The Indianapolis journal., 1886-03-15
LOSS OF An OCEAN STEAMER.
The Fleet and Magnificent Oregon Sunk
by Collision with a Schooner.
The Passengers and Crew, About 500 in Num-
Der, Transferred to the Steamer Fulda
Without the Loss of Single Life.

NEW YORK. March l4--The German steam
| ship Fulda, Captain Ringk, from Bremen, which
| arrived at the baS at 5:25 p NJ to-day, reports
Stopped off Fire island. March L. at 1915 P.
NJ. in order to take up the passengers and crew
of the Oregon, and anchored at the bar off
Sahdy Hook on account of low water at 6:25 P.
NJ, the same day. The saved of the Oregon are
178 first cabin, 66 second and 389 steerage pas
sengers, and 205 crew The steamer Oregon
collided with an unknown deep-laden three
masred schooner on the 14th instant at 4:30 "A.
NJ, when between Fire-island light and Shinn-
cook, tearing large hole in her side under wa
ter"
Captain Cottier, of the Oregon, below,
the chief officer being in charge on the bridge.
One of the passengers states that the hole was
SO large that one could drive horse and wagon
through it; also, that when the YES
sci collided, it sounded like the report
of an ordinary cannon The boats were.
after some difficulty, manned and lowered into
the water. The ladies were first got into the
boats and transferred to pilot-boat No. IL and
the schooner Fannie Gamm, from Jacksonville,
for Boston From s to IL the work of trans
ferring the passengers was proceeded with. All
lost At 1915 P. NJ. they were all safely trans
ferred again to the steamer Fulda which, owing
to the state of the tide was obliged to anchor at
Sandy Hook at 625 p NJ. Captain Cottier was
the last man to leave the ship.
The tugboat Fletcher, which went down after
the mail, arrived at the Cunard pier at 1l:40 P.
NJ w. g. Thway, the United States inspector,
who had charge of the mail, said that he only
succeeded in recovering sixty-nine of the more
than six hundred bags which were on board
when the collision occurred. He added that he
was able to learn little about the collision. ex-
cept that the steamship was run into by an un-
known schooner. None of the baggage, he said,
was saved
The Trbune's account says: ssThe shock of
the collision Immediately awoke the sleeping
passengers and that portion of the crew who
were having their watch below. The passengers
at first were thrown into great confusion, but
the calmness of the officers and the
fact that the day was just beginning to
break over tranquil sea. reassured them. At
the time the collision took place pilot-boat No.
ii was about to put pilot on board, and the
schooner Fannie A. Gorham, of Boston. was
passing near These Immediately bore down to
the scene, and lay by, ready to offer assistance.
An examination of the Oregon showed that
she had two holes in her port side be-
low the water line, as if the schooner had
rebounded from the first blow and then struck
a
the leaks were unavaing. and the great steamer
began to settle in the water The boats had
been lowered when the accident first occurred.
lt was evident that the Oregon would keep adoat
for some hours, but that it would be impossible
to bring her into port The work of ferrying the
passengers to the waiting schooner and pilot boat
was begun at once. The women and children
went first, the captain leaving the ship last. 1t
was eight hours from the time of the collision to
the time when the caption of the Oregon reached
the deck of the pilot-boat. The Oregon had set
tied low in the water, and soon after the captain
had gained the pilot-boat he saw his magnificent
ship go down before his eyes"
The Oregon filled rapidly and went down
head first in about twelve fathoms
of water. The upper parts, main, mizzen
and jlgger masts remain above water. The
schooner that the Oregon crashed into was seen
in the wake of the steamship for moment after
the colision-her bow and all her head gear
wrecked Then she disappeared 1t is supposed
she sunk, andsthat all her people were lost
One of the passengers on the Oregon whose
room adjoined the main room, heard all hands
ordered below to get coffee few minute before
the collision When the shock occurred the
crew was ordered on deck again. He ran
on deck in his night clothes. Women and men
were running wildly about. The officers and the
captain behaved spendidly. Nobody seemed 20
be injured The sea at the time of the collision
was smooth ballroom floor, and the sky was
clear. The wreck of the Oregon is about FIVE
miles from land, and within sixteen miles of the
Fireisland lights
1.-THE steamer Oregon was built by John Elder
g. Co., at Glasgow, for the Guion line. and was
launched June q, 1888 She arrived here on her
trial trip on Oct. A. 1888 making the run from
Queenstown to New York in seven days eight
hours and thirty minutes. At that time she was
the most magnificent, most powerful and fastest
of the transatlantic vessels, with the exception
of the Etruria. of the same line She retained
record for the fastest speed. In August, 1884
she made the from Queenstown to New
Vop1 civ dow nina o,,A for
utes, this being nearly twenty four hours shorter
than her first trip and the fastest time
on record. On her return trip to Queens
town she made the run in six days, eleven
Oregon were: 520 feet in length, 54 feet
breadth of beam, and 40 feet in depth. She was
built of iron, with transverse water-tight bulk
heads. iron decks, and a strong turtle back
deck forward and aft as protection from heavy
seas. She was fitted to accommodate $40 saloon
92 second cabin, and 1000 steerage passengers |
The fittings of the Oregon were unusually fine
The grand saloon, capable of dining the whole of
the $40 cabin passengers. was placed IL the fore
part 1f tns eos TRa aba en laid with
tions almost exclusively confined to
white and gold. The panels were of polished
satinwood the pilasters of walnut, with gilt
capitals. The saloon measured 65 Dy 54 feet |
and was feet in height in the lowest part A |
central cupola of handsome design, 25 feet long
and Is feet wide, TO a height of 20 feet and
gave abundant light and ventilation. The state
rooms were neatly fitted for only two passengers
most desirable arrangement that was appre-
cated by travellers The ladies' drawing room
was on the upper deck, and this deck extended
nearly the entire length and breadth of the
vessel. The smoking-room was also on the upper |
deck. forward of the entrance to the saloon and
the ship, throughout, was lighted by the Edi-
son incandescent electric lights. The most
striking feature of the vessel was its enormous
steaming power. The engines were simple in
construction and represented capacity greater
than any before put OH an ocean steamship
Her boiler power was correspondingIy large, as
may be realized from the fact that she burned
more than 300 tons of coal in each twenty four
hours The Oregon had only been running about
year when, by shrewd on the part of
the Cunard line managers, they secured the