The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-01-26
CAMPANIA MORE FORTUNATE
SLOWED DOWN IN TIME AND DIDN'T
STRIKE SAND, AS REPORTED.
Rumor that the Ships Were Racing
Cochran, Who Was on the 81. Paul.

LONG BRANCH, n. J., Jan. 25.-In a
heavy fog, with the wind In the Northeast.
and the surf running far up the beach,
few minutes after 1 o'clock this morning,
the new American line steamship st. Paul,
bound in, went ashore IN front OF the Grand
View House. All of the seven hundred pas
sengers were to-day transferred to land. At
no time were the passengers in danger.
Strenuous efforts are being made TO pull
the ST. Paul from her dangerous position.
She Is in twenty feet of water, just in the
outside edge of the breakers. about SEQ feet
from the shore, with her head pointing at
an acute angle west and toward the shore.
1t has been a day OF excitement for the
people of Long Branch and vicinity. Never
before in the history of the town has there
been such a midwinter influx of excursion
lists as there was to-day. North and south
bound trains deposited crowds of curiosity
rnongers at the Long Branch and East Long
Branch depots. The farmers for miles
around came with their wives and families.
The sun shone out as warm as ever it did
in the month of May, and were it not for
the chilliness of the wind one might imagine
that it was the opening Of the very much
desired summer season.
The objective point was East Long
Branch, where the big American liner was
hard aground hundred yards from Ocean
avenue There she lay, washed by the mer-
ciless breakers, the eynosure of all eyes,
looking like huge hotel in the surf, with
her iron hull, nearly an eighth of mile
in length, imbedded deeply in the sandy
beach. She lay so close to the shore that
the people on her decks early in the day
could be heard speaking to each other very
was evidently no uneasiness felt by the pas
sengers or crew of the ualucky vessel. as
they all seemed to take r.aSters Bniiosoph-
ically and awaited anything that might turn
~, to vary the monotony of being aboard
ocean greyhound held fast in the sands on
Jerseys shore.
LIFE LINE SHOT ABOARD.
Life Guardsman Joel r. Wiley, of lifeboat
station No. 4, was the first man to discover
the st. Paul in the position described
While patrolling his beat he saw signals of
distress flashing from a huge black mass,
which through the thick fog he made out to
be an ocean liner. She was close into the
shore and head on. Her bow pointed north
west, and she seemed to be hard and fast
the beach, and the tide, which was then
about full, was unusually hgn. Wiley re-
happened. and hastened to his lfeboat
house and aroused Captain Mu,ligan and
the rest of the crew. Captain Mulligan
and the lifesavers lost no time in repairing
to the scene, and in less time than 1t takes 70
tell it, the little mortar loaded and a
life line shot out into the night 1t fell
athwart the bridge of the st. Paul. and a
moment later the men on shore were aware
Of the fact. They went to work with
will and bad ropes and guys soon in place
The "b,f eches buoy was then rigged up
and Captain Mullgan got into it, He was
drawn looard with only a couple of wet
tings, and the passengers hailed him with
cheers he was pulled over the side Of
the ship. He was assured that everything
was all right on board. and he came ashore
again with some messages for the Interna-
tional Navigation Company. which owns the
vessel, and assurances from the prominent
passengers that they felt perfectly safe
and had every confidence in the stability
of the ship.
When Captain Mulligan brought this as
surfing news ashore few hundred people
had gathered on the beach, or rather
on the private property of Mr.. Mortimer
Hendricks, which is at the extreme east of
Ocean avenue. AS a coincidence. it may
here be stated that the steamer Rust1and
which went to pieces off West End, which
is two miles south of this spot about twenty
years ago, went ashore off Mr.. Hendricks's
fathers property. When Mulligan returned
he found Captain West and his crew, from
life-saving station No. 3, Seabright hard at
work. The two crews combined worked like
Trojans, but they could not launch the
boats in the face Of the heavy breakers
which threatened to swamp them at
every attempt. Seeins, that nothing could
be done until daylight came, the weather.
beaten life savers stood around and talked
of past experiences. They all agreed that
no vessel had ever run in so close to the
shore in their memory. They talked of the
wreck of the French steamer LAmerique,
which ran aground off Seabright, about
three miles north of the present location of
the st. Paul. L'Amerique met with her
mishap February, 1877, and she was taken
off two months later. The other wrecks of
large steamers in this neighborhood were
those of the Irrawaddy and Manitoba, which
occurred last November. off Asbury Park
which is a little further south down the
Jersey coast.
THE CAMPANIA'S CLOSE CALL.
When Captain wardell, of lifeboat station
No. 5. which is located at West End, or
Tallahassee, arrived at East Long Branch
he told story which in itself was almost
as interesting as that of the grounding of
the st. Paul. He said, as he explained the
reasons for his late arrival: Look here,
boys. you think this Is a bad job, but there
came near being another one which might
have been worse. About the same time that
the alarm was given to No. 4 l came out
with my crew and saw big vessel right off
our shore. l knew by her size that she
was a transatlantic steamer. and as she
as coming head on" sent up red coston
light, which sgnai.ed her of her danger
In reply she sent up a blue coston light,
which signifed that she understood our
signal. She was delayed about half an
hour. and / think she must have beea