The herald., 1896-03-01
To Steamers Cropping in the
New York Fog
NO DEATHS ARE REPORTED
But Numerous Ocean Steamers Are
Sunk or Stove
The AiIsa Goes to the Bottom and Numerous
Other Vessels Are Besched to Pre-
vent Sinking

AGsociat~ ID Press Special Wire
New YORK. Feb. 29.-This has been .
day OF disasters about the New York har-
bor. For nearly forty-eight hours dense
fog has hung over the greater New York
district and made navigation almost inn
possible. Four steamships, it 10 reported,
have spread over the waters hereabouts,
but fortunately none of the accidents have
been attended by loss Of life. The steam
ship Ailsa, bound for the West Indies, was
sunk in collision in the Narrows this after
noon. A few minutes after being struck
she went to the bottom, and her passengers
had an almost miraculous escape. The
American line steamship New York is
aground in the lower bay, and though her
passengers were landed tonight, the vessel
may remain ON the shoal where she now is
imprisoned for several days. At dusk to-
night the Old Dominion line steamship
Guyandotte, while passing in through the
Narrows, struck the steamship George W.
Clyde. The collision tore hole of such
dimensions in the Clyde that she had to be
beached to prevent sinking. The latest
report from the fleet that is cropping about
in the bay is that the steamship Advance
is aground in the upper bay.
Tho Atlantic steamer Ailsa was run
down at 2:30 o'clock by French line
steamer, supposed to be the Burgoyne.
while anchored in the channel off Fort
Hamilton. The steamer which struck the
Ailsa pullen away from the vessel and dis
appeared in the mist. The Ailsa carried
a crew of forty men and there we're four
teen passengers on board, three of whom
were women. All escaped without injury,
A., -, ~>$ In
belonging to the Merritt Wrecking COM
pany.
The Ailsa left her pier at noon. bound
for Kingston, Jamaica. She was heavily
laden with freight. A dense fog prevailed
in the bay, and Captain j. w. Morris, as a
precaution against disaster, decided to
anchor his vessel until the fog lifted: He
came to staudstill about half mile off
the Fort Hamilton shore. A pilot was on
board and both the whistle and the fog bell
of the vessel were kept going at short in
tervals as warning. The passengers had
Just finished their dinner when the crash
came. There was absolutely no warning.
The big, black hull of the French liner sud-
denly loomed up out Of the mist and
struck the anchored ship about forty feet
from the bow on the port side.
The greatest confusion prevailed among
the passengers and crew. Capt. Morris
decided that he would try to beach his ves-
sci, Wnicn OeKau 10 iii TtApIuiys Nu1i0 n0
was preparing to do SO, the rescuing
tug came in and took off the passengers
and crew, who had taken refuge in the rig
oing. 1t was first reported that one of the
crew had been killed by the collision, b 1T
this was found to be untrue. Ten minutes
after the last person had left the injured
weasel, and twenty minutes after the col
lision, the vessel sank. Only her smoke
stack and spars are now visible. Some of
the passengers we're landed at Fort Ham
ilton and returned to this city by way of
Brooklyn. while the remainder came to
New York on the tug and were landed at
the barge office.
CAPT. Morris and the officers of the Ailsa
were uncomtnunicative when seen at the
Office of the company. George Murray,
the steamers cork. WAS the only member
o, the crew who seemed able to give a con-
nected story of the disaster. He was on
deck when the collision occurred. He
says:
ut as raining cats and dogs and not a
passenger was OH deck; no one but the
captain and the man OIL watch were there
and the fog was dense. Suddenly the
Ailsa got a laundering jounce OH the port
how that sent all things shivering and
dancing below. Such a scattering there
was 10 get on deck. Every man tried to
get up the companion way at the same
time. A big steamship WAS looming up
over the si:ie. But we had no time to
waste. 1t was plain to see the Ailsa
could not last. The water poured in the
gap made by the French ship as it does
through canal way whom the gates are