New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-05-15
TWO MINE-LAYERS DROWNED.
THEIR BOAT RUN DOWN BY LA
TOURAINE.

rxp1ANATIONs FROM THE PILOT AND
LIEUTENANT MGREGOR.
Tho first accident to men engaged in laying
-.,,r,arine mines in the harbor occurred yester-
aov The French line steamship La Touraine
,,rsat a dory containing eight men. and two of
.,sa,, lost their lives. They in the employ
~ the War Department and were part OF the
sarcs under Lieutenant Robert McGregor en-
oged in the work Of putting the harDor IN
80 Of denfence in time Of war.
THE DEAD
,So mon who were drowned were:
,rnn,t,roN. ROBERT. believed have lived either in
N4DA'-a ~ or one Of the Oranges
pAssO VICTOR. address UNKNOWN
r,a accident occurred just off the point OF
eo,Ay Hook where the Main. Swash and Ged-
= ohounels meet. and where the channel Is
NJ! and tortuous. La Touraine was bound
Inward and passed Quarantine at ll:O'. reach
~, sandy Hook shortly before noon She was
''s - # Augustus Petersen as pilot. who
" enc renutation Of being a careful and dis
Greet navigator ,.. A.. .X.,
s,s we're sent TO her from the tug Atwood.
80 under Lieutenant Orion. commanding
".ooh,oent Of naval militia. was on patrol duty
southern entrance of the harbor. to keep
Gov away as possible from a dory engaged in
,~,.,rg mines at the junction of the Main. Swash
49,. Cedney channels. and TO keep close to the
-. buovs on the other side OF the channel
pu, inst as the big ocean steamship was pass
-, en-, dorv her stern swung around toward
49, ,ittle boat and the propeller caught IN the
.ot,s running out from the boat TO group Of
rones which were being put In place Ihis
drew the boat through the water with great
Ing 40
o,d their tools and the mines they had not yet
placed in the water
The accident was witnessed from the Atwood.
which was hurried to the scene. and succeeded
IN rescuing six of the men. The big steamship
WAS unable 10 stop until she had passed out OF
the buoyed channel without endangering the
r,ina fields. so she was signalled TO go ahead
She nassed the bar at 1888 p m. 1t was
,bouqht that the men who were lost were struck
nv the propeller OF the vessel. as they were not
sss, n rise after they first went down The
dorv which was about thirty-fve feet long. was
wrecked and a group Of eight mines was pulieo
nm and set afoat as were those In the BOAT
The Atwood made report of the ACCIDENT
nom O. telephone station at the Nalro"s " VIC
New Hampshire Word was sent 10 the once
y. Rear-Admiral Erben but nothing could De
sone officially save to set on foot an invest'sa-
ZION.
THE PILOTS STORY.
Petersen. the pilot after returning to the city,
teid: -
81 was cautiously steering La Touraihe
through the winding channel OFT the point u
he Hook when passed the small ooa' en-
pared in harbor work. The channel at tha'
po.n, between the white buoys Is not more Una"
mo hundred and fifty feet wide, and about as
r-ooted as the letter 6. was observing the
.,g,als to keep away from the boat. and knew
nothing of the capsizng OF her until II was ai
over. We were proceeding under slow speed anu
keen,ng close to the buoys. The boat was on
our port side and the tide carried us 'o%a a,'t
Sar should Judge from what | hear ABOUT
che "a HE that the propeller became entaiisieu IA
II when we some distance from tne nUa'
and then pulled 1t up close 10 'he S'e0'''''''
throwing the men out -,
Lieutenant McGregor. who supervises the lay
ting OF mines in the harbor. under MAJOR Aua"is'
goes out in the lighthouse tender Mammalian ~
ee..ard ~ his mart of the work. He was not
near where the accident occurred. Major ADAMS
said yesterday afternoon tha' ne hao ie0e''N
10 report. .. .a,,irel FIR
hen Yesterday that coastwise steamers did the
most damage TO the mine helds' anu ma az"
says ago one of them pulled up no Tess imam '"e"-
~ mines near Sandy Hook. These mines are elec-
tric-contact ones. and the danger OF their eApl1s
sion unless an electric circuit Is connected WIN
No.
slight force will discharge the dynamite
lieutenant McGregor came TO the city yester
6av afternoon on the Government BOAT Ehsl-
heer He gave this version Of the anair
.sThe eight men were in a surfboat In COM
nand OF Corporal Reese. OF the Engineer corps,
and engaged in laying junction-oox ms DoH
Is Of wood and iron ana from n II s'e II IS re-
norted that La Touraine was making an eilor.
10 avoid the tug William Mckinley she veereo
10 one side and her stern struck the suriDoal,
capsizing ii and throwing '"o '''e -O ~
water. , r..o xrahhed
s,ther the box or the cable and sank with H.
They are believed 10 have become entangled IN
ne wIres The surfboat capsized and went
under She quickly righted herself ho"e Ts,,
and the six men in the water got INTO hel. 10 10
Jouis Pulyer which near, rescued three OF
The men, and the others were picked UP by
other boats" ,... .
Lieutenant McGregor says that hereafter ter, a
stricter watch Will be kept on the mine neios,
and that the men would receive oroers no
longer TO parley with trespassers. out 10 use
The bodies Of the dead men had not been re-
covered at a late hour last night
HE THINKS SPAIN WILL BE BEATEN
COMMANDER WARWICK. or THE RUSSIAN NAVY.
OK THE SITUATION.
Montreal Nav 1i-Comma nder Warneck Of the
Russian Navy sailed this morning for Liverpoo!
on the way from Port Arthur for st. PETERSBURG
He expressed the opinion that Russia VIII iooh
upon the possession Of the Philippines by inc
United States with dlsfavor. Referring TO the war
between the United States and spain. no saiu'
Spain is in a bad way just now ana 90"
see exactly how she is going TO improve matters
Unless she can manage to obtain coal tor her shps
cannot see how she is going to meet the American
YOU think. then. that the spaniards VIII De
beaten" ..u &C., 90
30 much stronger.
Mr.. MOODY AND THE SOl-DihN0'
PLANNING RELIGIOUS WORK AMONG THEM-fiIi
FOR SPAIN.
East Mortified. Mass. May h-Dwisht L.
Moody the evangelist. is busy planning for re-