The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1884-08-29
THE TALLAPOOSA.
Wrecked by Collision on Martha's Vine
var6-T~o LgveN rnaf.

THE TALIAPOOSA.
Wrecked by . Collision on Martha's Vine
yard-Two Hives Lost.
COTTAGE CITY, MASS, August 22.-The
United States steamship Tallapoosa sank of
here last night The survivors landed al
Woods Hall. She cOllided with q three
masted schooner. She lies with her main
mast and the top of her smoke stack out of
water. 1t is stated two lives were lost by
the disaster.
ANOTHER DISPATCH.
BOsTON, August 22.-The facts of the
sinking of the TallapoOsa are as follows:
The TallapOOsa, with one hundred and forty
men and officers, bound to Newport to take
on board Secretary Chandler, at eleven
o'clock last night, during thick fog three
miles northeast of Oak Bluff, Martha's
Vineyard, was struck by the bow of the
schooner James S. Lowell, of Bath, Captain
Reed, from Baltimore for Portland, with q
cargo of coal. Her side was crushed i'm and
she sank i'm five minutes in ten fath0ms of
water. As she went down her whistle
blew signal of distress and was
heard by the steamer Gate City,
which came up Immediately, and
with the schooner Mary A. HOcd,
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
until three o'clock, transferring the crew to
the launch. They all landed at Wood
shall. The TallapoOsa lies on what is
known as Squash Meadow Flat and the
smoke stack and tOpmast alone are visible.
The schooner James S. Lowell also has on
board several of the TallapOOsa's crew.
Captain Reed, of the schooner j. S. Lowell,
states he was passing through the Sound
last night with strong southwest wind, all
sails set. He was going nine knots. The
night was clear but dark. When two miles
away the lookout reported
"A LIGHT AHEAD"
and shortly it was seen to be a red light, and
l said. speaking to the wheelman, Red
light, keep her straight" / stood near the
wheel during all the time, and our course
was not altered until word came that the
green light could be seen. To avoid a COLI
sion, seeing the steamer was doing nothing
to avoid u.s. l ordered the helm hard
down. but before it could be done and
all. the two vessels struck each other
Their stems seemingly came together exact
ly. Our vessels stem glanced by the Talla-
poOsa's and penetrated her hull. After the
vessels stopped, the steamer swung round
along side 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 ex-
amined my vessel. She was leaking quite
badly, though not in immediate danger of
sinking. The TallapOosa drifted away
from us and sank within ten minutes. She
went down before many of the officers and
crew had left her; as she went down those
who could do so took to the rigging and
were taken off later. The schooner Mary
A. Wood came along and assisted in saving
the crew, and later the steamer Gate City
was signalled and came to our assistance,
and after all the saved had been transferred
to her she steamed away to WOodshall; Om
vessel was badly damaged,
THE STERN BEING STARTED,
and the wood was injured. She made
twenty-one inches of water i'm the short
time we were under way proceeding te
Vineyard Haven. Touching the coils
ion Captain. Read says: 'It is the
most careless piece of work l ever
saw. The night was clear. The lights OF
the Lowell were burning all right, and vert
perfectly visible a long distance There
is difficulty i'm obtaining the story of the
steamer. Her executive officers to whom
reporters were referred declined to make
any statement. One of the men on the lookout
on the steamer says he saw the schooner's
light fifteen minutes before the collision
and reported the fact. Several of the crew
of the steamer acknowledge the steamer
to be at fault. Briefly the facts are that
the schooner was steering southeast by
south half east and the steamer in exactly
an opposite direction with the sailing vesse
having the right of way by law. Many o,
the men were considerable tint
in the water, ten being fshed up
nearly half an hour after sinking
Numerous wrecking schooners and thu
steamers Fish Hawk and Verbena vert
cruising about the sound i'm the vicinity
seeking to secure the bodies of the drowned
and any wreckage.
WASHINGTON, August 22.-The name:
of the missing from the TallapOosa are
Post Assistant Surgeon Clarence E. Black
George \. Foster, landsman. Some of Sec J
refary Chambers personal effects were OF !
the vessel when she sank.