The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1903-05-08
Persisted
Ocean Steamships Collide in a
Dense Fog.
OFF THE COAST OF VIRGINIA
1ne Ship Cut Clean In Two-Fifteen
cclored Women Drowned by Capsiz-
ing of a Lifeboat-Exact Number
Who Perished Not Known.

Norfolk, Va, May GA collision at
sea that cost the lives of twenty or
more persons and the sinking of the
Clyde steamship Saginaw by the Old
Dominion Steamship company's liner
Hamilton occurred between Winter
Quarter lightship and Fenwick Island
lightship, on the Virginia coast, at
4:40 o'clock Tuesday morning.
The Hamilton left New York Mon
day afternoon at o'clock for Norfolk
and the Saginaw passed out the Vir-
ginia capes at 8 o'clock that night,
bound from Richmond and Norfolk for
Philadelphia. A dense fog settled
along the coast shortly after nightfall,
and while going through this fog 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 miles off the shore and 200
miles south of New York and between
125 and lao miles north Of Norfolk.
The fog whistles of both vessels
were distinctly heard by each other
for several minutes before the col
iision occurred. The fog was so thick
that objects ships length away were
invisible, and when the two crafts
hove in sight of each other, bow on,
there was but moments interim be-
fore they met.
The Saginaw veered, as did the
Hamilton, but they had not time to
clear each other, and the knifelike
steel prov of the southbound vessel
struck the Clyde ship on the port quar-
ter, about twenty feet from her stern,
cutting the entire rear of the ship
away. The Hamilton circled to the
scene of the wreck at once, at the
same time lowering two life boats, and
all efforts were directed to the rescue
Of those on the Saginaw
Terrible Scene Ensued.
When the Saginaw was 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. Life boats
were lowered and into the first fifteen
colored women were placed. according
to Second officer w. l.. Morris, who
was in command. The boat was
swamped as it struck the water and
its occupants were thrown into the
sea. All were drowned save the sec
ond officer ar1 the colored stewardess.
The latter died before the small boat
reached the Hamilton. In the mean
time the rush of water into the bow Of
the Saginaw had caused the decks to
burst from their fastenings with roar
like hte report of big guns, and tons
of freight Of all descriptions soon lit
tered the sea. To floating wreckage
struggling people in the water chung
with desperation, and many of them
were rescued by the boats from the
Hamilton and Saginaw.
Before the life boats OF the Hamilton
had reached the Saginaw the latter
had disappeared beneath the waves
and nothing but her topmasts were Wis
ible. To these several men were
clinging, one of whom was the aged
captain. J. S. Tunnel. 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. The Hamilton arrived
at her pier in this city about o'clock
Tuesday afternoon. There is a great
discrepancy between the statements of
passengers and the company's state
ment as to the number lost. Accord
ing to the Clyde line officials, the
names of only eighteen passengers are
known, and it is admitted by Second
Officer Morris that fifteen colored
women, all of whom are now dead,
were in the swamped lifeboat. The
crew of the Saginaw numbered twenty
six all told.
Those known to be lost are: Passen-
gers-P. L. Pendleton, A. Gilmore, NJ
e. Jones, Florence Newly, Edna Ward,
Mary Robertson. Crew-Edward Cos
lee; first mate William Bites, first
assistant engineer; Mary Anderson,
stewardess; -, cook; William Nor
ris, steward; unknown colored waiter
Peter Swanson, lame member of the
crew, missing.
Just how many of the above passen-
gers were included in the fifteen that
were lost in the swamped lifeboat can
not be determined as yet.
A number of the passengers left
Richmond Sunday on the Saginaw,
and until the list of these is secured it
will be impossible to secure an accu-
rate estimate of the dead.
ChiI,lran RnrpoI e. n..kl