The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-07-30
BAD MIx-UP ON THE RIVER.
RxTzEEsHIP MAINE, FORCED OUT
OF HER COURSE, SINKS a FLOAT.

thus Advertisements Another F1oat
slaves IN tho side or the Excuruion Beat
Chnnceiior-The Nraine rs Net DAMAGED.
Tho battleship Maine, Capt, Charles D. sigs-
Doe. in order to avoid sinking a couple OF ex-
oursion hosts that were loaded to the rails
with passengers, ran bow on yesterday into the
1 pier of tho New York, New Haven and Hart
ford Railroad at the foot of Jefferson street,
East River, carried away a portion Of the north
side OF the pier, sunk railroad float 81, with
ton loaded freight cars aboard, and drove float
IL, In the rear Of float 81, into the bulkhead,
tearing up a section Of South street, but re-
ceiyed no damage herself except to have a good
! bit Of paint scrapcd of her sides. In some
thing less than ten minutes the battleship dam.
aged railroad property to the extent Of about
$4,000.
The Maine was on her way from Fishers ISL
and, in tho vicinity of which she has been cruis-
ing for ten days, to her anchorage of Temp
k~insville, 8. /. Proceeding under half steam,
the battleship was threading her way down
stream among the river craft. When she was
| about opposite Pier 40, a block above jefferson
street, the lookout shouted:
Steamer dead ahead!'
The officer of the deck came forward and
saw tho Mallory line steamer Colorado, Capt,
George Risk. attended by the tug Jack Ever
EFT, Capt. Edward Brandow, coming up stream
1 very bio"hy- 90 thO &uoAh "No WV w
signal her course the Colorado blew three
whistles, which, being interpreted, means:
II will keep to the right"
81 will try the same course was the Names
| answer, expressed in ship talk by one blast OF
| the whistle.
All would havo been we'll then, had not the
| excursion boat Isabella, with a large party
| aboard, bound up the river for a sail on the
/ Sound, come along, passing the Colorado on
I aL- 49, .tI@ TA-N t-ahN .rh~ had h- Nhta
time taken personal direction of the Maine,
ordered the Isabella to BIO signalled to keep to
the right. The signal was given, but, accord
ing to the statements of those who were watch
tns 1as m boss fnon q The tho pie 9s'i IN e thep v anf hse
the excursion boat kept right on her course.
The Colorado in the mean time was trying to
OF the New York Dry Dock and Repair Com
pany at Pier ~, which she was about opposite
yeerins her bow slightly toward the west
shore, the Isabella, which was on the wrong
same direction. The result Of this change Of
course was to place the excursion boat directly
i 1sa teI pa did on not the or 0S Moaid not s SndeEst shni f his
signals, Capt. SigsbeO realized that, unless
s9nothinsa was ,ss don't, done, and %on that soS quickly a Y the the
sion. with the probable result that the excur.
sion boat would go to the bottom and many Of
her passengers would be drowned.
his ship were lying. in the road stead of Fortress
| MONROE, Sdpt. SlBSDtt UTutTtu lnht II iii ln6S
be reversed and the wheel put hard-a-port. The
Maine was manGuvred 30 quickly that those
seemed Impossible that SO large a ship could
make such quick work of coming about. As
cheers from the river craft for the ship and for
the seamanship displayed.
As soon as the PROV Of the Maine was turned
toward the west shore of the river, the bells in
battieship was stored directly for the railroad
R %src on int the eyes Ss on eESrye0d Il a Mss e epa hsh thst
a part OF the pier. and possibly the pier shed,
tain that a collision, with the possible loss of
many lives. had, been averted, because. as the
S Snin' pS ssss he sSe 4 bats sGEa5a f bsre P,erii four ahs feet feet
clear. of the man-of-war's stern.
Lying alongside Of the pier and to the north
twenty feot away from the SSik6ead III lay doat
Dow apI from i Perth mo A nntsS s'n % han ID d feet feet
snip McLsurini rom n PHI Hong as' Kong i&s sh' II tS Wa! s1 Sai a
moment before the crash Of the battleship
of.war cut in between the pier and float p, sew
ering the hawsers that made fast the float to the
from the river end shoreward. and smashing the
end of the float.
As soon as the hHttleship struck her engines
pier shed and the cars Of the float. which had
SUNK almost as soon as struck, leaving only
IL against the bulkhead with such force as to
stave In the heavy timbers and tear up TIE
pavement Of the street. 1t also set the little
schooner adrift and drove float 81 over
against the port side Of the McLaurin with a
bang.
While the Maine was turning to runinto the
pier tugboat q. belonging TO the New York,
New Haven and Hartford, road, was coming
down the river with two floats. At the same
time the excursion boat Chancellor. Capt. Hud-
son, with 400 members Of the Thomas J. Kelly
Association, bound for College Point, came UP
the river. The. turning OF the Maine and the
yeering to starboard Of the Colorado when the
Isabella came up crowded the tug with its
floats and the Chancellor toward the east
shore. One Of the floats bumped the excursion
boat with such force as to carry away the upper
guard rail just forward OF the paddlebox, and
TO stave in the side. The collision caused a
panic on the Chancellor, but only one person,
John Kelly, was injured. His leg was frac.
tured. The Chancellor was in no condition to
take the party back. 50 the ferryboat F. Z.
James WAS pressed into service;
The Maine. after Capt. Sigsbee had assured
himself that the pier was all that had been
seriously damaged, continued down: the river
TO her anchorage.