The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-05-06
TWENTY LIVES LOST IN A
COLLISION AT MIDNIGHT
Clyde Liner Saginaw Cut Down by the Hamilton
Of the Old Dominion Line.
Accident Happened Off the Coast of Virginia While the Vessels
Were EnveOped in Fog.

NORFOLK, Va, May 5.-A collision
Y at sea that cost the lives of TWEEN
ty or more people and the sinking
of the Clyde steamship Saginaw by the
Old Dominion steamship Hamilton oc-
CURED between Winter Quarter light
ship and Fenwick island Hghtship, on
the Virginia coast. at 4.40 O'Clock this
morning. The Hamilton left New York
yesterday afternoon at 3 o'clock for
Nor1Olk and the Saginaw passed out
the Virginia Capes last night at
o CLOCK, bound from Norfolk and Rich
mond for Philadelphia A dense fog
settled along the shore shortly after
nightfaH, and while going through this
log at reduced speed the Hamilton
crashed into the Saginaw's side about
twenty feet from the stern. The scene
OF the collision is about thirteen or
fourteen miles off the shore. and be-
tween $50 and 200 miles south of New
York and between 125 and 14O miles
north of Norfolk.
Fog Was Thick.
The fog whistles of both vessels were
distinctly heard by each other for sew
eral minutes before the collision Oc-
CURED. According to Captain Boaz of
the Hamilton, his ship was making
about nine miles an hour and the Sag
NAV about ten The fog was so thick
mat objects ships length away were
invisible, and when the two crafts hove
In sight Of each other, bow on there
was but moments interim before they
met The Saginaw VeeTed. as did the
Hamilton, but they had not time TO
clear each other and the knife-Iike
Prov Of the southern sound vessel
struck the Clyde ship on the port quar-
ter about twenty feet from her stern.
cutting the entire rear of the ship
away.
Saginaw Settled Rapidly.
The inrushing water caused the Sag
NAV to settle rapidly al the stern. and
The impetus of the Hamilton took her
out of sight of the crippled vessel The
engines, already reversed. were put full /
steam to the rear and the Hamilton cir !
cled TO the scene of the wreck, at the I
same time lowering two lifebOats. There (
was CONSERVATION among the passen-
gers OF the Old Dominion ship. and the /
nrst thought was for their safety but Z
SO soon as it was discovered that the
snip was uninjured, save that some
bow plates were stove in, all efforts
were directed to the rescue of those o.. /
the Saginaw.
Lifeboat Swamped.
When the Saginaw was again sighted
her stern was under water and her
bow was high i'm the air Panic-strick-
en- people rushed over her decks and
scrambled toward che bow Lffeboats
We're lowered, and into the FIRST fifteen
cOlOred women were placed. accord I
ing to Second Officer W L. MoreIis.
Who was in command. The boat was
sN amped as it struck the water and its
occupants We're thrown into the sea. All
were drowned save the second officer
and the cOlOred steWardess- The lat
ter died before the small boat reached
Tho Hamilton 7r7frr
Ceived by the impact of the collision
than by drowning She had been held
up by First Mate GOsIee who sank
himself as the small boat from the
Hamilton reached it.
CIinging to Wreckage.
{ In the meantime the rush of water
into the bow Of the Saginaw had caused
the decks to burst from their fasteu-
ings with a roar like the report of a
big gun, and tons of freight of all de
scripti0ns soon Uttered the sea. To
floating wreckage the struggling peO-
pie in the water chung with despera-
ton, and many of them We're rescued
by the boats from the Hamilton.
Before the lifebOats of the Hamilton
had time to reach the Saginaw the
latter had disappeared beneath the
waves. and nothing but her tOpmasJs .
we're Ciinging. one of whom WAS the
aSed captain. j. :. Tunnel. When h. /
was taken off il was found that he had
suffered severe internal injuries
The Hamilton lowered around the
scene of the wreck for more than an 5
hour, but no sign of life could be seen !
among the mass of floating freight /
Two bodies, one that of a man and the }
other that of woman. clad only in
night dresses, were observed drifting r
between bales of cotton and cases Of ,
goods.
News of Disaster
The FIRST news of the disaster was
learned at Old Point, where the Ham :
ilton stopped for "a few moments on (
her way TO Norfolk. She arrived az
her pier in this city about O'Clock
this afternoon. Her bow plates were {
stove in and much Wreckage still CIung [
10 her All of the damage. however. o
was above the water line
The survivors Of the Saginaw on 4
board the Hamilton had been given il