, 1888-11-13
A COLLISION AT SEA.
A Cunard Steamer Run Into by
a French Vessel.
The Former Vessel Receives
But Slight Injuries.
Loss of the French Steamer in
Sight of Land.
Two Vessels Collide.

-ON @-S
steamer Umbria collided with the Fabre
steamer Iberia about four miles off the
Long Beach hotel, Just beyond Rockaway,
on Saturday afternoon. The Iberia was
badly damaged, having her whole stern
cut off, and the Umbria, after taking off
the crew of thirty men and laying by the
injured ship all night, came up to the dock
for repairs this morning at IL o'clock.
When she left the Iberia the latter was
sinking badly at the stern and looked as if
she would go to the bottom before noon.
The Umbria was but slightly injured and
came back to her dock merely as a pre-
%cautionary measure. According to the
agent of the line, Vernon III. Brown, all
the mark she bore of the ugly wound she
gave the Iberia was a ragged edged hole
in the bulkhead, in its largest dimensions
about 6x3 feet. The hole is just abaft the
extreme bow and at its lowest point about
five feet above water line. This is on the
starboard side. A small hole was also
punched in the plate on the port side
directly opposite.
The Cunard people tell the following
story: The Umbria left her dock on Sat
urday morning at l0:45 o'clock with 2l5
cabin passengers, sixty-seven intermediate
passengers and 429 steerage. Sandy Hook
was reached at 1912 p. m. and the pilot
left at 1890 without an incident. The
weather was hazy and was growing thicker
all the time. At 1:l0 the ship was slowed
down on account of the thick fog. About
five minutes later a steam whistle was
heard on what appeared to be the star
board bow. Capt. McKicken was on the
bridge. AS the whistle seemed to be
growing nearer the engines were stopped
altogether. Almost the next moment the
strange steamer was seen directly across
the bows ahead, pointing to the north
ward. The Umbria's engine was imme-
diately reversed at full speed, but hat did
not prove enough to neutralize her head
way and the Umbria struck the stranger
on the port quarter, carrying away a por-
ton OF her stern.
Orders were Immediately given to lower
the boats and make an examination of the
Umbria, which was done. with the result
as given already. The two steamers
drifted apart and lost trace of each other
for fully twenty minutes. Shortly after
getting nearer the first officer Of the Grip
pied steamer got aboard. His name is
OulhOI' liz SdIu GuC uduuC VI LIS sup
was the Iberia of the Fabre line. The
Iberia had sailed from the Persian gulf
on Sept. p, with a cargo of dried fruit.
hides. coffee, etc. There were thirty men
in the crew all told, inclusive Of the off
GERS. The Iberia had met with an acct
dent to her machinery, and had been lay
ing to making repairs for about thirty
hours. She had Just got under way when
the accident occurred. The Iberia was a
steamer of about 1000 tons register S1d
belongs in Marseilles, France.
Being in the middle of the day there
was great excitement among the passen-
gers on the Umbria. The blowing ofthe
whistle of the strange steamer had put
everybody on the qui vive to see whence
the sounds came, and when the Iberia
doomed out of the fog the excitement
grew intense among the 700 passengers.
Men were at once put to work repairing
the damage to the Cunarder. 1t was an
all nights job. A plate of steel five
eighths OF an inch thick will be placed
over the hole, which will be filed with
concrete, making the steamer as strong as
ever.
HIGHLANDS, n. j., Nov. l2.-1hough
the steamer iberia, which collided with
the Umbria, could be plainly seen from
here yesterday as she lay off Long Island
shore, nothing can be seen of her to day.
1t is thought she has sunk.
New YORK, Nov. ia pilot boat
reports that the Iberia sunk last evening
off Rockaway beach.