The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1892-08-13
The Iron Steamboat Strikes
a snag Off Coney
Island.
WATER FLOODS HER HOLD
After Landing Passengers She Is
Beached to Save Her From
Sinking in Deep Water.


Island, just inside of Norton's Point, with
big hole in her starboard a few feet for
ward of the paddlebox.
She struck a snag on her trip to the Iron
Pier early last evening as she was pass
| ing the bell buoy. which is about opposite
the old West End resort. Her hull was
knocked in and two of the forward COM
partments flooded.
What the nature of the obstruction was
has not yet been ascertained. but the
shock was enough to create a panic
among the 200 passengers on board the
Cepheus, and for a time the situation ap-
peared to be very serious.
The force of the blow sent the nose OF
the steamboat towards the beach, and as
she ran considerable distance
before the engines were stopped,
her keel Scraped along the
sandy bottom in the shallow water.
When the steamboat was finally brought
to a standstill she began rocking to and
fro in the heavy ground swell.
The passengers were greatly frightened
and there was an exciting rush for life
Dreservers. Women screamed and chill
dren began. crying, and the men were
scrambling about in search of preserv-
ers. expecting every moment that the
steamer would topple over and dump
them all into the surf. They had also
been pretty well shaken up by the shock.
PANIC-sTRICKEN PASSENGERS.
few cool-headed ones tried to per
suade their excited and panic stricken
fellow passengers that the danger would
not be great, as they We're only short
distance from shore, and Capt. Charles
A. Pearce did his best to reassure them,
with but little success. for half of them
were frightened out of their wits, and
the women especially were terror-stricken
and clung frantically to their husbands
and friends.
All this happened in moment, but as
soon as the pilot had time to collect his
senses he sounded the signal TO reverse
the engines. AS the big wheels began
TO revolve there was q straining and
creaking, and in few moments the
steamer began to move slowly. Then
she slid backwards and was in deep water
again.
She Immediately righted and apparent
ly was none the worse for the accident
No time was spent ia making an investi-
gatlon, but Captain Pearce made at ouce
for the Iron Pier in order to get his pas.
sengers ashore as soon as possible
He was none too prompt in his action,
for on the way 30 the pier the steamer
began to list heavily TO starboard, and it
was found that she was leaking badly.
Several OF the compartments were re-
ported to be rapidly filling with water.
ALL SAFELY LANDED.
Within ten minutes after the accident
the Cepheus was made last to the pier
and the frightened passengers hurried
ashore. thankful to have escaped with
their lives. They fortunately did not
know that the Cepheus mad been stove in
and was leaking, or they would have been
still more alarmed.
A hasty examination at the pier showed
q hiCr hnln in fhn 1c H.
some distance below the water line. ~
Two of the starboard compartments had
already filled, and it was feared that if
she lay longer in the heavy swell of the
sea more damage would be done. So
Captain Pearce decided to start back for
New York at once. relying upon tha
twelve other compartments which were
still intact. to keep the steamboat ahoat
till she reached the city.
NO passengers were taken aboard, and
and the. only persons of the CeDheus
when she started back about eight O'Clock
were her officers aud deck hands, num-
bertng abont twenty persons IN ALL
AS the Cepheus left the pier these on
shore noticed that she leaned away over
to starboard. and that she sank down con-
stderably below her water-line
UNABLE TO GET RACK TO NEW YORK.
She had not reached Norton's Point be-
fore 1t was discovered that the water was
pouring out OF one of the broken com
partments into the hold, and by the time
the Point was passed the water had risen
to the floor of the boiler room.
The firemen were standing in the water.
and only few inches more and the fur
mace fires would be eXtinguished. Eugi-
neer Wright reported that he would be-
able to work the engines but few min
utes longer, and upon this Captain
Pearce gave the order to beach the
steamer at once.
She had rounded the Point by this time
and was in the smooth water OF the bay.
Her bow was pointed towards the shore
and her speed slackened.
In two minutes she scraped bottom
again. and then sliding upin the mud
and sand, stuck fast with her bow high
and dry out of the water
She lies in that position this morning
The stern sank down in the water as she
gradually filled, and the fires in the fur-
naces, which are now partially sub
merged, were put out.
Captain Pearce went ashore and tele-
graphed to the officers of the company
the fact OF the accident. and then went
aboard the Cepneus again, where he re-
manned all night with-hi officers and the.
crew,
wRECKING TUGS AT WORK.
Supt. j. S. Ludlow went down and took
look at the stranded steamer last night
and then spent the rest of the night MAX
ing arrangements for getting her off and
bringing her up to the city. He secured
the services of the Merritt Wrecking
Company, whose tugs and steam derricks
were on hand early this morning.
They expect TO have the hole in the
steamers side patched up. and have her
pumped out and ready to tow up the bay
by Monday morning
superintendent Ludlow says that the
damage Is not very serious and that it
will not take long to repair her when she
once gets into the dry dock She will
probably be running again within ten
days.
CAUSE OF THE ACCIDENT A MYSTERY.
What caused the accident is still a
mystery. The captain of the Cepheus
says he was running along the usual
course taken by the iron steamers after
rounding the. Point on their way TO the
pier.
Thousands of trips have been made.
and no obstruction has ever before been
met The tide at the time was about half
out, SO that the danger of running into
shoal water was diminished.
The vessel was at the usual distance
OUTSIDE the Bell Buoy, which marks the
course at that point.
WAS DUMPAGE THE OBSTRUCTION?
Supt. Ludlow thinks that the OBJ struc-
ton may have been something that has
been dumped III that vicinity lately Ii
has been reported that several scows
loaded with stone and dirt have been seen
in that neighporhood recently after night
fall
The Iron Steamboat people are not
going to let the matter rest here. but have