The Portland daily press., 1900-06-12
All Of Her Grew Were
Rescued.
Schooner Was Coal Ladened and
Bound For Portland.

steamer Colorado, Captain John Risk,
which left Brunswick June Q, arrived
this afternoon and reports having been In
collision at four O'Clock this morning,
when seven miles east by north Of the
North End lightship during dense fog,
with the four masted coal laden schooner
Charles p. hoffman from Norfolk. The
Colorado was proceeding under reduced
speed, when the schooner loomed UP out
OF the fog and before the steamers en-
gines could be reversed or her speed slack
ened she struck the schooner head on.
cutting her almost in two. The schooner
being deeply laden with coal sank In six
teen minutes. Meanwhile the Colorado
hove to and with her boats succeeded In
all hands on the schooner con-
sisting of thirteen persons. The Colorado
stove her stem and port bow plates by the
force Of the impact, letting tons Of water
into the forepeak. As soon as the schoon-
er's crew were rescued, the Colorado's
officers and crew made temporary repairs
by placing canvass and wooden batting
over the ships bows. When the ship
reached quarantine at 0 p. M, she was
well down by the head. Her fore-peak
was full Of water. The best Of discipline
was maintained on board the Colorado at
the time Of the collision, all her passen-
gers being asleep in their staterooms.
The, Colorado brought thirteen saloon,
ten cabin. and nine steerage passengers.
She carries crew Of forty-fve men. The
Charles p. hoffman was built in Bath in
1894 where she was owned. She registered
1872 tons.
When Captain l.. w. Jewett stepped on
the Mallory line pier from the deck Of the
Colorado tonight he said he was going to
sue for the cutting down and sinking Of
his ship. Captain Jewett was one fourth
owner Of the schooner, whose other own
ers were Peroey and Small of Bath, Me.
The schooner was valued at s65, 900 and
carried 2240 tons of coal. She sailed from
Norfolk, Va, for Portland with crew
of thirteen including the stewards wife
and son and the captains wife.
Captain Jewett said tonight:
"At 3.55 a. m.," yesterday we had a
our own course NE, By +, with the wind
little forward Of our starboard beam.
There was heavy fog all night and until
ten O'Clock in the forenoon. We kept our
fog horn blowing continually, only stop
ping to listen for signals from other crafts
In the vicinity. We heard steamers
whistle close upon us and we sounded our
fog horn and rang our bell, but 1t was too
late. A big black hull bore down upon us
and her bow crashed into us cutting us
down to the waters edge. She turned
out to be the Colorado. She was steering
ESE.
"The liner was taking about seven
knots. The schooner was making say
nine knots. As sailing vessel the
schooner had the right Of way. All our
canvass was Get. The steamer struck us
abaft the mizzen and just forward of the
jigger mast, almost at right angles,
punching big V shaped hole, three feet
wide on top and six feet deep. The cap
tain of the steamer held her close up to
that big hole and gave us chance to
save ourselves. II he had backed out the
water would have rushed in and filed the
schooner before life could have been
saved.
my wife jumped TO the steamers rail
where she was caught by the sailors on
the steamer. Then / ordered all hands to
lower our big boat which hung from
davits over the stern. only saved my
chronometers. We had no time to save oui
clothing. The sea was smooth but there
was quite ground swell.
'This was to be my last voyage on the
hoffman. as I am going to take command
of new six masted schooner In which
own one-fourth interest and which Is now
ready for launching at Bath, Ne. My in
terest In the Notman was insured, but
do not know If my partners had their In
terest insured.
''That Captain Risk was of his courss
and did not blow his whistle at intervals
sufficiently near for me to hear them,
win form the basis Of my suit for dam
ages"