The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-07-10
A CRASH IN A FOG
STEAMSHIP PRISCILLA MOVED
DOWN BY THE POWHATAN.
HER BOW WAS TORN AWAY.
TOWED INTO NEWPORT SINKING
WITH DEAD MAN IN HER HOLD,

FriGhtfuI Collision on the Rhode
Island Coast-JOhn Muniz, "a Port
ugUcse Deckhnnd, Crushed TO
Death While Asleep in His Bunk.
Bow of the Pownatnn Penetrated
Twenty Feet of the Priscilla's Hull.
For six Hours the Vessel Sounded
Signals of Distress, While Crew
Worked Brnvely at the Pumps To
Keep Her Notwithstanding Puri-
tan Came mt Last to the Rescue.
Newport, r. l., July 9.--Stern first,
with head low in the water, and with
a great hole in her bow and a dead
man in her hold, the Fall River Line
steamer Priscilla was dragged to her
berth here to-day by the steamer Puri-
tan, of the same line. The dead man
was John Muniz, a Portuguese deck
hand, who was crushed to death while
asleep in his bunk.
The Priscilla collided in a
fog with the Merchants and
Miners Transportation Companys
steamer Powhatan in Narragansett
bay, off Point Judith. and for six hours
waited for help to come. At last the
steamer Puritan of the Fall River Line
heard signals of distress and went to
the aid of her sister ship.
The Priscilla was bound for New
York. She left here a trifle late and
put out in a dense fog. After an hours
run, when the ship was between Bren-
toms reef lightship and Point Judith
she was struck on the port bow by
the sharp bow of the other steamship
with practically no warning. The ves-
sells separated and the Priscilla showed
signs of distress and that she was bad
ly damaged. BY jettisoning part of
her cargo the vessel was lightened I'M
til her pumps kept her afioat.
Priscilla Was Hard Hit
The Priscilla was struck fair and
her bow was nearly cut off. The stem
of the Powhatan penetrated fully TWEEN
ty feet into the hull of the Priscilla.
The Mushroom on the main deck, and
the sleeping quarters and steering en-
CINE compartment below were wrecked
| and the steel plates of the bow were
torn away we'll below the water line.
| The forward bulkhead was broken
/ bitAOdShY NhdS pidtih9 AAN WV NSOAh'7
| partments out Of condition and rapidly
sending the steamer down by the head
| so that her stern came out and the
rudder was rendered useless. The in
| flow of water very soon extinguished
the electric lights, the dynamo room be-
| ing in the vicinity of the damaged part
of the ship.
The passengers, most of whom were
| in bed, were turned out of their rooms
in darkness and the men on the ship
| passed out life preservers by candle
| light.
The passengers, though badly fright
ened; were not panic stricken, and
and after the first excitement busted
| themselves by getting together their
belongings so that when they reached
| the landing they were able to disem-
bark quietly and without loss o. prop
| erty
The officers of the Priscilla state
that the Powhatan had not been reg
ularly sounding her whistles and that
when she did it was at the last mo-
ment and then gave the wrong signal
and then the crash came.
The Powhntan's side of 1t.
The Powhatan's men stated that the
Priscilla came suddenly out of a bank
of fog and that the ships came to-
gether after an exchange of signals
and before anything could be done to
avert the collision