The daily morning journal and courier., 1895-04-15
WHAT THE NEW HAVEN AGENT
 SAYS.

| Agent French of the line said to a
 Journal and Courier" reporter" last
 night: For the first time in many years | there was an accident to one of the
 boats on the Old line on Saturday night.
 The Continental left New York for this city at 11;30 D. m. in charge of Captain | Witherwax, and just after passing through Hell Gate a heavy fog shut down, and it was so thick that the cap- tain was unable to see any distance ahead. There was a loud noise, and
 at once it was found that the boat had struck on the rocks off Wards Island
 Everything was done by the officers
 for the comfort of the passengers, and
 they all speak in the highest terms of the manner in which they were treated.
 By g o'clock yesterday morning all the
 the passengers had been landed in New
 York city The company had their lit-
 tie Peck at once sent to the Continental
 and all the passengers were taken back
 to New York and the freight was trans
 ferred and brought at once to this city,
 where the Eleanor Peck arrived at her
 dock at 10 o'clock. The merchants
 who have articles on board will be able to get them as usual this morning.
 Great credit is due the company for
 the enterprise in taking care of the
 prompt transfer of freight and passen- gers. The Continental will be taken to
 the dry dock to-day, where the damage will be ascertained.
 A PASSENGERS ACCOUNT.
 A New Haven passenger of the Con- tinental, who arrived home on the early train last evening gives the following account of the affair, The Continental left her dock at about 12 o'clock. A fog was prevailing, which increased greatly as the boat entered the head of the sound. A heavy jar was felt and we thought that the boat had struck a sunken rock. There were, should judge, eighty or ninety passengers on board, many of whom had not yet retired for the night. It seemed but @ minute before about all of the passen- gers were on their feet and energeti- | cally inquiring what had happened | There was no excitement nor alarm for l we quickly discussed in spite of the 1 thick fog that he were hard and fast ! aground upon an island, which we soon learned was Wards Island. The l captain assured us that we were | In no possible danger. It was 8 very | high tide and the wall projected out of | the water but a foot or so We could ! see the wall on which the boats bow | lay so snug and fast, but owing to the density of the fog we could see but a few feet beyond. The boat had struck point of the island instead of clearing it by a few feet, as was intended. No blame is attached to the officers of the boat, as the boat was cautiously and the fog pre- vented seeing anything a few feet away.
 The passengers remained on the boat until a. m. and were then tranferred 70 the steamer Eleanor F. Peck of the same line, which conveyed us to pier )n the East river, where we disembark- d. Many of the passengers stayed in New York for the day and a good many ,ame up on the train, arriving at New Haven at S:20. While we were on the waiting to be transferred we received every attention from Cap- ain Witherwax and the other officers if the boat and were entertained with fine breakfast free of expense. On the I way back to New York on the Peck ur passage money was refunded. It vas the opinion that the boat is not much damaged.
 At midnight the steamer was still ard aground. The wrecking steamer Chapman and the tug E. s. Atwood tood by to make an attempt to float er in the morning