The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-06-15
About Thirty LabOrers Supposed to
Have Been in the Hold When
the Vessel Turned over.
DOCK ITSELF SUNK DEEP
OVERBALANCED BY THE WEIGHT OF
THE CAPsIZED VESSEL.
Many of the 24O WOrkmen Carried
Into the Water and Some Pos
sibly Drowned.

NEW YORK, June 14.-while the United
States transport ingalls, was in the balance
dry dock at the Erie basin, South Brooklyn,
this afternoon, where she was about to un-
slipped from the blocks and capsized. One
man is known to have beer killed and
many injured. There were about 240 car
penters, machinists and other laborers at
work on the vessel and dock at the time.
1t is supposed that the vessel was thrown
from an even keel by ballast improperly
placed or by the shifting of the blocks on
which she rested. causing her 10 list to
starboard, driving the snoring beams
through the rotten walls of the old floating
dry dock in which she was Graded. Be
sides the mechanics and other workmen
which crowded the vessel and dock, prepar-
ing her for voyage to Manila, there were
supposed to have been about thirty Italian
laborers in the hold of the ship. employed
in shifting the pig iron ballast.
While the workmen were trying to escape
the dock itself, overbalanced by the weight
of the ship turned on its side and sank in
were borne down into the water and
jammed under and beneath the wreckage,
which rose to the surface. How many were
caught could not be learned tonight. Mar
tin Anderson, a painter, was caught under
the descending side of the ship and killed
outright. Others were dragged out of the
water badly injured half drowned and
hurried to the hospitals. Added to the hor-
rors of tonight the uncertainty of the
fate of the men in the vessels hold. Some
managed to get TO the dock and leaped into
the water as the vessel was sinking. but it
is feared that the majority were less for
tunate.
The ingalls, went into the dry dock this
morning and about $4,000 was to have been
expended on her repairs. The dock in which
she was placed was a very old one, having
been constructed over fifty years ago. An
effort was made to close the gate at the
time of the accident, but it was unsuccessful.
No one could be found tonight who could
give any estimate of the amount of damage
the disaster had entailed.
A vivid description of the accident was
given by Second officer Gray of the Que
bee line steamer Mediana, lying in the next
dry dock to the west of the ingalls,. He saw
the collapse from the deck of his own yes
sci. Il was at the starboard side of our
ship he said, when 1 heard a chorus of
shouts from the dry dock in which the In
gals was lying, and 1 ran across. The
transport had heavy list TO starboard,
and rapidly increasing it, The big
stringers which extended from the side of
the dock TO the side of the vessel were
buckling and suddenly one of them broke
and shot up into the air. Then crack. crack
crack One after the other the props
along her side snapped down and she rose
up at the bow and settled astern trifle as
she came down on her side. The props
which did not break were driven through
the side of the dock.
Men were clambering all over the ship
and the air was full of groans. cries and
screams. As the ship turned the gates of
the dry dock flew open and the water came
in with a rush. I could see the men climb
ing up the sloping deck of the transport
and trying to make the port rail. Many OF
them jumped from the deck and from the
dock into the water. The men who were
working on the staging on the port side
were raised up by the vessel as she went
| over. Just before the end 1 saw some men
| rush up the companionway to the deck
1.-The water rushing into the dock seemed
| To right the ingalls, for a second. and then
the dock went over and sank with a
roar of water. AS il went down, with the
vessel inside, many men jumped into the
water The slip was soon full of them.
The blocks and beams rose TO the surface
and many of the men were wounded by be-
| ing jammed between floating timbers.
1t was seen that. as the vessel went over,
| her smokestack tore down through the side
of the dock Her side crushed the pump
| machinery so that il was impossible TO
work it. and jammed the gate so hard as
TO render fruitless the desperate efforts
made by some men 10 close IL in the face OF
the incoming water. The mechanism was
| DESTROYED and the men. after their attempt
to shut the gate. had to beat hasty re-
| treat.