Evening journal., 1890-05-21
ONE CEsT.
1T WAS A CLOSE SHAVE.
The Beacon Light Crashes
Into an Iceberg. i
FIFTY TONS OF ICE CAME ABOARD.

FIFTY lDNS OF ICE CAME ABOARD.
The Dig Tnni Steamers Powerful Search
Light Did Not wasn Her. So Dense
Was tho Foe-For an Instant Death
Stared Them In the Face.
NEW YonK, May 2i.--In fog so dense
that her big electric search light failed to
penetrate it more than one-fourth OF "A
ships length the new tank steamer Beacon
Light crashed into an immense iceberg on
the edge Of the Great Banks Just after
midnight on May a. The steamer was
steering due west, fully $40 miles east Of
Nova Scotia, at the time Of the collision.
Had she struck it fairly and at full speed
she would never have been heard Of again.
AS it was she had a narrow escape, and ID
was the coolness Of Capt. Elliott and Chief
Officer Chase that saved her from instant
and utter humiliation. Her pumps were
running when she reached Sandy Hook
late on Monday night. There were several
ugly punetures in her bottom, and a big
hole over ten feet square was knocked into
her forecastle deck on the starboard side.
the TANKS saved Her.
Part Of the starboard railing had been
torn away, and between decks the stout
iron supports had been bent by the huge
cakes of ice which had tumbled from the
berg into the water to come up under the
vessel like the recoil of gun. The Beacon
Light steamed through the Narrows yester-
day, anchorinR Off Robbins reef and her
captains and officers related their thrilling
experience. The Beacon Light left New
castle, England, for this port on her maiden
voyage on May 3, with 2500 tons Of water
ballast, wi Mch filed several Of her tanks.
Other tank were left empty, fact for
which Capt. Elliott was subsequently su-
premeay thankful.
''Tccbergi" Yelled the Lookout.
On the afternoon OF May IS the Beacon
Light poked her nose into fog bank and
the engines were reduced to three-quartera
and then to half speed, or about six knots
an hour. AS night closed In the fog grew
thicker and a watchful lookout was posted
ON the forocastle head, while an immense
search light with powerful retlectors was
hoisted twenty feet above the deck on the
foremast. This made the darkness beyond
its reach more dense than before.
At twenty minutes past midnight the
lookout suddenly shouted '14ight ahead,
sir dead aheadi' Then, as he caught sight
Of the cleaning mass Of ice towering high
above the vessel, not seventy-five feet
away, he yelled "Icebergln with all the
strength Of his lungs, and then turned and
ran aft
like Huge white Cloud.
At that moment Capt Elliott and Chief
| Officer Chase, who were both on the "flyA
ing bridge" structure above the bridge
| in front Of the pilot house, saw the immense
berg with its two snowy peaks in the full
glare Of the electric light Officer Chase
said il looked like huge white cloud It's
eastern peak rose sheer ninety feet ont Of
| the water above the foremast Of the Beacon
| Light, which was not fifty feet away and
rushing head on 70 certain destruction.
There was a second peak, west of the first,
and the whole mass was fully 800 feet long.
Hard a starboard, over with her quick"
said the captain. The wheelman obeyed,
not q moment TO soon while Officer Chase
shouted down the tube TO shut off steam.
fifty Tons Of Toe Came Aboard.
The vessel swung rapidly to port, but did
not clear The bluff OF her starboard bow
struck the berg just opposite an enormous
overhanging ledge and in moment fifty
tons Of ice came crashing down on the fore
castle head. Some OF the blocks, the officers
said, were fully eight cubic feet in size, and
other and larger masses struck the water
| alongside the steamer and sinking came
up under her like so many hammers, knock
| ing several holes in her bottom amidships
and aft Of that point. and lifting her ten
feet above her water line. The force Of
these blows bent her iron stanchions be-
tween decks, while the shock burst the
| longitudinal bulkheads in the tanks, caus-
ing the water to rush from port to star
board, which, with the immense weight in
her forecastle, sent the vessel on her beam
ends and nearly capsized her
Her engines were going astern, however.
and she had backed away from the berg.
| The ice slid off into the sea and the vessel
Hghted. The hiss Of escaping air from one
| OF the empty tanks was heard and Capt.
Elliott imme diately shut ali the cocks and
screwed in the plugs Then he sounded
the other empty tanks and found no water.
None Of the crew Of twenty eight men
were injured. Capt. Elliott said there was
no change in the atmosphere to warn him
OF icn, and the water temperature at mid.
night was "a degs. There was hardly any
wind and the sea was calm. The Beacon,
Light was built at Newcastle-on-Isyne
She registers 2l07 gross tons, is 382 feet
long, 20 feet beam and % feet deep. She,
j. owned by the Stuart Oil company, OF
Liverpool.