The morning call., 1893-09-10
GOING TOO FAST.
Wreck of the Fastest
Steam Yacht.
HER BOILER TUBE BURST.
Taken in Tow by the Vamoose She
Then CoIiided With a Big
Steamer.

CoNEY ISLAND. Sept. 9.-The fastest
steam yacht in the world, the Felsean. is
ashore on Coney Island Point tonight in
nine feet OF water. A signal light marks
the spot and solitary watchman is
walking up and down the iron steamboat
pier waiting for somebody to come from
New York with enough clothes to keen
him warm. for everything he had in the
world is in the forecastle of the Felseen.
Inc telseen burst one of her boiler -tu bes
al 4 o clock this afternoon, Just off Romer
Shoals.
She was racing up the bay at 25-knot
gait, keeping the wonderful little Vamoose
Just astern and prepared to make a spurt
the moment the Vamoose showed signs of
getting ahead. The Javelin was coming
along right after the two boats.
The Felseen had beaten the Vamoose on
the way down to the rendezvous of the
yachts earlier in the day, and the Vamoose
was after satisfaction on the trip home.
The engine-room of the Felseen is prob
ably the hottest place on earth when she
is under full headway.
1t is filled with gases also, and il is with
difficulty that the engineers and fremen
live in 1t for many minutes at a time, and
several times during the day it's occupants
were obliged to come on deck 10 half
faDting condition.
Even MOsher himself, the designer, had
been compelled to beat a retreat
Inc men were accordingly pretty well
exhausted. and Engineer Cronley had
crawled out and gone forward into the
forecaStle TO rest. The only occupant OF
the englne-rOom was Fireman Charles
Smith when the boiler tube burst, an ex-
ceedingly fortunate fact as 1T proved
The confusion which followed can be
imagined. Clouds of steam filled the room
ard poured up through the opening. The
boat was disabled. the fireman was badly
scaIded on the back. and that was the
extent nt the disaster up 10 that time.
The Namose took the Felseen in tow
and was making fifteen miles an hour in
the direction Of New York even with this
lncumbrance. The tOwline was a long
one, and crippled as she was it was next to
impossible for the crew to control the
Felseen's movements, as she would veer
oil to starbOard and then over to port.
She was moving along all right, however,
until the steamship Old Dominion came
along, bound south. When abreast of the
steamship the Felseen again veered of,
and this time exactly in the direction of
the steamship.
Then the tOwline broke and she struck
the Old Dominion on the port amidships,
head on. Had she been ram she would
have jammed hole directly through her
As it was she spoiled her own nose.
doubled up the knife-like edge of her cut
water and became a wreck
The Old Dominion went on, but the
police patrOl-boat Carrie Ramsey and
other craft returning from the yachtrace
gathered about to render aid.
The scalded fireman was taken aboard
the Patrol, and the engineer had a narrow
escape. He was below deck, and had the
Felseen struck side on would have been
crushed, and would. undoubtedly, have
peTsbed.
The bulkhead between the forecastle
and the engne-rpom remained intact and
this saved the Felseen from going to the
bottom like lead The Ramsey took her
in tow and managed to get her well in
toward CoDey Island Point Lighthouse
before she went down