The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1884-08-23


a fixed point, but when that point
keers bobbing around there Is nc
telling what to do. The very way
the schooner struck US would lndi,
cate that she had changed her
coUrse, coming as she did full head
into US, instead Of grazing along siie.
The statements of others on the Tai
lapoosa, however, would tend to show
that different set OF movements
were followed. General opinion
among the eaIlors is that the
schooner was wrong in moving II
such q way as to leaVe the ITALIA
pooss the option of passing astern
or across her bows The Tallapoosa
chose the latter course aud in en-
deavoring to glide III 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 schooner but disputed
wheths 1t was a green or red light,
ana finally the captain exclaimed:
Wei, 90 something; turn her one
way or tue other, "and then we we're
s truck. One of the men at the
wheel declares: "They gave 0rGers
'hard.a startOard' when II ought 10
have b. en'hardSa- port" Wherever
the fault rested, certain it is the
schooner plunged fall head into the
Tsllspoosa on toe starboard bow,
and cut clean through the timbers
OF the vessel opening an immense
hole for the water to pour in.
Alb tut sixteen men were seen on
deck Of the government boat, but
according to the statement of several
of the watches, they and most of
their conn sdes were asleep forward.
The men of the crew below
were rudely awakened by the ter
rife shock and sprang hastily
from their hammocks. The water
flooded the berths, decks, and in
stentIy the sailors abandoned every
thing and rushed on deck. There
they found noise and confusion, re-
so az to drown the words
of the officers, caused by the esce pc
of steam through the histle, The
s. cam was quickly cut off, and
then the only order of the
hour was heard. "Man the boats
Abandon Ship" There was nc n
fusion, only great degree of haste.
Some twenty or thirty men took 70
the water instead Of the boats. All
this happene in little over five
minutes. The allapoosa had now
begun to settle and in a few min
utes her bull was completely sub
Not one Of the head officers
had Left the craft. Captain Merry
Everett, Engineer
Towny, Master Mechanic Stevens
Walker and four sailors, took to the
rigging, surmising that the depth of
water was not sufficient to ubmerge
the maintop. Ensign Wbittlesey
and Master Gallagher, chung to the
ridge rope.
Tne.schoonerI n collision had stood
by to aid. md theI made to her as
well as to the second schooner, Mary
A. Hood, which hove to in response
to calls for help. Having LlaceG the
men on board, the boats returned
and took up the sailors floating in
the water and rescued others from
the rigging. Captain Merry was the
last man to leave the vessel and Lit.
Everest: left only just before him.
No attempt was made 70 save PER-
sonal effects. The men were, later
transferred to the steamer Gate
City, of Boston, for Savannah, which
brought them to Woodshall. The
nen reached here this evening.
Captain Merry remained u ith q few
seamen at Woodshall. Four men
are reported lost, but OF these, only
two are known certainly 10 have
peri, he'd = Surgeon Clarence E.
Black and a colored saloon porter.