Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-05-06
TALES or THE COLLISION.
Terrible Accident Occurred at Early
 Morning in a Dense Fog.

Morning in a Dense Fog.
 NORFOLK, Va, May 6-The colli- sion at sea which caused the sinking of the Clyde steamship Saginaw by the Old Dominion Steamship company's liner Hamilton on the Virginia coast is now known to have cost the lives of at least twenty persons.
 The Hamilton left New York early in the afternoon for Norfolk, and the Sag inaw passed out the Virginia capes at 9 o'clock the same night, bound from Richmond and Norfolk for Philadel- phia. A dense fog settled along the coast shortly after nightfall, and while going through this fog at reduced speed the Hamilton crashed into the Sagi- naws side about twenty feet from the stern.
 The scene of the collision is about thirteen or fourteen miles off the shore and between 1s0 and POO miles south of New York and between 125 and 14O miles north of Norfolk.
 The fog whistles of both vessels were distinctly heard by each other for sev- 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 Sagi- naw about ten. The fog was so thick that objects a 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 veered, as did the Ham, ilton, but they had not time to clear each other, and the knifelike steel brow of the south bound vessel struck the Clyde ship on the port quarter about twenty feet from her stern, cut ting the entire rear of the ship away. The inrushing water caused the Sagi- naw to settle rapidly in 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 Hamil- ton circled the scene of the wreck, at the same time lowering two life- boats. There was consternation among the passengers of the Old Dominion ship, and the first thought was for their safety, but so soon as it was discovered that the ship was uninjured save that some bow plates were stove in all ef- forts were directed to the rescue of those on the Saginaw.
 When the Saginaw was again sighted her stern was under water and her bow was high in the air. Panic stricken people rushed over her decks and scrambled toward the bow. Lifeboats were lowered, and into the first fifteen colored women were placed, according to Second Officer Morris, who was in command. The boat was swamped as it struck the water, and it's occupants were thrown into the sea. All were drowned save the second officer and the colored stewardess. The latter died before the small boat reached the Ham, ilton more from injuries received by the impact of the collision than by drowning. She had been held up by First Mate Goslee, who sank himself as the small boat from the Hamilton reached them.
 Before the lifeboats of the Hamilton had reached the Saginaw the latter had disappeared beneath the waves, and nothing but her topmasts were vis- ible. To these several men were cling ing, one of whom was the aged cap- tain, J. $. Tunnell.
 The Hamilton lowered around the scene of the wreck for more than an hour, but no sign of life could be seen among the mass of floating freight. 1.-Two bodies, one of a man and the oth- CT of woman, both clad only in night dresses, were observed drifting be- l tween bales of cotton and cases o{ goods.
 1 The known saved from the Saginaw are: Captain J. s. Tunnell, badly in- l jured about the head and internally, also two ribs broken; Chief Engineer Beltzer, Second Assistant Engineer Murrey, Second Mate W. L. Morris, several colored deck hands, firemen and coal passers.
 The passengers saved are: E. B. Cole of Philadelphia, who lost purse con | taining $70O and large diamond stud; {; l J. Trevor of Philadelphia, R. B. Young head of Chester, Pa.; George B. Hood of Philadelphia, Harry F. Winters of 1 Camden, N. J.; Mary A. Sanderson of Windsor, N. O.; Morris Payner, IT,, of Northwest, Va. John Reese of Nor folk, Va; Miller Pennell of Norfolk, Va; Judson Sevills of Berkeley, Va, and David Rowland of Newport News, l Va.
 Purser Mccormick of the Hamilton estimates that the Saginaw sank with. in ten minutes after the collision. though there are others who say that the time was probably longer. The purser stated that lifeboats were low cred from both vessels immediately after they struck. One of these from the Saginaw filled with passengers was overturned in the suction, and all hands were thrown into the water. The passengers and crew of the Saginaw were rescued in various ways. Some l were taken from the water and others
 from the boat just before she went down.
 Captain J. s. Turnell of the Saginaw did not leave his vessel until the last a 4~I- LJ