The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-09-20
MARINE INTELLIGENCE.
.on AND GENERAL NEWS OF
SHIPS AND SHIPPING.

,.E CHARACTERIZATION steam
s,rothisIa Fined For Leaving
ion without n Health Certiti-
The Largest Steamer in the
4 ,,-orld-VesseIs Bound For saF"h-
nah. ,...,.
o~itsh steamship Port Victor which
,,.5ng phosphate rock at the Savan-
r,,orida and Western wharves, met
H'- sarious disaster in the English
vi on her last voyage from London
c''' Ir,,ica in which she was greatly
q - nv collision with the British
III, Roecliffe, and the latter vessel
q was sunk. 49, collision was
,,.-t.1 at the time in several maritime
i',rs Int the first full account of the
Jul &c nublished to-day in the Morn
Nc the facts being gathered from
ne walton of the Port Victor.
r.- Walton was seen at the De Soto
ntgbt and was requested to relate
as -t,rv Of the accident. The super
-,r q gentleman who traYe-s on the
la.S,,er 70 represent the shippers was
II -a,., cant. Walton, and verified his state
.,.s in every particular.
1--WE sailed from London at Z o'ciock'
on lime 4. for Kingston Jamaica"
,5 cant Walton. "At 8 o'clock that
a,,b, we we're in the channel just off OF
r1'7-..-,sss | had left the bridge about
&C.,, minutes and was below, when 1
,,,srd a noise on deck. 1 hurried BACK
-. tbe bridge and found that our ship mad
81 ..ro.l, steamer amidships and had near
/. ont her in two. 1t is wonder that
5;5 not 90 clear through her, as our
sHio was making twelve knots an hour
49, steamer was the Roecliffe of Sunder-
- hound for Hamburg. She had run
n ,r1ss our bow. and before we could slow
"A down we we're into her.
..1 t,,7,ediatelv ordered our boats to be
3 ,on-s. TO save the crew of the other ship,
IA l,nt that was not necessary, as those VINO
we're able. scrambled over our bows ana
W. s,felv on board of our ship. Five of
The crew OF the Roecliffe were either killed
q ar drowned They were first mate, car
enter second and fourth engineers and
INV men became demoralized and were
a oI,our 10 leave the ship in the small boats,
Inf 7 gave them a hurried, but effective
taIk and they soon became quiet and
obeyed my orders
4 then went on board of the other
steamer 10 render what assistance 1 could
~ Iook for the missing men. The ship
was fast sinking and we had to move
Iirelv-"
get me tell what next occurred" broke
IN the super-cargo. Capt Wa.ton's mod
esty viii not allow him to tell of his brave
act He and one of our men, who had
accompanied him to the sinking ship,
heard a man screaming for help in the
" boiler room below. There was no light
there and il was impossible to see the
man Can't. Walton found a rope and
quickly tying it to a bar of iron, lowered
If into the hold. The man below turned
q out to be a fireman who was injured. He
managed TO straddle the iron rod and
Cant Walton and his assistant hauled
him to the deck. They barely had time to
get back on board of our steamer before
81 the paindecl of the Roecliffe was under
water. Now you can continue" the SUI
per-cargo remarked to Cant Walton
well" went on capt. Walton; "as
was saving. we had to move lively on the
sinking ship and did not have time to
look after the dead men. When I got
81 back to our bridge. the Roecliffe founder
3 ed. An incident occurred about that time
that showed very little gratitude on the
~ part OF the crew of the sinking steamer.
N The men who had taken refuge on our
N ship thought that our time was coming
g next. and instead of remaining on board
to help us with our passengers. they stole
"a one of our lifeboats and rowed away from
the ship. They got aboard of a Hartle-
"A poo steamer. and let our boat go adrift
y in The SEQ IT,, af+aru,arde landad at
Il Stockton-on-Tees.
THE steamer AmeIie of Hamburg.
n bound for Antwerp. came IN about the
u time the Roecliffe foundered and we put
our passengers on board of her. Then
she tried 10 tow our steamer away from
u the wreck, but after pulling on us for
VI about an hour and half without moving
US. l cut the line and then tried to push
II the wreck ashore. After working for two
ID hours We succeeded in moving her only
"a about tbree-forrths of mile
III after tho RnecIiffa sunk we waited
81 until daylight: then the Amelie made an
other atter,t - tor, hII+ ne 7id
III stove in. the first huIkbead being taken
Al out by the collision The cargo in No.
ho.d hoated out and the anchor chains
dropped ont of their hoxes and sunlk That
is what held us anchored
IA I'VE succeeded in casting off the chains
and then. with the assistsnce of the t,Ia
WI Columbia which came m AZ DAYLIGHT and
the steamer AmelIa o,,r stir 1as tovvod
stern r-.-.--- -P -"