The Portland daily press., 1895-09-10
THAT COLLISION.
1t Came Near Being a Terrible Tragedy
The Portland Had a Big Hole Knocked
in Her-The Longfellow Fared Fully as
Badly.

A half dozen lines was the summary
manner in which the dispatches from
Boston, dismissed a very serious collision
Sunday evening, between the Portland
of the Portland Steam Packet company.
and the Longfellow, propeller excursion
steamer of Boston, that had been on a
trip to Provincetown, and was returning
to port with about two hundred pas
sengers aboard.
The Portland, under the command Of
Captain Deering, left her berth on time
and proceeded slowly down the channel
She had large number of passengers
aboard. The officers and passengers of
the Portland say that as the Longfellow
approached the Portland was on her
regular course and that the weather was
clear. A small steamer evidently an ex-
cursion boat, seemed to be providing the
Longfellow on her port side, and that the
Portland gave the signal for passing the
Longfellow, to which that vessel did not
reply Captain Smith of the Longfellow,
says, he gave one whistle, signifying his
intention to go to the right of the Port
land. He got in answer, he says two
whistles from the Portland, indicating
that vessels intention to move to the
left and therefore into collision with
him. Thereupon Captain Smith gave
four whistles, the signal of distress, and
reversed his engines.
Whichever was at fault the two steam
ers rushed together the Longfellow giving
the Portland glancing blow in the star
board. side, forward abreast of the pilot
house The Portland reeled under the
blow but was fortunately going at re-
duced speed. The guard rail Of the Port
land was broken off for some four feet,
and hole stove about five feet above the
water line, and about four feet square.
AS the hole was SO far above the water,
the boat proceeded and arrived here
yesterday morning. The bow of the
Longfellow was stove in about six feet
above the water line. About five feet of
the stem was affected, and the disruption
Of the tim ers extends back about three
feet. She is to be dry docked at once
Of course there was great confusion on
both boats, and the passengers were very
much excited. On the Longfellow women
screamed and men and women were with
difficulty restrained from jumping over
board Both boats hove to until the ex-
tent of their injuries were scertained.
Ropes were stretched across the stairways
of the Portland to prevent the passengers
from going below until the officers
learned the damage inflicted. A stewar
of the Longfellow jumped from the deck
Of that steamer on to the deck of the
Portland and was brought to this city.
The only person who was injured by
the accident was Mrs. c. S. Decker of
Winthrop, Mass. She.was standing on the
main deck close to the rail at the very
point where the bow of the Longfellow
came crashing through the side OF the
Portland, just underneath. Either from
fright or from being struck by the splin-
tiers of wood, she became hysterical and
was in a serious condition all the way
down that night. She was coming to
visit her brother, Mr.. W. H. Durgin,
who is staying at Long Island, with his
mother She was taken to the West End
Hotel and a physician summoned. He
said that he feared some injury to the
cnipa