The times., 1901-06-04

Anchored on Atlantic City, the As
phaIt-Iaden Vessel is in Momen-
tnry Danger of SinkinE-The Life
snyers EnphaticaIIy Ordered OF.
ATLANTIC CITY. n. J.. June 3.-The
Ranald. British tramp steamer over 300
feet in length. lies anchored two miles of
Atlantic City. nearly abreast of Young
Ocean Pier, in a sinking condition Her
port side is submerged in the sea until
the water rises within two feet of her
matches.
The only thing that saves the ship from
going to the bottom is the calm sea. Her
engines have been put out of service, and
ii is thought that she is half filled with
water. Her dangerous condition is due to
a shift in her cargo of asphalt and raw
sugar. Unless lighters come quickly there
Is a possibility that she will sink before
morning
No signals of distress were sent up, but
the Absecon and Atlantic City life-sav-
ing crews Immediately recognized her
plight as she labored slowly up the beach.
Captain Steelman, of Absecon, was
on his way to the ship when he picked
up her commander. Capt Hamilton Cas-
sidy.
''The Ranald." said Captain Cassidy, ''is
bound from Trinidad for New York. She
has aboard 1900 tons of pitch. Three days
ago, off the Carolina coast, the heat made
the pitch run. and caused the vessel to
list to port. Nothing serious was thought
of the peculiar accident until we reached
the Gulf Stream, and discovered that the
pitch was steadily moving TO the port side
of the vessel. We heaGed for the Jersey
coast and thought we would be able to
make New York, but when off Atlantic
City the engineers were unable TO keep
Up steam. ! came ashore to send Tor
lighters to help the vessel into port.
From information brought ashore Oy
Jesse Yates. a pilot. who went out to the
rlanald in d launch, carrying with him
Capt Timothy A Parker and crew OF
men from the Atlantic City station, 1t
appears that the steamship is listed at an
angle OF over IS degrees. In his judS-
ment there is considerable water in the
hold. There appears to be a leak near
the smokestack, which members OF the
crew were ende1voring to stop
Captain Parker attempted to board the
Ranald but was refused by the first
mate The life saving captain made
known his identity and met with a curt
answer. The British seaman shouted,
This vessel is not flying signals OF DIS
tress, and. under the captains orders, /
VIII permit no one to come aboard eX-
cept a quarantine officer
Captain Parker had half swung himself
aboard the ship when this curt reply
came He was not only surprised by the
answer, but more SO by the action of the
officer, who turned vicious bull dog
loose on the life saver. This caused Cap
tain Parker to retire to the launch with
the courteous response: We win take
any message ashore you desire"
So far as the life-SaYing crew was con-
cerned it appeared to them that the
steamship was settling and was in dan
ger OF laundering. The crew were all on
deck with their bundles of clothing and
the lifebOats were in the water The Ra-
Maid belongs to Glasgow Scotland. she
Is under charter with the Trinidad Ship
ping and Trading Company and this was
her second voyage for the concern
From the hour the vessel anchored she
was the central object Of interest to Wis
itors The piers were crowded with peo-
pie many of them with marine glasses
who were discussing the apparently dan
gerous condition Of the steamship AID
expected il to disappear at almost any
moment. When the lifeboat landed Cap
tain Cassidy on the beach it was almost
impossible for him TO make his way
through the crowd. A hundred or more
people followed the captain on his way to
the telephone Office plying him with ques-
tiOnS.