Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-03-16
STEAMER RUN DOWN,
rux OREGON SUNK BY A SCHOONER
OFF FIRE ISLAND.
rvo Holes steve in Her Bow Barely Tine
Given to Save Her Pas
sengers.
New York Tines

Inst before daylight yesterday morn
inc deep. laden three-masted schooner,
name unknown, ran into the Cunard
steamer Oregon off Fire island, between
the lighthouse and Shinnecock. About
eight hours after the collision the Ore'
CON went to the bottom.
The accident was first discovered by
the lookout at the Fire-Island signal
station. About 6 O'Clock yesterday
morning he sighted large four.masted
steamer drifting slowly seward about
fifteen miles southeast of the island
lie could only see her masts, but he
knew the Oregon was about due, and
correctly surmised that she was the yes
sci. He kept watch OF her until
nearly noon, when she gradually
drifted from sight. The weather
was clear at the time and the
wind moderate. There was some
apprehension Of trouble at the sta
ton, but nothing occurred 10 confirm
il until about 4:S0 in the afternoon,
when the steamer Fulda, from Bremen,
came into view and communicated the
startling information, by the slow pro-
cess Of code signals, that the Oregon
was at the bottom Of the sea. All her
passengers and crew were safe, though,
80 far as the signal-station men could
make out. the majority Of them being
on the Fulda and others on apilot boat.
The Oregon left Liverpool on the
morning Of Saturday, March 9th. She
had on board lS5 iirst-cabin passengers,
&C in the second cabin, and $50 in the
steersge. She had a crew of 2O5 men.
At the beginning Of the voyage she had
TO deal with fresh winds from the north
and east, but fairly fine weather. IL
became stormy off the Newfoundland
banks, with a high swell and brisk
southwest winds. Her agents expected
TO board her at her pier in this city
early this morning.
THE COLLISION.
The weather was clear at the time oil
the accident, and it does not appear
how it happened. One Of the Oregon's
passengers says the schooner was seen
ten minutes before the collision, but
whether it was the steamers or the
schooner's fault he is unable to tell.
The blow sounded like the report of
sa cannon and instantly aroused all
Of the passengers. The widest
confusion followed, but the ships
officers acted with admirable pre-
sence of mind and soon restored order.
All hands were ordered on deck im-
mediately, but when it was found that
there was no danger of the ships going
right down, they we're ordered below
again, and coffee was served out to
them. In the first outburst Of excite
ment many Of the passengers left their
berihs with only their night-clothing
on, but afterward they were prevailed
on by the ships officers to return and
dress themselves.
The eight life-boats Of the Oregon
were launched with difficulty, but sue
cessfully, and as speedily as possible.
The transferring Of the passengers was
a slow as we'll as a difficult work, and
it occupied the three hours between s
and Il O'Clock. Captain Cottier and
DIR. Bendon were the last to leave the
ship. BY this time Pilot Boat
No. IL and the schooner Fannie A.
Gciham, Captain Mahoney, bound from
jacksonville to Boston, had come to
the rescue, and thepasseDgers and crew
were safely put on board of them. AT
1915 the steamship Fulda, of the North
German Lloyd, came up and took the
rescued people on board. Before that
time three steamships, one four.mas-
ter, were signalled for help by the Ore
gon, but they held on their way with
out making any sign of response.
The Oregon was struck on the port
side, near the foremost, and right under
the dining saloon. The entire space
between two Of the headlights was car
ried away, and, according to one Of the
passengers, the hole in her side was
large enough to drive a carriage and
horses into. She kept on her way to-
ward Fire island until the water rose
into her furnaces and put the fires out,
She sank at l:40 o'clock, her main.
mast, mizzenmast, and jigger remaining
visible. Her foremost went by the
board in the collision. Nothing was
saved except 60 out Of GO sacks of
mail matter. None of the passengers
saved any Of their baggage except such
things as they could carry in their hands.
THE oREGON's HISTORY.
The Oregon was built in 1889 for the
Guion Steamship Company by John
Elder & Co., at Goyan, near Glasgow,
Scotland. The Alaska and Arizona
had made their wonderfully fast re-
cords in crossing the Atlantic, and the
Oregon was companion vessel, built
to rival them in speed and eclipse them
il possible. She measured 1900 tons,
was $50 feet long, and had breadth
of beam Of 81 feet and depth Of hold
Of 400 feet. The hull was OF steel
and Of great strength, and was sepa.
rated into a number Of water
tight compartments. Her engines were
Of enormous power, their indicated
horsepower being upward Of $4,000.
They were Of the three cylinder type,
the high-pressure cylinder, which was
seventy inches in diameter, being placed
between the two low-pressure cylinders,
each of which had a diameter OF loi
inches. The piston stroke was six feet,
In constructing the shaft crucibie steel
only was used, and the two arms OF
each OF the cranks were formed sep
arately and shrunk" on to thu
straight shaft, by which method muct
of the danger Of flaws developing il
the metal was avoided. The shat
of the steamer was formed OF 10 dit
ferent parts. There were Q boilers
made entirely OF steel, each being l6
feet long and l6} feet in diameter
Each boiler was heated by s furnace
of corrugated iron. The boilers wer
tested at q pressure Of 220 pounds +
the square inch, but they were not re
auired to sustain force Of more tina
half that power. The consumption 0
240 tons Of coal q day was necessar
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