The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-03-16
THE LOSS OF THE OREGON.
heStatements Madeby the Captain an
First officer of the Big Steamer.
The Latter Supposed the Approaching Vessel
Was ot-Boat-Total Disappearance of
the Schooner and Her Crew.

NEW YORK, March I5-Wllliam Taylor, third
officer of the steamer Oregon, arrived at Hun
ters Point from Moriches at Ii o'clock. To
reporter of the Associated Press he said he must
decline to make any statement. as he had been
instructed by Vernon Ell Brown not to give any
particulars of the collision or sinking of the
vessel to the press He then left for New York.
Captain Thuroer, of Life-saving Station No. l6,
said that nothing could be seen this morning OF
the sunken steamer or of the schooner that is
supposed to have collided with her.
Pilot Russell, of piot-boat No. Edmund
Blunt-reports having taken off from Philadel
phia whaler Pilot Joe Parker, the chief officer,
and three men of the steamship Oregon. They
had been twenty-four hours in an open boat
with two barrels of crackers and water when
rescued by the schooner. They came up to the
city this morning the tug-boat F. w. Vos-
burg. Pilot boat No. 1.-THE Phanton-passed
Sandy Hook about 10 o'clock this morning, hav
ing in tow Eve six large boats, probably those
belonging to the Oregon.
Captain Cottier, of the Oregon. gives the
following account of the Disaster 'The
Oregon left Liverpool at 10 o'clock on
Saturday morning of last week. We had
fine weather all the way across, and the
weather was clear at 4:30 o'clock Sunday morn
ing, with fresh breeze from the west, when
sailing vessel suddenly doomed up. When first
noticed, she showed no light, but. when she was
too close to clear, she showed white light,
cannot say on what part of her. The Oregon
was running under full head of steam. The
vessel struck US anldships and stove big hole
in the pert side All the water-tight compart.
ments were closed at the time. The Oregon
went down about 1915 She foated for about
eight hours after she struck, and now lies in
twenty-five fathoms of water, north half west
from Watch Hill, Long Island The tops Of her
three masts are visible above the water, and the
vessel is upright She went down head first
We worked from the moment of the collision as
if We expected her to sink. did not believe she
was going to- sink. We took extreme
might The Ws worked Of .ns@
of course, aud to their full capacity, but they
had no chance against the mass Of water which
eventually carried her down: The usual watch
was on DECK a. the time .. ..s ac1.s-."t ana no
i time was lost in awakening the passengers. Few
of them heard or felt the shock, as all were in
bed at tho time. Soon after the accident occur
red, steamer passed us-a Natio nal boat,
think-but went on. The vessel that ran into
US must have sunk Immediately, as when we
| looked she was not in sight. She must have
| gone down with all on board When found
| that the vessel was sinking took the necessary
| steps to save our passengers We first sent up
rockets as signals of distress, then the boats
| were lowered, but before O'clock pilot boat
| No. IL hove in sight. She came up to us be-
| tween and s o'clock, and two hours later the
| schooner Fannie A. Gorham, of Belfast, hove to-
| The passengers and crew Of the Oregon were
| transferred to the pilot boat, and the schooner
| and our own boats -Four hundred were placed
on board the pilotboat, and the balance about
| 500 on board the schooner. All the passengers
were transferred by IL o'clock. The steamship
Fulda, of the North German line. hove in sight
about noon, or q little before She was within
| half mile of the Oregon when the latter sunk
| There were no scenes on board the Oregon /
| never expected to see such an affair 60 off 80
| easily"
Captain Cottier made only verbal statement
| this afternoon to the British consul. The Cap
tain said that the course of the Oregon was north
| by west when light was seer off the port bow.
The steamer, when struck was going eighteen
knots per hour, and the helm was put hard
| aport Chief Officer Matthews was in charge,
and there were lookouts in the forecastle and at
| the foremost. The wind was west by north,
with fresh southern breeze. He could have
rescued every soul on board the Oregon with the
| boats she carried. The consul has decided to
send the case to England for investigation, and
there the captain will make full report
Chief Officer w. G. Matthews to-day. at the
| shipping Office of the company, in the presence
| of Agent Brown made this statement: / went
| on watch at o'clock Sunday. morning. 1t was
dark but the weather was tolerably clear. 1t
was starlight. Daylight had begun to break
| There were three men on the lookout. also. two
on the turtle-back forward and one on the fore
keep lookout and pass any word from the other
men,. The collision occurred at about 4:30 A. NJ
The first intimation l had of the proximity of
the schooner was when bright light was shown
on the port bow. The light appeared to be a
bright light held up at the time and then 10
darkened again, so much that ] took it to be a
pilot boat, and, knowing that were not going to
take pilot until getting up to the bar, put the
helm hard aport to bring her more broad in the
bow A pilot-boat. while cruising only
carries white light at the masthead l
assume the light l saw to have been
| held by man standing on the schooner
deck The fourth officer and myself saw it to.
gether: The lookout men say they reported it,
but did not hear them. We probably all saw
| it together There were no other lights on the
| schooner, and for that reason concluded she was
pilotboa with her masthead light The
schooner had no lights, and it looked to me as
though some one on the deck of tho schooner
grabbed the first light at hand and held it up I
| cannot say how far the white light was away
when / saw it, but I had no idea of
a collision. When 1 put the helm aport,
course, nor had she when the collision
occurred. 1t was almost instantaneous. Icould
not see the sails or masts Of the schooner until
she was on the point of striking us When /
first saw the light had no idea of collision
and from the light saw could form no idea in
which direction the schooner was moving. She
looked like large schooner. but could not tell
| how many masts she had. for the collision took
| place as first noticed the schooner. She struck
us a few feet forward Of the bridge.
| 1t was a dead blow. but the steamer
| did not careen. After she struck as, ordered
| the engines stopped at once. The Oregon was
| coming around all the time, and we tried to see
what became Of the schooner, but we could not
see her anywhere. The captain came on the
| bridge as soon as he heard the engines
| stop. Immediately after the collision,
word was passed that the ship was
| making water. Meanwhile I looked around
but could not see the schooner. All was still
| If she was afoat, she would have been on the
stern of our steamer, and could have seen her.
heard no cries. and no communication passed
between us. We made for the spot where she
ought to have been, but did net sight her. AT
the time OF collision there were no passengers on
deck. have been in the Cunard service eleven
years, and on vessels approaching the size of the