New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-09-04
CRASHED INTO THE STEAMER
rur GATE CITY COMES TO PORT WITH
BIG HOLE IN HER SIDE.
az UNKNOWN SCHOONER ALMOST SENDS HER TO
r,r BOTTOM OF TIE OCEAN AND THEN
SLIPS AWAY-PRAISEWoRTHY ACTION
OF OFFICERS AND MEN.

SLIPS AWAY-PRAISEWoRTHY ACTION
OF OFFICERS AND MEN.
The steamship Gate City Of the Ocean steam
chin Line came into port yesterday after an au-
renture which badly frightened the passengers
m hoard and even blanched the cheeks ol He'
officers and crew The steamship hau DIE hole
.,ove in her starboard side and she listeo heaNi-
- A, an carly hour in the morning an un-
tnovn schooner had run into the steamer ana
h.re,v missed sending her to the bottom Of the
aa.n II was only the prompt action Of the
.tsan,ships officers and the praiseworthy obedi-
.nce Of the crew that saved the vessel
rho Cate Citv left Savannah for this port on
...,,s, 81 with twenty-one passengers and
-. ~ fortv-seven men all told. She had
.,oosant trip all the way up the coast until
.hort I o'clock Yesterday morning when II oe-
o,ra dark and stormy. with the seas running
,,g, Every precauton had been taken by the
.Hcors Of the Gate CITY to avoid accidents nut
,or all that large three masted schooner suu-
dan,v emerged out Of the darkness ana 'he
.,orn, and crashed into her. bow on. II see'neu
=, ~ the schooner had been thrown against the
..eamsbin by the force of the great waves. The
shock was severe The passengers. WHO had
haen asleep at the time. were awakened ana
,,sbed wildly or deck 1t took the officers some
time TO auiet their fears
In telling the story Of the collision Yesterday
otter the Gate City had reached her pier CAP
tain Googins said that at the time ot the acc'-
dent the wind blowing hard from the horth-
.. rhore were two men on the lookout and
Second Officer Anderson was on the hr>dee
o,or.Arooastar John Stark was at ~" whee!
with one of the seamen. About q CLOCK Il M
,hen the steamship was six miles cast of Egg
Harbor off the New-Jersey coast. big schooner
suddenlv looned up out Of the darkness. Harry
Benson one of the lookout men. shouted an
alarm. The schooner was on the port side and at
the time Second officer Anderson was watching
big tow on the starboard side Of the steamship.
When he heard the shout Of the lookout man
he called to the pilot and rushed for the pilot
house. He and Captain Googins arrived there
about the same time. Just then the Schoohef
struck the steamship with terrific force khocN-
ing a hole in her fifteen feet wide. The schooner
struck the steamship on the starboard side'
about forty feet ab1ft Of the engine-roon'
nearly amidships
The Gate Ci'y's speed was then about eleven
knots and she running right in the teetn
OF the wind The pilot. when he was warned ol
the proximity Of the schooner starboarded MS
helm but il was too late to avoid the crash
CAPTAIN GOogins declared that If the schooner
had fallen 1ff instead Of luffng. the vessels
would probably have gone clear Of each "ther'
The blow Of the schooner was teTr;hc one,
and her sharp bow opened hole in the GAZE
City, extending from her upper deck to her
water-line.
The waves were running high and every one
Of them sent a great wall Of water into the
big rent. All vas hustle and activity on poaru poru
the steamship Immediately. The crew came
tumbling up on deck, followed by the passengers
out Of their stateroors.
The officers of the steamship promptly gave
their orders. and the crew quickly obeyed
them. The first engineer, William Davis, set the
four steam pumps running. and the second as
sistant engineer, Arthur Thorsen, went down
into = hold with twelve men. In short time
they shoveled nearly twenty tons Of coal from
the starbcard bunker into the port bunker, caus-
Ing the steamship to list to port This was done
TO raise the damaged side of the steamship as
far out of the water possible Then the rest
OF the crew took large mattresses to which they
strapped shutters in order 10 stiffen them. and
lowered them over the big hole. The suction OF
the sea helped 10 keep them in place.
After the damage TO the steamship had been
repaired as we'll as possible the officers saw that
one Of the staterooms the upper deck had
been smashed. and two others badly damaged.
The Stats in one of them had been driven through
the wall. Fortunately none Of the damaged
staterooms of the social hall were occupied when
the collision took place: otherwise the inmate tes
would have been killed in all probability
CAPTAIN Googins said that immediate after
the schooner struck the Gate City the former
backed off in the darkness and was seen no
more. She did not leave vestige Of herself on
the decks If the Gate City to give a hint as TO
her name. which may forever remain mystery.
When things were made somewhat shipShape
on the Cate City she headed for this port,
running at about fOur knots an hour. Her oi-
fcers and passengers were much relieved when
Quarantine was reached at ~ a m.