The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-03-01
Fog BRINGS GRIEF
DISASTER OVERTAKBS SHIPS IN
NEW YORK HARB0R.

AiIsa. of the Atlas Line, Anchors in the 20
and is Sunk by Unknown frenc
Liner-The Guyandotte, of the Old Do
minion Line. Sinks the George w. Clyde
of the Clyde Line-Americsn Liner Ne'
York is Hard and Fast Aground-N
Loss of Life Attends Amy of the Dis
asters
New York. Feb. 2e.-This has been ;
DAY of disaster about New York. Fol
nearly forty-eight hours a dense foe
has hung oyer the greater New Yorl
district and made navigation almos
impossible.
Four steamships, il is reported. have
come TO grief owing 10 the mists thai
have spread over the waters hereabouts
but fortunately none Of the accident;
have been attended by loss Of life.
The steamship Ailsa, bound for the
West midas. was sunk in collision in
the Narrows this afternoon. A few
minutes after being struck she went
10 the bottom, and her passengers had
an almost mira culous escape.
The American line steamship New
York is aground in the lower bay and,
though her passengers were landed to-
night the vessel may remain on the
shoals where she is now imprisoned for
several days
At dusk tonight the Old Dominion
line steamship Guyandotte, while pas
sing in through the NarrOws, struck
the steamship George W. Clyde. The
collision tore a hole Of such dimensions
on the Clyde that she had 10 be beach
I'd TO prevent sinking. The latest re-
port from the feet that Is cropping
about in the bay is that the steamship
Advance is aground in The upper bay.
AILSA AND THE FRENCHMAN
New York. Feb. 29.-The Atlas line
steamer, Ailsa. was run down at $50
o'clock today by a French line steamer
supposed 10 be the BOurgoyne, while
anchored in the channel off Font Ham
ilton. The steamer which struck the
Ailsa carried a crew of forty men, and
there were fourteen passengers on
board. three of whom were women. All
escaped without injury, owing 10 the
prompt arrival of A large tug belong
ing to the Merritt Wrecking company.
The Ailsa left her pier in this city
a. 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
standstill about a half mile off the
Hamilton shore. A pilot was on board
and both the whistle and the fog bell
IF the vessel were kept going at short
Intervals as A warning.
CAME WITHOUT WARNING
The passengers had just finished din
ner when the crash came. There was
absolutely no warning. The big black
hull OF the French liner suddenly loom
ed 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. Cap
tain Morris decided that he would try
10 beach his vessel. which commenced
10 ill rapidly. While he was prepar-
Ing to do so. the rescuinC tug came in
answer 10 the Ailsas whistles of dis
tresS and took off the passengers and
craW, who had taken refuge in the rig
ging. / was at first reported that one
Of the crew had been killed by the col
lsion but was found to be untrue Ten
minutes after the last person had left
the injured vessel, and twenty minutes
after the collision. the AilSa sank. On
y her smokestack and spars are now
visible. Some of the passengers were
landed a Fort Hamilton and returned
10 this city by way of Brooklyn while
the remainder came to New York on
the tug and were landed at the barge
office.
THE COOKS STORY
Captain Norris and the officers Of the
Ailsa were communicative when
seen at the Office Of the company. Geo
Murray. the steafers cook was the on
~ member of the crew who seemed able
N give connected story of the disas-
ter. He was on deck when the coIlis-
ion occurred. He says:
1T was raining cats and dogs. and
not 2 passenger was on deck: no one
but the captain and the man on watch
were there and the fog was, dense. Sud
denly the Ailsa got laundering jounce
on the port bow that sent all things
shivering and dancing below such a
scattering was there then 10 set on the
deck. Every man tried to get up the
compaion way at the same time. A
big steamship was looming up over
the side. But We had no time 10 waste
It was plain 10 be seen THAI the AiIsa
could not last long. The water pour
ed in the gap made by the French shin
as II does through canalWay when the
gates are open. The Ailsa quickly
listed over and all this time the crew
and the passengers were preparing to
leave the ship and go aboard the num-
erous tugs that were putting and blow
Ing in the narTuNs. Thank heaven.
all were taken off safely"
A. i. L. Cavasity, a passenger who