The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1900-12-03
BOATS CRASH IN A FOG.
Twenty-Five B=rSes Sunk ia an Ohio
River Collision.

River Collision.
HUNTINGTON. w. Va. Dec. 2.-one o.
the worst disasters that has occurred on
the upper Ohio River in years happened
yesterday morning at O'Clock near
Swami Greek, Ohio. about twenty miles
above this city At that hour the fog On
the river became very dense, and the tow
beat Volunteer, from PittsbuTg en- route
70 Cincinnati with thirty ceaIboats, after
much difficulty effected a landing. The
lines had not all been cut fifteen minutes
before the crew of the Volunteer vas
startled by an immense coal feet crash
liz into their vessel Il proved 10 be the
steamer Tom DOdswoTth. also from Pitts
burg, bound for Cincinnati with twenty
eight coaIboats in tow The captain Of
the Volunteer, Harry Sweeney says that
IL IS impossible TO describe what followed
The fog was so dense nothing could be
seen It was impossible 20 see twenty
feet ahead.
There vas intense excitement aboard
both steamers The Dodsworth tow first
suHek the fuelboat OF the Volunteer, and
the crew Of the Volunteer thought sure
their beat was lost. For a time she ca
reered so badly that water overaowed
her decks The DodswoTth lost thirteen
coslboats and 4 fuelboat. Some foated
within two miles OF this city before they
sank. The Volunteer lost eight coaIbcafs.
most Of them going down at Swami Creek
Immediately after the collision. The
sUnken coalboats are now On the bottom
of the Ohio. scattered for a distance OF
eighteen miles. and are dangerous OBJ
strIctions to the channel OF course the
location of but few of the sunken coal
boats is known. and this makes the chan
nel very dangerous All steamers Passing
up by here today have been warned 10 pro-
coed cautiously.
The tota! number Of baFges sunk By the
+ accident IS twenty-five They contained
about $1,000 bushels Of coal each. OF a to-
tai Of $4,000 bushels. The loss, including
. oarses, rigging exc roughly estimated.
viii probably reach IN the neighborhood
. o. Sl25.050. The coal was owned BY the
MonongaheIa River Consolidated Coal and
! Coke Company The Tom DoIsworth was
IN charge Of Capt. R B. Robinson. with
I! Claud Robinson AMI Con Macdonald at the
I wheel The NoIuu5eeT was commanded BY
Harry Sweeney. with Capt. VIII Moore as
pilot. The latter steamer arrived here late
his afternoon TO await orders Some re-
Pairs TO her wheel are necessary before she
can return to Pittsburg- The Tom Dods-
worth with the few bargss that were left
Ensunk, proceeded 10 Cincinnati this aft
ernooE
It is said to be the sorst wreck known
on the upper Ohio since the disaster to the
Joe Williams q PittSburg almost thirty
years ago. The captains of both the Dods-
worth and Volunteer claim that no men
we're lost during the collision but from
other sources comes the rumoF that two
/ helpers who were On the fleet of the Dods-
worth when it went down are unaccounte ted
for and were probably drowned One man
Of the Volunteers crew is also said to be
missing, but Captain Sweeney emphatieal-
ly denies this. No names Of the men re-
ported lost on either steamer can be as
eertaired.
A man working On soma timber fleets
near the mouth Of Guyan River telaphonei
/ to the city last night that he found TIT
| leg of human body in some wreekagt
1 lodged against feet of timber at thai
; point. The flesh is well preserved and Ia.
! the appearance Of having been in the wa
/ Ter short time. The belief is that it is :
/ leg of 4 victim of the disaster