The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1884-08-23
Uncle Sans TallapoOsa Goes Down In
Long Island Sound.
cHANDLER's NARROW ESCAPE
The Vessel Run into and Cut Almost In
Two-Carelessness the Cause-Four
Men Drowned - Statements
OF Parties on Board.
A steamer sunk.

with her main mast and the top of her
smoke-stack out of water. 1t is stated
that two lives were lost by the disaster.
Boston, MASS, Aug. 22.-The facts of
the sinking of the Tallapoosa are as fol-
lows: The Tallapoosa, with l4O men
and officers. bound to Newport, to take
on board Secretary Chandler, at IL
o'clock last night, during a thick fog,
three miles northeast of Oak Bluffs,
Martha Vineyard, was struck in a col
lision in the bow,by the schooner James
). Lowell, of Bath. Capt. Reed, from
Baltimore for Portland, with cargo of
coal. Her side was crushed in and she
sank In five minutes in ten fathoms of
water. AS she went down her whistle
was blown as signal of distress and
was heard by the steamer
Gate City, which came up i'm
mediately, 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 is said to be missing. The Gate
City blew her whistle, and the steamer
Fish Hawk, lying at the wharf at
Woodshall, sent out her steam launch.
The Gate city lay to this o'clock trans
ferring the crew to the launch. They
were all landed at Woodshall. The Tai
lapoosa lies on what is known rs the
Squash Meadow Flats" and her smoke
stack and top mast alone are visible.
The steamer James 5. Lowell also has
on hoard several Of the Tallapoosa's
crew.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 22.-The names of
the missing from the Tallapoosa are
Passed Assistant Surgeon Clarence Il.
Black and Geo. A. Foster, landsman.
Some Of Secretary Chandler's personal
effects were on the vessel when she
sank.
Capt. Reed, OF the schooner James s.
Lowell, states that he was passing
through the sound last night with a
strong southwest wind, with all sails
set. He was going at nine knots. The
night was clear but dark. When two
miles away the lookout reported "a
light" Shortly II was seen to be ~ red
light" and said, speaking to the wheel
man, "Lordl keep her straightw stood
near the wheel all the time, and the
course was not altered until word came
that the green light could be seen, 10
avoid collision. Seeing the steamer do.
ing nothing to avoid us, 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 sterns seemingly
coming together exactly. Our vessel's
stern glanced by the Tallapoosa's aud
penetrated her hull. After the vessels
stopped, the steamer swung alongside
the Lowell, and her crew might have
Jumped on board, but IL was not then
known what was the condition of either
vessel. After getting my family into a
| boat, examined my vessel and found
she was leaking quite badly, though net
in immediate danger of sinking. the Tai.
lapoosa drifted away from us and sanl,
within ten minutes.
Before many of the officers and crew
had left her, she went down. Those
who could do so took TO the rigging and
were taken off the latter. Our vessel
was badly damaged, her stern being
started and her wood ends injured. She
made twenty -one inches OF water in a
short time. Touching the collision,
Capt. Read says: alt was the most
careless piece OF work | ever saw. The
night was clear, the lights of the Lowell
were burning all right and perfectly Wis
ible for q long distance. There is din.
Guilty in obtaining tho story
OF the steamer, the eXecu.
tive olhcer, TO whom reporters
are referred, declining to make any
statement. one of the men on the look
out on the steamer says he saw the
schooner's light fifteen minutes before
the collision and reported the fact. Sew.
oral of the crew of the steamer acknowl-
edged the steamer to be at fault. MANY
of tho men were n considerable time in
the water, ten being flshed up half an
hour after the sinking. Numerous
wrecking schoOners and the steamers
fishhawk and Vorbona are cruising
about the sound in the vicinity, seeking
to secure the bodies of the drowned and
any wreckage.
Paymaster Tarbell, n passenger on
| the Tallapoosa, says; About 10 O'clock,
when the schooner struck, he was I'm
bed. He supposed she had gone
aground. Some one called down the
companionway; "All hands abandon
shipW The men rushed on deck, but
GERS 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 ship, we could see
the result of the collision. We were in
"a channel and the schooner had struck
| MS square on the starboard side by the
foremost. The schoOner's bow was cut
half way through the ship, tearing ter
rible hole in her side, through which tho
water rushed Tho foremost was cut
away, and the schooner's bow scattered.
| The Tallapoosa sank in ten minutes. All
that can be seen Of her now is about one
half OF her smokestack. She sank bow
flrst. There was no time to save
| anything. We had to leave lust as we
turned out of bed. The schooner sent
out boats TO help those in the water and
render tho assistance necessary.
Another schooner also came up and
took part of the mon, while the re-
mainder went on board the schooner
that run us down. She was leaking
badly, and the captain was afraid he
could not keep her above water, Tho
water was gaining on him, so our men
TOOK turn ut the pumps until no could
got his steam pumps working. After
that no was all right. The Gate CITY
came up in few minutes and
took all the Tallapoosa's crew.
| Our men were destitute at clothes. but
their wants were supplied by the officers
and men, When we were together roll
call found two mon missing, DR.. Black,
l W. SNNhf AAiNi NilN lliht AAlAl flAl answer.
IL Is probable both were drowned. When
last seen Black was on the rail prepar-
ing to jump. The coolness of the Of
iicers and men accounts for the small
loss OF life.
The Captain told me every boats crow
NJ the place, and the men went 10 the
boats assigned them. 1t was amusing,
in spite Of our serious situation. To see
the negroes 70 for life preservers. Whom
we reached Woods Hole we were trans.
ferred TO the Fish Hawk and then to the
shore. The Fish Hawk ut once left for
the wreck. The saddest part of the
accident was the loss of the two mon.
We did not suffer any, for 1t was
warm 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
didn't oiier any explanation. was
talking with him.
Latter advices from Cottage CITY re-
port four persons drowned from tl,