Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1888-07-26
RUN DOWN AND SUNK.

Fishing Schooner Reported to Have
Been Run Down and Sunk by the Steam
ship Fu1da, During q Heavy Fog, on the
Banks of Newfoundland-Au Hands Sup
posed to be Lost.
NEW YORK, July 19.-The North Ger
man Lloyd steamship Fulda, which ar
rived Tuesday from Bremen, ran down an
unknown fishing schooner on the banks
Of Newfoundland last Saturday morning.
A dense fog prevailed at the time, and
the schooner disappeared astern almost
Immediately after the collision. Boats
put out in search of her, but she was
not found it is feared that she was lost
with all hands. Captain Ringk OF the
Fulda and his officers say that they were
taking all the precautions usual in foggy
weather when the schooner was run
down. Early Saturday morning, when
it became very toggy, several fish
ing vessels were seen, ands
it was supposed that there were others at
anchor in the neighborhood. The steam
er then proceeded at half speed, and
sounded her fog whistles at regular in
tervals. The men on lookout were in
structed to keep careful watch for fish,
ing craft. At half-past nine O'Clock the
outlines OF fishing schooner suddenly
appeared in the fog directly ahead. The
schooner was instantly reported to the
officer in charge of the watch, but before
helm. or the engines could be reversed,
the Fulda was upon the fishing vessel.
The latter, with some sixteen dories near
her, lay at anchor with her sails furled,
and with her bows toward the steamship.
A man on her deck was trantically blow
ing a fog horn. Another man was yell
ing down into the cabin to warn the crew
of their danger. In an instant, several
men sprang from the door of the compan-
4 - -. 49,, Sd
ner at the huge bows of the great steam
ship.
An instant later there was a crash.
The schooner's bowsprit was snapped off
and the vessel was thrown violently to
one side. Her entire crew, which ap-
pearod to number about twenty men,
were on deck, clinging to the rigging.
One man, wearing red cap, cried out.
''Holy Marie'', and then, springing from
the deck of the schooner, caught the side
of the Fulda, up which he attempted to
crawl. An instant later he relaxed his
hold and fell back upon the deck OF the
schooner. The Fulda passed on, although
her engines had been reversed, and a
heavy wave swept over the schooner.
The majority of her crew, uttering cries
for helpS sprang into the rigging. Their
vessel seemed, to those on the steamer,
to be sinking lower into the water.
<1S SOOA pOSSIO1Cy lhC put
about and boats were cleared away and
lowered into the water. For nearly an
hour the boats CROPPED about in the fog.
The passengers, many of whom had been
Mortified witnesses of the disaster,
watched hopefully for the rescue of the
fishermen, but no traces of ths schooner
of the twenty men belonging to her were
found. At length the boats returned to
the steamer, which slowly proceeded on
hnr nSf al ha V
a French fisherman. A few of the pas
sengers expressed the hope that some of
the fishermen might have been saved by
other vessels, but the officers of the Fulda
did not seem to believe that any of the
men had been rescued.
Gustav H. Schwab, gentleman of the
North German Lloyd line in this city,
says that the report of the collision on
Saturday morning off the Banks of New
foundland between the steamer Fulda
and an unknown fishing schooner, was
grossly exaggerated. Captain Ringk
made a report of the accident, stating
that his vessel struck the schooner in a
dense fog, carrying away her bowsprit.
This was all the damage done, the Cap
tain states, and the hull was not touched.
Passengers on deck of the steamer at the
time grew excited and threw number of
life preservers overheard, but this pre-
caution was unne cessary. The cause of
the accident, according to the Captains
statement, was the neglect Of the fisher
man to sound its bells during the fog.