Her side vas crushed 10, and she
sank in five minutes in about ten fathomS
OF water. As she went down her whistle
was blown as a signal Of distress, and il
was heard by the Boston anu Savannah
steamer Gate City, bound for the latter
port. She came up immediately, apd,
with the schooner Mary A. Hood, which
happened to be IN the vicinity, rescued
the crew.
Saws a sailor who claims to have been
in the p%ilot-house at The time of the
disaster The captain, navigator and
mate saw the lights Of the schooner.
but disputed whether it was the green or
red light, and finally the captain eX-
claimed, We'll, do something; turn her
one way or the other and then we
struck" One of the men at the wheel
declares They gave the order hard n
starboard when it ought to have been
hard a port Wherever the fault rest
ed, certain it is that the schooner
plunged full head into the Tallapoosa
on the starboard bow. and cut clean
through the timbers of the vessel, open
ing an immense hole for the water to
pour in. About sixteen men were on
the deck of the government boat-the
watch on deck-but, according to the
statement of several Of the watch. they
aud most of their comrades were asleep
forward. The men of the crew below
were rudely awakened by the terrific
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. There they found a
confusing noise, ~resounding so as to
drown all words of the officers, caused
by escaping steam through the whistle.
Steam was quickly cut of, and then the
only order Of the hour was heard, Man
the boat, abandon ship" There was
no confusion, only 4 great degree OF
haste. Some twenty or thirty men took
to the water instead of TO the boats. All
this happened i'll little over five minutes.
The Tallapoosa had already begun to
settle, and in a few minutes her hull was
completely submerged. Not one of the
head officers had left the craft. Cap
tain Merry, lieutenant Everett, En-
gineer Townc, Master Mechanics Stce-
yer and walker and four sailors took to
the rigging, surmising that the depth of
tKyn tI1. Nx-ne not E4tnratnn.t 10 g.nl,,,n.Iva DO
main top. Ensign Whittlcsey and Mate
Gallagher clung TO the ridge rope. The
cOlliding schooner, the James !. Lowell,
stood Jy to render aid and the boats
made to her, as well as TO a second
schooner, the Mary \. Hood, which
hove to III response To calls for help
Having placed the men on board. the
boats returned and took up the sailors
floating III the water and rescued the
others from the rigging. Captain Merry
was the last mar to leave his vessel.
and Lieutenant Everett left only Just
before him. Surgeon Clarence T.. Black
at the time Of the disaster was below in
the ward room. The carpenters mate
being injured in the hand when the mast
fell, hurried TO have the surgeon attend
to the wound. As he was 50 doing the
cry OF Abandon ship rang out. The
two men fastened on deck. The sur
gcon, DR.. Black, make his way aft to the
hurricane deck. Here lie stood under
the awning, which was spread, holding
fast to 4 settee. He did not seem to re-
alize his p~erllous position, and when
Lieutenant Everett, percciving him, cali
ed out that he better provide himself with
a life preservcr, the surgeon responded,
Where are they?' The lieutenant
pointed them out, but his friend did bot
owe. A sailor hurrying by heard the
iated officer remark to himself, "Well, ]
guess this is the last of Black - and al
most Immediately the vessel sank. 1t Is
supposed that the awning prevented the
officer from clearing himself from the
wreck, and he was immed ateiy drowned.
The second man lost was a cclored saloon
hand, named George Foster, belonging in
Norfolk, Va. He had quickly selzed a
life preserver, and rushing to the hurri-
cane deck, threw himself, preserver in
hand, oyer the stern. His body struck
upon ono of the monkey rails, and he was
probably instantly killed, for the preser-
yer floated, but the body was not to be
seen.
Speaking Of Engineer David NJ.
King, Fayetteville OJSsrccr says he has
many warm friends in that city.
Tie accident by which Mrs. Hart