The sun., 1890-04-20
A HOLE IN THE BIG PURITAN.
SHE MIS- MIDDLE GROUND ROCK IN
CLEAR DAHLIGH7.
TryinE to Avoid Running Down BOys In -
SniIbOat-Chwe Back TO Her Pier Unnid.
cd WITH Water Innide Her Outer Skin.

TryinE TO Avoid Running Down BOys In -
SnIIbOat-Cnwe Back TO Her Pier UnRid-
cd with water Inside Her Outer skin.
Tho Fail River steamboat Puritan, tho
biggest sidewheeler in commission, left her
pier foot OF Murray street, at O'Clock yestor-
day afternoon on her regular trip. Fifty-ilve
minutes later ater going through He'll Gate.
with tho band playing Annie Laurie" she
hit Middle Ground Rock. between the
Sunken Meadows and the Long Island
shore. Passengers differ in their ac-
count OF how she struck. Somo say It was
a long serape. others say it was two big bumps
on the port side. She careened to sterboard
for a moment rs she rodo over tho rock and
then she went 400 or 500 yards beyond. There
was little or no excitement among the 45S pas
sengers but there was good deal OF kicking
when the steamboat turned about TO return to
New York. The boat listed 20 port little from
taking water inside her outer skin on that side.
aud all hands hustled to remove freight ana
baggage to the starboard side She soon
righted.
Tho accident occurred while tho pilots, A.
Bradley and BENJAMIN Phillips, were trying to
avoid running into saiboat manned by
several boys. A tow was coming down the
river on one side and tho sailing vessel. a
small yacht. on the other The sailing vessel
ing head on TO the Puritan. The pilots sheered
of to avoid her, and the tide carried tho boat q
few yards further than they expected.
When the Puritan turned about. Ave or six
tugs came pulling up to her. But all offers OF
assistance were declined. and the Puritan
made her way slowly back to town. Coming
down the East liver several men stood at the
anchors. ready to drop them in case OF emer-
gency. In the East River tho Puritan met the
Eity Of Brockton OF the same line: which had
The Puritan reached her pier at As l.. NJ.
Her passengers were informed that they could
from the Grand Central Depot at II 25 /. NJ,
or could have their money refunded. About
was busy until nearly 10 o'clock rcfnHding
money to those who did not care to take the
trnin., The freight on the Puritan was trans
puritans passengers were eX-Gov. Rico OF
MASSACHUSETTS,. Gen. KinGsbury and Gen.
Capt. simmons and both. pilots were in the
not run on the rocks" said Capt. simmons TO q
par parallel % With them and and endeaVorne 10 pSea get
back into the centre Of the channel. after
the tremendous force Of the flood tide carried
us sidewiSe enough for US barely to, scrape the
FesR FSsk amdsHn the bn HG5t side sho md
OH T her side. and she could have. have
like wet paper. Our outer hull was broken in
this way. but know nothing about the extent
Of tho damage We can make no examination
until we get the boat into dry dock. Tho Puri-
tan. You know, Is ship within ship. We
have two iron hulls, one within tho other The
inner hull is not damaged, and there Is not
drop OF water inside tho ship itself. We might
have gone on to Fall River, bur We might have
been accused OF taking an unnecessary risk If
We hni done so. and so we returned and sent
the passengers to their destinations by rail
The point whero the mishap occurred is tho
most dangerous course
York thiough Long Island Sound. The chan
Is S Sny co s sna tHe nr
than Hell Gate. itself. where. tho channel is
crooked, but wider. Nothing has been done 10
though much money is still being spent at He'll
Gate; The buoy at tnat point is 40 or
Known Ge that for some S Tine The rock whieS ffes
We rubbed against is. according to the chart.
about eight feet below moan low water. 1t was
the tide had turned and was at Hood. running
very strong. Jud ge. then. that the damage is
and one .haf feet above our keel. for we
draw between l2', and l3 feet Of water.
l don't know how many of the compart-
meuts between tho two huls are open. There
are more than fifty such compartments and
they all might be filled and still The shin would
within the Inside hull Is divided also by live
wHter-tlght bulEheads. The compartments
between the huls are not Used for any purpose.
h los from the decks. We started stoam nump
Immediately after tho .cctd ent. and We have
been humping water from between the huls
ever since
"On the way back We stopped opposite the
big dry docks and sent u man ashore to mako
arrangements for docking the Puritan to-mor-
row. OF course cannot tell how long q time
will be required for repairs until the exact OK
tent OF damage has DeOn ascertained. Such
work upon iron is necessarily slow but | have
no doubt We snail DO all right again In few
days"
Capt. Draley tho First Pilot who was at the
wheel when the ship struck, gives substantially
the same version OF tho accident as Capt. Sim
mons There is really no room for the man
ipula,ion OF n boat Of the Purtan's size in that
channel" he said we we're running The en-
Of the tide. which was setting US siiewise
toward the rock. but We didn't succeed.
That is all there is to 1t. The sailboat was
tackinGi and, she was not sklllulIy managed.
1t was broad daylight and perfectly clear so
we knew Ju,t whore wo we're, and the channel
is quite familiar Wo We're simply unable to
overcome the adverse combination OF circum-
stances, found bya boat in the middle OF
channel Less than twice her own width with
tho added disadvantage OF a strong current
carrying US across our course"
THE CHICIGO STRJKR