The Penn's Grove record., 1903-05-08
CRASH OF STEAMERS IN FOG
The Hamilton Sinks the Saginaw CT
the Virginia Coast.
AT LEAST A SCORE PERISH
The Wrecked Vessel Goes to the Bottom
Within a Few Victims Asleep
When Disaster Overtakes Them-Lifc.
boat, Filled With Fifteen Women
swamps and Ali Drown.


When Disaster Overtakes Them-Lifc-
boat, Filled with Fifteen Women
Swamps and All Drown.
Norfolk, Va.-Replete with the trag-
edy and heroism which form so large
a part Of the annals of the sea is the
story Of the sinking Of the steamer
Saginaw, of the Clyde Line, from RIch-
mond and Norfolk, for Philadelphia,
and the drowning Of at least twenty OF
her passengers and crew off the Nlr-
ginia coast. The steel Prov OF the
steamer Hamilton, of the Old Dominion
Line, from New York City for Norfolk,
cut off twenty feet Of the Saginaw
stern, as though it was so much cheese,
and then, in the darkness of fog sofhlck
that objects a boats length away could
hardly be discerned, with the almost
bisected Saginaw sinking, as the waters
rushed in, ensued a shipwreck scene
more thrilling than which the pages
of fact have seldom recorded.
From both steamers boats were low
cred into the pit of the fog amid the
clamor of panic and the silence OF des-
pair from passengers who had been
aroused from sound sleep and rushed
on deck to see the water pouring into
the ship. AS the first boat from the
Saginaw's side struck the water 1t cap
sized, and fourteen negro women sank.
With the oar of a battleships broad
side the decks Of the Saginaw burst
and belched forth freight, crew and
passengers into the sea. Lashed to a
mast above it all was Captain Tunnel,
with some Of his ribs broken, and
others of the crew and passengers who
had taken refuge there, and amid the
w%reckage, the struggling and the
drowned sped the lifeboats Of the Ham
ilton, picking up those who had kept
a1oat. When the Saginaw sank, a
few minutes after the collision. there
went to the bottom with her some who
had been killed in their hunks by parts
of the cargo, which had fallen on
them.
The list of the dead and missing. so
far al known, is as follows: Passen-
gers-A. Gilmore, P. L. Pendleton,
Florence Newly, Edna Ward, NJ. E.
Jones and Mary Robertson. Crew
Edward Goslee, first mate; William
Bitters, first assistant engineer; Mary
Anderson, stewardess; -, cook;
William Morris, steward; unknown col
ored waiter; Peter Swanson, missing.
The scene Of the wreck was about
fourteen miles offshore between Winter
Quarter Lightship and Fenwick Island
Lightship. The first officers of both
steamers were at the wheel, both were
proceeding under reduced speed and
both were sounding their fog sirens,
each hearing the other. Captain r. B.
Boaz says:
at was clear when we left New York
City, but we ran into a fog bank four
miles north of Egg Harbor, the fog
lasting until we reached Cape Charles.
1t was about 4.40 o'clock a. NJ, and
we were proceeding at about nine
knots an hour. We had been under
reduced speed since encountering the
fog. We could not see a ships length
ahead, when we heard a whistle on the
starbOard bow two points ahead. We
stopped the Hamilton and her l heard
another whistle. Suddenly the Sag
inaw doomed up three points on the
OOW, anu tAC OdSlAdW dClcluplCu W
run across the Hamilton's bow.-Ne
backed at full speed, but struck the
Saginaw on the port quarter. In a
very short time she went down. When
the Hamilton backed off she was
settling. We lowered two boats, but
meanwhile the Saginaw had lowered
her boats and a raft. I picked up two
of these boats and the raft"
When the Saginaw was sighted after
the first impact 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. A boat from the Hamilton saved
Second Officer w. L. Morris and the
cOlored steWardess of the Saginaw.
who were in the lifeboat that capsized.
The woman died in the HamiltOn's
boat. She had been held up by First
Mate Goslee, of the Saginaw, who sank
himself as the Hamilton's boat reached
them.
The other two boats and the life raft
lowered from the Saginaw and the
Hamilton's two boats picked up the
people who chung to floating w~reckage,
but so quickly did the Saginaw sink
eudt Wueu lue OF the Hdmll-
ton reached her nothing but the top
masts were visible, with the men cling.
ing to them. The lifeboats took them
off.
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.
Two bodies, one of a man and the other
of a woman, clad in nightgowns, were
seen drifting between bales Of cotton
and cases Of goods.
The Hamilton has been in several
serious collisions since she was
launched in 1899, at Roach's yard.
Chester, Pa. On June 10, 1900. she
struck and sank the steamship Mace
donia, seriously damaging her own
bows. Ten days later she sank the
schooner John III. Ker, and on October
Z, of the same year, she sank the
schooner A. A. Shaw.
Waterloo Veteran Dies at 1O5.
Louis Reep, of West Bay City, Mich.
is dead at the age Of 105. 1t is said he
was in the Battle Of Waterloo under
Butcher.