, 1884-08-23
THE NAVY ~PARALYzED.
The Ship Tallapoosa Sunk in
a Collision.
An Accident Which Indicates
Criminal Carelessness.
Two of the Crew Meet a
Watery Grave.
The Sunk.

The Tallapoosa, with lao men and officers
bound to New York to take on boarc
Secretary Chandler, at IL O'Clock las
night, during a thick fog, three mile,
northeast of Oak Bluffs, Martha's Vine
yard, was struck by the schooner james
S. Lowell, of Bath, Captain Reed, from
Baltimore for Portland, with a cargo Of
coal, her side crushed in and she sank in
five minutes in ten fathoms of water. Az
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 vi
cinity, rescued the crew with the excep-
ton OF the Surgeon and one man.. who is
said to be missing. The Gate City blew
her whistle and the steamer Fishhawk,
lying at wharf at Woods Hole, sent out
her steam launch. The Gate City lay to
until 8 O'Clock transferring the crew to
the launch. They all landed at Woods
Hole. The T~allapoosa lies on what is
known as Squash Meadow fiat, and the
smokestack and top of the mast alone are
visible.
Captain Reed of Schooner James S.
Lowell, states he was passing through the
Sound last night with strong southwest
wind and all sails set. He was going at
nine knots, the night clear but dark.
When two miles away the lookout re-
ported a light ahead Shortly it was
seen to be 4 red light and | said, speaking
to the wheelsman, Red larboard, keep
her strright.' l stood near the wheel
during all the time and our course was not
altered until the word came that the green
light could be seen. To avoid a collision,
seeing the steamer was doing nothing to
avoid us, l ordered the helm down, but
before it could be done and before my YES
sci had altered her course at all, the two
vessels struck each other, their stems
seemingly coming together exactly. Our
vessels stem glanced by the Talapoosa
and penetrated her hull. After the YES
sells stopped the steamer swung around
alongside 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, l examined my vessel and
found she wasleakinQq quite badly although
not in immediate danger ofsinking. The
Talapoosa drifted away from us and sank
within ten minutes.
Touching the collision, Captain Reed
says: 1T is the most careless piece of
work | ever saw. The night was clear,
the lights of the Lowell were burning all
right and were perfectly visible for a long
distance. "
The names of the missing from the
Tallapoosa are Passed Assistant Surgeon
Clarence 4. Black and George A. Foster,
a landsman. Some of Secretary Chand-
ler's personal effects were on the vessel
when she sank.
BosroN, August %. - Lieutenant
William H. Everett, executive officer,
Ensign William B. Whittlesy and Mate
Hugh Kuhl with one hundred men from
the wrecked Tallapoosa arrived tonight
at the Navy Yard, where they go upon
waiting orders. Lieutenant Everett says
he believes the T~allapoosa did act in a
manner 10 avoid the line of water which
the schooner would cover, He was not
on deck at the time Of the collirion, but
from a conversation he has since had he
feels convinced the steamer was in the
right. The two vessels, he says, were
coming in diametrically opposite direc-
tons. 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
charge of the schooner were afraid we
would not alter our course and turned
their vessels head from the proper course.
Now it is a perfectly easy thing to avoid
a fixed point, but when that point keeps
bobbing around there's no telling what
to do. The very way the schooner struck
us would indicate she had changed hel
course, coming as she did full head into
us instead of grazing alongside.
The statements of others of the Talla
poosa, however, would tend to show thai
q different set of movements were fol
lowed. The general opinion among the
sailors is the schooner was swung in suct
a way as to leave the Tallapoosa the op
ton of passing astern or across her bows
The Tallapoosa chose the latter course anc
in endeavoring to glide in front was rur
into by the schooner.
Wherever the fault rested, certain it !,
the schooner plunged full head into the
Tallapoosa on starboard bow and cut cleai
through the timbers of the vessel, open.
ing an immense hole for water to pour in
About sixteen men we're seen on the deck
of the Government boat. According Il
the statement of several of the watch
they and most of lie comrades wer'
asleep forward. The men of the crew be
low were rudely awakened by the terrific
shock and sprung hastily from thei.
hammocks. Water flooded the bertl
deck, and instantly, the sailors abandoning
everything, ruseed on deck through th'
| H.. mi - r. 49,