New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-04-07
WHY SHE LEFT THE PARIS.
THE ApR1ATIC's CAPTAIN EXPLAINS.
nv nrx,rs THAT HE REFUSED TO TAKE TIL
DISTRESSED PASSENGERS BACK TO
or-rrNSTOWN.
QUEENSTOWN.

Tho accident to the City Of Paris and the re-
u.r,od abandonment of her IN dire dis'ress py .ne
po,"u @ co. liner Adriatic created considerable
discussion last week, ana cause' '"' "ii''"' VI
ui'ou'. ..- yessel at this port to be watched for
inc i"' interest She was expected on
.~s., WV" morning. but the heavy weather she eX-
o"'u'. ".S throughout the voyage caused her TO be
..,t fortveight hours overdue. A large crowd
.,. bunr around the White Star wharf all
- ss,srdav awaiting her arrival but 1t was
""s Til noon that she was reported as having
nv .;rhted at Fire Island. At o'clock she
'.s.rsd into the harbor, and the gangways were
sooner securely fastened than j. Bruce lsmay,
~. New-York manager of the line, and an army
NJ reporters swarmed on deck.
Cantain Roberts the genial, weather-beaten
stnner of the Adriatc, after having seen that
Tho work of dscmbarking the passengers was
beinr properly attended to, received Mr. lsmay
and the reporters in his chart-room
81 expected to see you aboard the moment we
oot into mort" he said addressing the reporters
"as know how hungry for news the people OF
Ncw-York City are. You have come TO inquire
about the City of Paris accident. Now. what Is
said about it here? ] have been al sea, you
know. out of the world, as it were
The reporters briefly related the circumstances
NJ the case as they were telegraphcd across from
Queenstown and published here.
"Well.n replied the captain, that report Is
very misleading, and it is not true III Is aosuro
N imagine that a White Star boat would ever pass
v.ssel in distress whether she belonged TO rival
limo or not. There must be. and there is, strong
sensc Of the weight of the claims OF humanity al
Goa as no sailor knows when he may himself be IN
need of assistance. / think the story 'hat
deliberately steamed after having seen inc
SIGNALS of the City of Paris was tclegraphed 10
Ncw-York with some other object than that OF
giving people the facts of the case. The true
version of the matter is this: AT about half-pas'
I in the morning of the 2sth of March. III latitude
5l:ls, longitude IL 3s. the officer on the bridge
.enorted that he observed signals of distress.
stopped the engines, and we found that the
signals came from boat belonging to the City
OF Paris.
The boat was in charge of the chief officer, who
when he got alongside said that there was some
thing wrong in the engine room of his vessel.
He did not exactly know what it was. II was
believed that either the crank shaft had broken
or that one of the cylinders had exploded. and
the piston-rod had beaten a hole in the compart-
ment lie said that Captain Watkins, Of the City
of Paris, wished to be towed into Queenstown.
declined to tow the vessel. put
said that l perfectly willing I"
render all other assistance possible
and if there was any danger | would take OF the
Just then another steamer, bound westward
hove in sight. thought this was the City OF
Chester, OF the lnman Line, which left Queens
town Immediately after the Adrlatlc. az once
gave orders for the discharge OF rockets at inter
walls, in order to intercept the other VesSeI ana
place bcr in comm uncation with the CITY oi Paris
In the meantime the boat drftcd between the
two ships which were about four miles distant
from one another The steamer. however. did lot
answer our signals, but kept right on her course.
I do not know exactly what vessel 1t was, put
it seems probable that it the City OF chester.
which was docked yesterday. ne o'nccr ol ule
City of Paris then came on board ana again pre-
fcrred his request tod hlm tnal was mi'ImS hu,
! would not undertake 10 tow the vessel u
Queenstown. -. ,,,a
Il asked hin 20 go back with us, and wonid
do all possible He declined to do this, ana sald
he would make for the land. This was aDou'
q o'clock. The Adriatic was then steamlng TO-
ward the City of Paris. We then sighted o
steamer bound east. which proved to be the
Aldersgate OF London, from Galveston for Liver,
pool. / signalled her, and dispatched my chef
officer in a boat to go board and osk the cap
tan ia Paris ii ne Snd WDI take the people off her,
lie consented to this. and we then proceeded
in company in case any sudden emergency sn1ul"
require us both then signalled captain vat @
kins and told him that the .ildersgate was will
ing to take him in tow, and that l would takc
his passengers of and leave them at Queenstown
] did not say I would take them on to New
York That is a misre presentation.
If | had thought there was any danger or
the vessel sinking / should certainly have dis
pcnsed with all formalfy and assisted the Aders-
nrate in towing her into Queenstown. But ] under
stood that the damage was not really serions, and
that there was no danger apprehcnded. The sea
was quite calm at the time There was slight
swell on hut nothing TO create any fear Cap
tain Watkins evidently was not concerned on
account of any immediate danger for his pasScn
Shin. for. after had placed him in communca-
ton with the Alderseate and he understood that
she would take his ship in tow. he signaed TO
me Thanks. Go ahead
The Adriatic steamed alongside for some min
utes later, and then everything being apparently
satisfactory. proceeded on our voyage, leaving
the two ships in company. That is what actually
happened. and ! am going 70 send report 10
that effect to Isnay. Imrie q Co. the agents in
London"