The Portland daily press., 1884-08-23
GONE TO THE BOTTOM.
The U. s. Steamship Tallapoosa
Sunk in a Collision
WITH A BATH SCHOONER AND
FOUR OF HER GREW LOST.
Details of the Disaster Told hy the
SchoOner's Captain and Others.

mdrbhab NlneJ ara says that the United states
steamer Talapoosa sunk off that city lat
night. The survivors landed at Woods Holl.
The vessel lays with her mainmast and top
OF her smokestack ont Of water. The colhding
vessel was a large tSree-masted schooner.
The Tallapoosa, bound for Newport, was
struck last night at II o'clock during the fog
by the schooner James S. Lowell of Bath,
Captain Reed, bound from Baltimore for
Portland with cargo of coal. Tho schooner
struck the Tallapoosa bow on, and the side OF
the latter was crushed in so that she sunk In
ten minutes. The disaster occurred three
miles northeast of Oak Bluffs. The Talla-
pcosa now lies on what is known as Squash
Meadow fiat with only her smoke-stack and
topnast out of water. AS she went down her
whistle was blown and it was heard by the
steamer Gate City, ui the Boston ard Savan-
nah line, bound TO Savannah. She at once
went to the rescne and, with the aid of the
Lowell aud the schooner Mary A. Hood, took
the 40 officers and men on board.
The steamer Fish Hawk, lying at Woods
Holl wharf, sent out launch and the Gate
City lay to until 3 O'clock this morning, trans
ferrng the crew who &ere mostly landed at
Woods Holl
Captain Reeds Story
Captain Reed, of the schooner James S.
Lowell, states, in Ration to the collision, that
he was passing through the Sound last night
with strong southwest wind, having all the
sails set. The vessel was going at least nine
knots an hour The night was clear, but dark.
When two miles away the lookout reported a
red light, aud Captain Reed said, speaking to
the whcelman, fRed, keep her straight"
Captain Reed then tells the story as follows:
1 stood near the wheel during all the time, and
the course was not altered until word came that
the helm hard down, but before it could be done,
and before my vessel bad altered her course at ALL
the two vessels struck each other their stems SEEM
ingly coming together exactly. Our vessels stem
glanced by the Tallapoosa, and penetrated into her
hull.
After the vessel had stopped, the steamer swung
around alongside of the Lowell and all the crew
might have jumped on board but it was not then
known what was the condition of either vessel.
After getting my family who were on board as pas
sengers into The boat L examined my vessel and
found she was leakiug quite badly though not in
immediate danger of sinking. The 1allapoosa
drlfted away from us and sank within ten minutes,
before many of the officers and crew had left her.
AS she went down those who could, took to the
rigging and were taken off later.
The schooner Mary A. Wood came along and as
sisted in saving the crew, and later the the Gate
City of theSavannah line was signalled and came to
our assistance: Alter an the saved were trans
Our vessel is badly damaged her stern being start
ed and the wood ends injured She made II inches
of water in short time. We were underway pro.
ceeding to Vineyard Haven. Touching the collision
il was the most careless piece of work l saw.
The night was clear, the lights OF the Lowell burn
ing all night and perfectly visible long distance.
There was difficulty in obtaining the story of
the reporters were referred declined to make
any statement. One of the men on lookout
on the steamer says he saw the schooner's
lights 10 minutes before the collision and re-
ported the fact Several of the crew of the
steamer acknowledged the steamer to be at
fault. Briefly the facts are that the schooner
was steering sout-east by south, one-half east
and the steamer in exactly the opposite direct
ton the sailing vessel having the right of way
by law. Many of the men were considerable
tiFaao he CHI
half an hour after tho sinking. Numerous
wrecking schooners and the steamers Fish
Hawk and Verbena were cruising about the
Sound this afternoon in the vicinity, seeking
10 secure the bodies of the drowned aud any
wreckage.
LATER
Later advices from the Tallapoosa say that
he lost are: DIR. Clarence Black the surgeon,
VIM. O'Donnell. seaman of Boston, VIM
Jones, a landsman Of Washington. Geo. Fos-
Ter, colored saloon boy.
The Paymaster's Story.
BOSTON, Aug. 22.-The Tallapoosa's pay
maater John r. Fnr6ell, who was passenger
ID the Tallapoosa giVesa interesting aceaant
Of the collision and subsequent sinking of the
steamer:
We left Boston for Newport Thursday morning,
and everything went well until We reached Marthas
Vineyard. About 11.30 as near as L could judge
We were about six miles to the eastward of West
Chop Light, running about knots hour. 1
turned in at 10 o'clock. At that hour the weather
was clear and we were steamDg along at fair rate
Of speed. The first l knew of the collision was
when the schooner struck US. was sound asleep
and at first supposed we were aground. tumbled
put of my bed, and Just then some one called down
the companion way 'All hands abandon the ship.''
The men rushed on deck but there was no excite
ment, and the officers and men were very cool. A
few who were near the bow jumped overheard but
most of us took to the boots. AS soon we clear
from the ship We could see the result of the COLI
sion Wewere in the channel and the schooner had
struck us square on the starboard side, and the |
schooner's bow had cut half way through the ship
tearing terrible hole in her side through which
water was rushing. The foremost was cut away by |
the force ofthe colsoB, and the schooners bow was
shattered. The Tallapoosa sank in about 10 |
minutes and all that can be seen of her now is
about half of her smoke stack. She sank bow first.
There was of course no time to anything and
we had to leave Just as we turned out of bed.
The schooner seut out boat to help pick mp those
who were in the water, and to render any assist
ance necessary, Another schooner also came up |
and took part of the men, while the remainder went
was leaking badly, however, and the captain said
that he was afraid he could not keep her above
water. The water was gaining on him, so our men |
took turns at the pumps. until he could get his |
steam pumps working After that he was all right.
The Gate City also came up in a few minutes and |
took all the Tallapoosas crew. The officers and |
crew of that steamer treated with the greatest
Our men were destitute of clothes but |
their wants supplied by the officers and men,
and everything done for our comfort that could be
done.
When we we're together, the roll was called. and |
i was found that four were missing. DIR. Black, |
the surgeon, VIM, O'Donnell, seaman, WIN. Jones,
a landsman and George Foster, the saloon boy did
not answer to their names. No one saw them 90
down. When last seen, DR.. Black was aft on the |
not is unknown. This was just before the boat |
sunk, and 1t is probable that he got caught under
the awning. The coolness of the officers and men
for the small loss of life. The captain
told me afterwards that every boats crew were ait
their places and tn men went to the boats assign
ed them 1t was rather amusing in spite |
fhO
negroes go for the hfe-preservers. They
were the only ones who were really scared. When
Fish Hawk and thence to shore and then the Fish
Hawk, at once left for the scene of the wreck AS
soon as we reached the shore Lieut. Commander
Merry telegraphed to Washington for instructions
and started for home. was the only passenger,
and was at liberty to do SO. The others must wait
at Woods Holl for orders.
those men. We did not suffer any, for it was q
warm night. l don't know anything as to the cause
of the collision: We were going at fair rate of
speed and had the proper signals out. Lieut.. Com
mander Merry was on deck at the time. The Cap
tain of the schooner did not offer explanation at
the time was talking with him.
The Executive Oflcer's Story.
Lieut. VIM. II. Everett, executive officer,
Ensign VIM. B. Whites and Mate Hugh
Ruhl with 100 of the crew from the wrecked
Tallapoosa, arrived in this city tonight, and
proceeded to the navy yard, where they go up
on waiting orders. Lieut. Everett says
He believes the Tallapoosa did act in manner to
avoid the line of water which the schooner would
cover. He was not on deck at the time of the col
lisi0n, but from conversation he has since had he
feels convinced that the steamer in the right.
The vessels, he says, were coming in Numerically
opposite directions, head on. The schooner should
have kept straight along and The steamer would
have passed to one side of her; but it seemed as if
the officers in charge of the schooner were afraid
the steamer would not have altered her course and
they turned their vessels head from the proper
course. 1t is perfectly easy thing. Lieut.. Everett
said, to avoid a fixed poiut but when that point
keeps bobbing around there's telling what to do.
The way the schooner struck would Indicate that
she had changed her course coming as she did full
head into us. instead of grazing along the side.
Statements of the TaIIapOOsa's Grew.
Statements of otherr of the Tallapoosa, however,
would tend to show that a different set of move
ments were Ollowedr The general opinion among
the sailors is that the schooner was wrong in such
way as 10 leave to the Tallapoosa the option of
passing astern or rcross her bows. The Tallapoosa
chose the latter course and in endeavoring to glide
in front was run into by the schooner.
A sailor who claims to have been in the pilot
house at the time of the disaster says The captain
navigator and mate saw the light of the schooner
but disputed whether it was cred or green light,
and finally the captain exclaimed We'll, do some.
thing; turn here one way or the other and then we
struck" One of the men at the wheel says, ''They
gave the order hard storboard' when it ought to
have been hard port "a"
Wherever the fault rested it is certain that the
schooner plunged full head into the Sallapoosa on
the starboard bow and cut clean through the tim
bers OF the vessel, opening an immense hole for the
water to rush in. About sixteen men were on the
deck of the Government boat, but according to
statements of several of the watch thev and most