Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1886-11-08
WITH ALL ON BOARD.

| Hd1l d ull6 Oh Guo u6W lighthouse III NOW
Haven harbor, in which it is supposed at this
time of writing, 10 p. m, between twelve
and fifteen persons met with watery grave
on board the Inflated U. s. government rev.
enue cutter the Manhattan"
| The first news that the Manhattan had
foundered and all on board were lost was re-
ceived at the Office of Curtis F. Evarts at the
Steamboat dock between $50 and 10 O'Clock
yesterday morning, when Riley Smith, of
| West Haven. informed Mr.. Evarts that he
| had seen boat founder off the new eight. ~
Mr.. Smith described the circumstances to
Captain Evarts, who at once made up his
mind that it was the cutter Manhattan,
which had left the vicinity of the
Tomlinson bridge, where she had an
chored over night, about three-quarters
| of an hour before. Captain Evarts was sur
prised at the time that the stcutter'' should
| have ventured out as an unusually heavy
gale was blowing. Captain Evarts with all
| dispatch proceeded to make ready the tug
''Alert" of the Williams line and she steam
ed down the harbor with all possible speed.
| The tug met with great difficulty in her
speed as the sea was unusually rough and a
| the time she got anywhere near the spot
| where the cutter was seen to go down, there
| were no signs of anything to be seen except
the angry, raging waters. The Alert steam
ed out to about inside the breakwater for
a while trying to find any floating bodies, but
the quest was unsuccessful.
The tide at the time of the disaster was
almost high and was beginning to run out
and would naturally have taken all floating
objects outside into the Sound. The tug re-
turned to her dock soon after, as it was i'm
possible to remain in the vicinity of the dis
aster on account of the gale and the heavy
sea.
The story of how the Inflated Manhattan"
went down as learned from four eye-witnesses
who agree as to the main facts is as follows:
The cutter while going down the harbor
seemed to labor greatly and after reaching
endeavors to turn about. After getting out
side the breakwater to distance of what
seemed to be about three-quarters of a
mile, the cutter turned broadside, if to
return, shipped several seas and
all at once plunged forward and sank from
sight. The cutters smokestack was seen for
some minutes afterwards and then that,
too, disappeared. Those who saw the disas-
ter say there was no time to launch boat.
The Manhattan carried four of them.
A COURIER reporter on learning of the dis
aster early, at once proceeded to East Haven,
where it was thought the bodies of the crew
OF the wreckage would come ashore The
news of the disaster had spread along the
East Haven shore like wildfre and parties
were searching the beach for any vestiges
which might be beached. Elizur Thompson
of the old light was seen by the reporter.
He was up in the tower about $50 o'clock,
but didn't notice the cutter coming down the
harbor He said that the heaviest sea
he had seen for years was breaking
along the beach and it must have been terri
BILE in the vicinity of the breakwater. No
boat could have lived in the gale, said Mr.
Thompson. All hands must have gone down
before they knew what happened. Mr..
Thompson searched along the beach and
found few pieces of wreekage, one piece of
plank about seven feet in length with the
name Martin Flynn neatly painted on it. It
looked like deck board on cutter. The
tide was high at 1868 a. NJ, said he, and all
vestiges, if there were any, must have gone
into the Sound or in the vicinity of Branford
beach. There has been no communication
with the new light. My son, Henry G. Thomp-
son, is keeper there. It would be an impossi- |
bility for a boat to live in the heavy sea |
which had been breaking all day. There is |
about twenty-eight feet of water just this |
side of the light If she went down out |
side the heavy seas must have almost |
instantly swept away her smokestack The |
gale at the time was blowing from the south
west.
The cutter probably went down southeast |
Of Luddington's Rock buoy. A revenue cut
ter of the Manhattan's size generally carries /
about fifteen men for a crew. They probably |
all persisted. If any were able to get life |
preservers they would soon have died from /
exposure and exhaustion or being beaten to
death on the rocks.
Donald Mcdonald, residing in the vicinity |
Of South End, was told Of the disaster early |
in the afternoon. He aided in the search |
along the beach for bodies or wreckage. He |
seldom has witnessed SO heavy gale on the |
Sound.
James Smith, residing in East Haven, was
told of the disaster while in the city. He |
went to South End to aid in searching the |
beach. He was surprised that any boat of |
the Manhattans size should venture outside |
the breakwater in as heavy gale as was /
blowing at the time.
Minott Thompson was one of the party of |
searchers. He saw the cutter go down the |
harbor and feared for her safety.
George Smith, of South End, told the re- |
porter that he saw the enter go down. He |
said there was no possible way to save the |
crew. A boat of the size the cutter carried |
would have been swamped soon as /
she struck the water or else dashed |
to pieces on the breakwater. AS soon as she |
veered around she appeared to have been |
swamped almost instantly.
Small pieces of wreckage were picked up |
along the shore towards evening. The CoUR- |
TER reporter picked up new oil can half |
emptied of its contents with Engineer let |
tered on it. The can was found near the |
mouth of the East Haven river. A large |
quantity of watersoaked bread, biscuits and |
eggs were found along shore also.
Deeming that there was no possibility that |
any bodies would come ashore on the East |
Haven side the reporter proceeded to |
the West Haven shore, where he found more |
near Savin Rock, inclu ding pieces |
of timber which had been freshly splintered. |
finely finished on one side and vanished. |
They bore the appearance of deck plank. |
West Haveners were as greatly excited over
the disaster their East Haven brethren. |
The first to see the tug go down on the west |
shore were William Kane and John Sumner
of ]. & H. Smith. In conversation |
with a COURIER reporter Kane said: noticed |
the cutter coming down the harbor and at
first took her to be tugboat. / saw that
she was laboring very heavily and appeared
to be shipping water. She reached the break
gater and I then saw her stop
turn around and finally veered half way
round aud was then broadside to the sweep
of the waves. I rushed into Mr.. Smiths Of
fee and back to the point where I saw the
boat. but she had disappeared. At intervals
her smokestack could be seen Just peeping
of ]. & H. Smith of Oyster Point, said that
as soon as Mr.. Kane told him that a boat
was in distress he got his glass and could
just discern the smokestack OF the cutter.
He thought it very fooIhardy for anyone to
venture out into the Sound with such gale
blowing. Mr.. Smith thinks the cutter en-
deavored to turn back or else tried to make
for the shore when she shipped the heavy
seas and foundered.
John Sumner, resident of Oyster Point,
was standing on SmithBros. wharf; he noticed
the cutter coming down the harbor buffeting
with the gale. She appeared to have become
disabled just before laundering. He is pos
tive that he saw her careen over and then
go down.
Riley Smith, of Oyster Point, also saw the
steamer go down. He tried to get telephone
connection with Captain Evarts, of this city,
to have him dispatch tug to the rescue, but
failed. He then drove up to the city and
told the news of the disaster.
Captain Evarts said last night he had won
Il A. T. 4 q