The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1903-05-20
CRASH Of STEAMERS IN FOG
The Hamilton Sinks the Saginaw Ca
the Virginia Coast.
At LEAST A SCORE PERISH

The wrecked te1Sel GOeB TO inc 6Ottoln
Within a Few Minutes-victlms Asleep
When Disaster Overtakes Them-Life.
boat, Filled With Fifteen Women,
Swamps and All Drown.
Norfolk, va.-Replete with the trag-
edy and heroism which form so large
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 Vfr.
ginia coast. The steel Prov Of the
steamer Hamilton, of the Old Dominion
Line, from New York City for Norfolk,
cut of twenty feet Of the Saginaw's
stern, as though it was so much cheese,
and then, in the darkness Of fog so thick
that objects a boats length away could
hardly he 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 it cap.
sized, and fourteen negro women sank.
With the roar of battleship's broad.
side the decks of the Saginaw burst
and belched forth freight, crew and
passengers into the sea. Lashed to O
mast above 1t 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
wreckage. the struggling and the
drowned sped the lifeboats Of the Ham.
ilton, picking up those who had kept
afloat. 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 as known, is as follows: Passen.
gers-A. Gilmore, P. L. Pendleton,
Florence Newby, 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.
B6az says:
ut 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. m, and
we We're 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 whistle on the
starboard bow two points ahead. We
stopped the Hamilton and then'I heard
another whistle Suddenly the Sag
inaw loomed up three points on the
bow, and the Saginaw attempted to
run across the Hamilton's bow. We
backed at full speed, but struck the
Saginaw on the port quarter. In
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. 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 capslzed.
The woman died in the Hamilton's 8
boat. She had been held up by First
Mate Goslee, of the Saginaw, who sank
himself as the Hamiltons 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 clung to floating wreckage,
but so quickly did the Saginaw sink
that when the lifeboats Of the Hamil-
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 13, 1900. she
struck and sank the steamship Mace
donia, seriously damaging her own
bows. Ten days later she sank the
schooner John II. Ker, and on OCTOBER
7, Of the same year, she sank the
schooner A. A. Shaw.
Waterloo Veteran Dies at 1oB.
u.