The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-11-08
CRASH OF VESSELS AT SEA.
The TnIIahnssee's Collision With the
4-Mnster, Senator Sullivan.

The TaIIahassee's Collision with the
4-Mnster, Senator Sullivan.
The collision of the steamship ITALIA
hassee and the four masted schooner
Senator Sullivan off Long Branch, a par
tial account of which has already been
given in the Morning News, made savage
work with both vessels. The big steamer
has two great holes between five and six
feet square in her sides, made by the jib-
boon and bowsprit Of the four-masted
schooner Senator Sullivan
The Senator Sullivan was left helpless
with jibboon and bowsprit carried away
the cutwater shattered right down to the
water line. the foretopmast gone by the
board and all the headsails spread around
over the forcastle head or trailing about
in the water.
The following story Of the collision is
told in the New York Times:
The Tallahassee left her pier at GAS
O'Clock on Saturday evening with full
cargo and a number of passengers. Ac-
cording to Capt. Askins. the steamer was
bowling along at fun speed southwark off
Long Branch at $40 O'Clock, when, wit h
out any warning, the Senator Sullivan,
fOur-masted schooner of 73S tons bound
north from Savannah with lumber, sud-
denly doomed up out of the darkness
and before the steamer could swerve ever
50 slightly from her course the flying jib-
boon of the schooner struck her a tremen-
dous blow on the port bow. The BOOM
like a giant spear, thrust itself right
through the iron side of the Tallahassee,
and penetrated the forcastie, ripping and
Il rtre In Hha
men who were asleep in the forecastle
were thrown violently from their hunks
and were almost impaled by the big boom,
besides being frightened almost out of
their lives by the extraordinary Intrusion
upon their privacy.
The jibboom, after wrecking the fore
castle, broke Off and then the bowsprit
Of the schooner struck the unfortunate
steamer a second blow about fifteen feet
further aft and lower down on the side,
making another big hole only about five
feet above the water line. The Tallahassee
was shaken from stem to stern and nearly
every plate of her port bow was more or
less sprung.
There was great excitement among the
crew and passengers of the steamer, and
q panic was narrowly averted. 1t was
thought at first that the steamer had
been in collision with a transatlantic liner
and many of the passengers imagined
IDdt mourning less NildH the OCtiiltC iAdd
struck her or that she had run on gi-
gantic rock A scramble was made for
life preserVers while Capt. Askins made
hurried examination of his vessel and
found that although she was in no immedi-
ate danger of sinking, IL would be inn
possible to continue the voyage. After
quoting the passengers he circed about
few times in an endeavor to locate the
ship that had struck him. Finding no
traces of the vessel he hurriedly put back
into port, lmping up to the Savannah
Line pier at midnight The passengers
were put ashore and the work of taking
out the cargo was begun at once. The
steamer will be put on the dry dock this
morning and it viii take several days to
repair her.
Capt Askins did not know even Mon
day the name of the vessel that had struck
him, reporting simply that 1t was a four
masted schooner. The captain said that
he saw no lights or signals of any kind,
although the weather was comparatively
clear.
1.-THE Senator Sullivan was towed into
port rather badly battered about the head
and In a generally dilapidated condition as
a result of her ramming of the big steam
err. She was picked up by the tug Robert
Robinson. The Robinson found her floating
around in a rather dizzy way near the
scene of the collision.
I'm the absence of Capt. Kelly, who had
gone ashore, Mate Sam Leonard of the
Senator Sullivan, when seen aboard the
vessel, gave a story of the collision start
lingly at variance with the report of the
Tallahassee's captain. According to Leon
ard the Senator Sullivan was coming up
the Jersey coast on Saturday night, with
all her sail set, and heading northeast, half
east. The schooner had encountered a bit
of pretty rough weather on her way north
ward and was leaking slightly. At $40
O. clock, when about off Long Branch, the
lookout saw big steamer looming up
ahead. The schooner was kept right on
her course. however, her skipper serene in
the knowledge that his vessel had the
right of way over the steamer.
"a few moments later the Senator Sulli-
van, according TO her mate, was struck
on the bow by the steamer. After the col
lision they saw the steamer disappear in
the darkness.
What vessel is that?" they shouted in
! unison, according to Leonard and from
the deck of the disappearing steamer came
back the one word, Tallahassee" and
the steamer was gone. Flare lights were
burned ON the schooner's deck, and dis
tress signals were made he said, but the
| steamer never come back.
mo mn a usINs