Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-08-23

that tour persons were drowned from the
TallapOOsa, DR.. Clarence E. Black, Sur
geon; VIM. 0'Donnell, a seaman of BOs-
ton; VIM. Jones, a landsman, of Wash
lngton, and George Foster, a cOlOred saloon
boy.
THE SURVIVORS AT BOSTON.
Lieut.. William H. Everett, Executive
Officer, Ensign William B. B.Whittlesey, and
Mate Hugh Kuhl, with 100 men from the
wrecked TallapOOsa. arrived in this city
tonight and proceeded to the navy yard,
where they 90 upon waiting orders. Lieut..
Everett says that he believed that the
TallapOosa acted rightly in the matter to
avoid the line of water which the schooner
would cover. He was not on deck at the
time of the collision, but from the CONVEX
satiOn he has since had he feels convinced
that the steamer was in the right. He
says:
The two vessels were coming in
Numerically opposite directions head
on. The schooner should have
kept straight along and we
should have passed to one side of her,
but it would seem as though the officers
in cha rye of the schooner were afraid that
we would not alter our course, and turned
their vessels head from her proper course.
Now 1t is perfectly easy thing to avoid
fixed point, but when that point keeps
| bObbing around there is no telling what
to do. The very way the schooner struck
us would indicate that she had changed
her course, coming as she did full head
into US instead of grazing alongside. The
statements of others OF the steamer how
ever, would tend to show that a different
set Of movements were followed.
COLOR BLINDNESS ALLEGED.
The general opinion among the sailors
Is that the schooner was going in such a
way as to leave the TallapoOsa the option
of passing astern or across her bows.
The TallapOOsa chose the latter course,
and in endeaVoring to glide in front was
run into by the schooner. Says a sailor
who claims to have been in the pilot
house at the time of the disaster: "The
Captain, 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 declares that they
gave the order hard starbOard, when it
ought to have been apOrt. Wherever the
fault rests certain it is that the schooner
plunged full head into the Tallapoosa on
her starboard bow, and cut clean through
the tImbers of the vessel, opening a large
hole for the water to pour in. About is
men were on the deck of the government
boat on watch on deck, but according to
and most of their comrades were asleep
forward
A SCRAMBLE FOR LIFE.
The men of the crew below were rudely
awakened by a terrific shock and sprang
hastily from their hammOcks. The water
flooded both decks, and instantly the sail
ors, abandoning everything, rushed on
deck through the debris. There they
found the confusing noise so great as to
y, all 81 Nko 80
was caused by escaping steam through the
whistle. The steam was quickly cut off
and then the only order of the hour was
heard: "Man the boats and abandon
the ship" There was no con-
fusion only a great degree of haste.
Some 20 or 80 men took to the water in
stead Of the boats. All this happened in
a little over 5 minutes. The Tallapoosa
had already begun to settle, and in a few
minutes her hull was completely sub
merged. Not one of the head officers had
left the craft. Capt. Merry, Lieut.. Everett,
Engineer Towns, Master Mechanic Stew
ems and Walker, and four sailors took to
the rigging, surmising that the depth of
water was not deep enough to submerge
the maintop. Ensign Whittlesey and
Mate Gallagher clung to the ridge rope.
PICKING UP THE CREW.
The colliding schooner had stood by to
aid and the boats made to ber as well as
to the second schooner, Mary A. Hook,
which hove to in response to calls for
help. Having placed the men on board
the boats returned and took up the sail
Ors floating in the water, and rescued the
others from the rigging. Capt. Merry was
the last man to leave his vessel. and Lieut..
Everett left only just before him. No at
tempt was made to save personal effects.
The men were later transferred to the
steamer Gate City, from Boston for
Savannah, which brought them to
Woods Hole. The men as above
stated. reached here this evening, Capt.
Merry remaining with few seamen at
Woods Hole. OF the four men reported
lost only two are known certainly to have
perished. Surgeon Clarence E. Black,
at the time of the disaster, was below in
the ward room. The Captains mate
being injured in the hand when the mast
fell, hurried to have the surgeon attend to
| the wound. AS he was so doing the cry
Of abandon the ship" rang out.
THE SURGEONS FATE.
The two men hastened on deck The
surgeon made his way aft to the hur-
ricane deck. There he stood under the
| awning, which was spread, Holding fast
to settle he did not seem to realize his
perllOus position, and when Lieut..
Everett perceiving him called out that he
had better provide himself with life pre-
server, lne surgeon responded Nv mere
are they? The Lieutenant pointed them
out, but his friend did not move. A sailor
hurrying by heard the officer remark to
himself: "Well, l guess this is the last of
| Black" and almost Immediately
the vessel sank. 1t is supposed
| that the awning prevented the
officer from clearing himself from
the wreck and he was Immediately
drowned. The second man lost was a
colored saloon hand named Geo. Foster,
belonging in Norfolk, Va. He had quick
ly seized a life-preserver and rushing to
the hurricane deck threw himself pre-
server in hand, over the stern. His body
struck upon one of the monkey rails and
he was probably instantly killed, for the
preserver loated but the body was not to
be seen. The other two missing men,
William O'Donnell, a seaman of Boston,
and W. E. Jones, a landsman of Wash
ington are confidently believed to have
slowed themselves away on the Gate
I