Barre evening telegram. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-19??, 1902-07-10
BIG STEAMERS CLASH.
Narrow Escape From Frightful Trag-
edy Off Newport.
FALL RIVER BOAT DISABLED
She Was Struck by the COastwtse
Steamer POwhatan-Impact Made
Big Hole III Formers Port
BOw-Passengers In Panic.

Newport r. l., July 10.-The Fall
River line steamer Priscilla is at her
pier in this city with a big hole in her
port bow and one of her crew dead
and wedged in by wreckage, so that
his body was eXtricated only with
great difficulty, as a result Of COLI
sion with the Merchants and Miners
Transportation companys steamer
Fowhatan, in Narragansett bay.
The victim was John Muntz, POrtu
guese deckhand.
The impact of the POwhatan's PROV
cut him in two and impaled him
against the wall of his room. The pas
sengers collected $3.50 for his widow
and four children.
The greatest CONSERVATION was occa-
stoned among the passengers when the
two vessels crashed together in the
dark. A great many passengers had
not retired, and only the GOODNESS OF
the officers and men on the Priscilla
prevented a panic. The PoWhatan
withdrew and proceeded on her way
from Baltimore to Boston.
The Priscilla was bound for New
York with about 800 passengers
aboard. She had left her pier tritle
late and put out in dense fog. After
an hours run, when the ship was be-
tween Brenton's Reef lightship and
Point Judith, she was struck on the
port bow by the sharp bow of another
y, ico1
| The officers of the Priscilla state that
| the Powhatan had not been regularly
sounding her whistles and that when
| she did at late moment she gave the
\ wrong signal, and then the crash came.
Saved by u Calm.
| The blow to the Priscilla, it Is
| thought, would have proved a mortal
one had not the night been very calm.
| She was struck fair by the Powhatan,
and her bow was nearly cut off. The
stem of the Powhatan penetrated
| fully twenty feet into the hull of the
Priscilla, just forward of the steamers
| house. The washroom on the main
| deck and the sleeping quarters and
steering engine compartment below
were wrecked and the steel plates OF
the bow were torn away well below
the water line. The forward bulkhead
was broken through, thus placing two
compartments out of condition ana
rapidly sending the steamer down by
the head, so that her stern came out
and the rudder was useless.
The officers on duty at once turned
their attention to the safety Of the
ship. The stewards department de
voted itself to awakening the passen
gers, most of whom were in bed. The
inflow of water very soon extinguishet
the electric lights, the dynamo room
being in the vicinity of the damaged
part of the ship.
Thus the passengers were turned ou
of their rooms in darkness, and theil
nervousness and excitement were in
tensified as they found the men on thu
ship passing out life preservers by can
die light.
Under these conditions the disabled
vessel and it's frightened passenger
and distressed officers and crew were
compelled to wait till daylight before
their signals were heard and answered
by two small steamers. The officers
say that the most terrible part Of thu
accident was the suspense of thu
hours from II o'clock to daylight
when the steamer lay within hearins
distance Of Newport, blowing signals
of distress and finding no response.
1T was the sister ship Of the Priscilla
the Puritan, that came to the rescue
As she came along the sound she hear(
the signals of distress and, heading To-
the disabled steamer, put line OF
board and took her in tow, stern fore
most, for Newport, where her passen
[ ell f1,lr In Aod