St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-03-20
STORY OF THE OREGON
AS Told by Capt. Il. r. Huddleston,
Who Was a Passenger.
He Believes That Lives Were Lost on
the Wrecked Steamer.

Capt. T. r. Huddleston of Sank Centre,
passenger on the Inflated steamer Ore
gon, which went down near Fire Island
last Sunday. arrived at the Ryan yesterday.
Iii detailing his experience in that mishap
and incidentally criticising the officers of
the steamer for careleSSneSs he said, after
explaining that the Oregon left Liverpool
March and made the voyage without any
remarkable event save the self-destruction
OF an English minister by drowning:
We had charming tune OF it until Satu T.
day, March Is, whom fog set in ana for the
nrst time during the trip the fog horn was
sounded. The passengers, approaching the
fact that we were nearing the shore, were
uneasy, as they knew that there was good
deal Of danger from u collision with one OF the
many outgoing craft. The dense fog lasted
until O'Clock that night, when it cleared up.
The steamer stopped three times to take
soundipgs, as il was feared that she might be
running ashore. We were very near the New
England coast. After the fog cleared IL was
a beautiful moonlight and starlight night.
We expected TO arrive ut Sandy Hook early
the next morning. went TO sleep that night,
expecting TO wake up At Sandy Hook. 1 was
awGhSued by noise and shock as from the
dropping Of the anchor. Thinking that We
were TT Sandy Hook, turned over and took
Il
heard good many people running up and
down stairs ana ] also heard the donkey en-
CINE at work. slept until after T:l5 O'Clock
when heard some one near my state-room
say, Il want some brandy, I've got TO go down
to the pumps again"
jumped up and rushed TO my state-room
door, and, seeing my state-goom steward.
asked him what was the matter. He answered
by sayi ng: Have you been in your state
room all this time? Don't you know what's
happened? The ship is sinking. All the
passengers are on deck. Mako haste for
your liie."
got on my clothes and started for the dock.
l wasn't scared, because Knowing something
OF the Oregon's construction and her different
air compartments, 1 thought she couldn't
sink. When got on deck the steamer was
partly on her side, and by looking over her
side We could see two big holes in her hull
above the water line. The men went down
to stop the leaks and the vessel careene d over
and the holes went below the water. The
water poured in the holes III such volume
that 1t came near pulling in the men sent
down to repair it. There seemed 10 be no
way of stopping the leak. / found that the
fires in the engine room were ali out.
THE STEAMER HAD BEEN RUN.
after the collision, until the fires had been
extinguished. 1t was headed for Sandy
Hook instead of running for the New England
coast where tho vessel could have been
beached. No examination os the leak had
been made. The vessel had been going for
an hour and half after the collision. Her
fires were out and the vessel was at the mercy
of the waves, with Fire Island IN sight. a
steamer had just passed US without noticing
our signals of distress and another was com
ing into sight. Roman candles and a cannon
were fired out, but the vessel steamed away,
not understanding our signals.
Pilot boat No. ii made its appearance. Our
life-boats had been lowered, ready 10 drop
from davitts; when the pilot boat got near US
there was great rush by the iremen Of the
steamer and other men for possession of
them. The officers and good many of the
crew were doing all they could TO prevent the
fremen from taking the boats reserved for
women and children. l saw an officer strike
a fireman on the head with a Ratchet. The
boats were half filed with the 1remen and
other men before the women and children
were allowed to get in. good many of the
children were thrown IN aud caught by the
sailors in the life-boats and the women had
TO slide down ropes, several of Thorn going
into tho water. They were rescued. The
pilot boat stood of so far from the steamer
that it took very long time to make u trip
between the two with the nfe-bOats. heard
the captain say, "Why dou't you come
nearer" speaking to the pilot boat, ''you will
be responsible for some OF these lives"
The women and children were transferred
when the schooner Fannie Gorhau came i'm
sight and the 4O0 msle passengers were taken
on board, to be, in time. transferred to the
German Lloyd steamer FuldA which hove in
sight shortly afterwards. About this time
the Oregon went down head first. her stern
rising way up in the air, then she settled
b sck and went straight down.
don't believe that all the passengers were
saved. The roll was never called. A friend
of mine, Mr.. PadeY OF Lincoln, England, was
never called. He. on hearing the noise,
about ten minutes before got up on deck,
and that was 7:15 O'Clock (the accident taking
place at twenty minutes TO O'clock, rushed
out OF his stateroom to inquire what was the
matter. He met q man with life preserver
On, who said the steamer was sinking. He
rushed back, called his companion and sew
eral neighbors. At that time the water-tIght
compartment on one side of him was clos. 4
and the other nearly so. l saw a man 40
down the ropes who / don't believe
ever got in the boat although I would
not like to swear TO il. / saw
the clothes, which L suppose the man had on,
or must have fallen fro N him, fall into the
water and go under the vessel. And Mr.
Padley believes that he saw another man go
over on the other side of the boat and dis
appear. There was great carelessness on
the part or the officers in running the ship at
such
FEARFUL RATE OF SPEED
when she was nearing the shore, with only
one or two officers and men on lookout IL
Capt. Cottur and First Officer Mathews had
only taken half the care before the accident
to look out for the schooner-which had the
right of way and for which the Oregan should
nave got out of the way-that they did after
1t, In assuring the passengers that there was
no danger, the accid ent never would have
happened.
If they had run her ashore on the New En-
gland coast, everything would have been
saved, as there was no wind and no sea rag
Ing. If the officers had made an examination
right after the accident, q different course
might have been pursued. The members of
the crew saw red light from the unknown
barge and so reported it. Some of the pas
sensers say they saw red light, although
Capt. Cottur says he never saw ANYTHING but
white light, and as soon as il was visible
efforts were made to avoid a collision
The Oregon was selected as a cruiser nv the
English government in anticipation OF a con-
hict with Russia, and was so fitted out. The
fact that the noble craft should come to snch
an end-run down by coal barge-shows