The Minneapolis journal., 1903-03-20
The Fall River Beat plymouth
Badly Damaged by Freighter
'City of Taunton.
Over Half a Dozen Men Drowned
or Killed by the
.~ Crash.
plymouth" Makes the Port Of New
London With Big Hole
- in Her Side.

New London, Conn.,, March 20.-Ins the
fog which descended upon the waters of
Long Island Sound last night the big
Fall River passenger steamer Plymouth
from New York to Fall River, with 500
passengers and a crew Of 200 men, was
run down while passing through the Race,
by the freight steamer City Of Taunton
of the same line, bound from New York.
A full hundred feet Of the starboard
side Of the vessel was smashed in as if it
had been paper, the StaterOOms Of the
second cabin were entirely cut away
while down in the hold members of the
crew who. were asleep IN the steerage
were drowned by the torrent Of water that
rushed through the great gap made by the
bow Of the freighter
Although greatly terrified, the people
aboard the stricken ship exercised re-
markable self-control and there was no
panic.
The collision occurred after the ves-
sci had slowly made her way up the
sound through the fog until she reached a
point east of Gull island. The City of
Taunton drove up out Of the fog, and
when she was sighted by the officers of
fhe Plymouth, was too close to avoid the
collision. There was a quick exchange
Of signals and then the crush. The bow
of the City Of Taunton penetrated ten
feet into the hull Of the Plymouth and as
she backed away she raked the upper
works Of the passenger vessel, tearing out
the second cabin and ripping the state
rooms to pieces. Water poured into the
hold and drowned the men in their hunks.
The Plymouth was Immediately headed
for this city. 1t was thought at one time
that the ships company would have to
take to the boats, but the closing of the
collision bulkheads prevented the water
from gaining, and the vessel made the
harbor and wharf unassisted.
There was no way of telling inlrn ediately
how many persons perished. Seven are
dead certainly, and in the debris from
the wrecked cabin and staterooms there
may be several more bodies. while in
the steerage it is thought there are bodies
of others drowned, besides those reported.
AS the Plymouth was being made fast to
the wharf there was seen to be hole
ten feet square in her hull on the star
board side about thirty-five feet from
her bow, while for a hundred feet her
Joiner work had been carried away, in
cluding the entire second cabin and seven
staterooms on the saloon deck.
The known dead are: IT, .s,...,a. - ~.
aoRN MCCARTHY, watchman; head cut of.
SNOW COLEMAN. negro handy man; drowned.
9NS MLl4 ?fhsSSA sssSy stsTRSs
i PATncK 1SsH f9GSs DALEl, cos thinner arm torn off
The injured:
Il Michael Kilduff, passenger Boston; right foot
" Unknown man, severe scalp wound.
Unknown woman, cut on cheek. -.@
italian immigrant, cut on forehead. :.
- samuelson, scratched about face and
bruised about the body.
CAPTAIN Davis Of the Plymouth de-
clined to make any statement concerning
the accident.
Captain T. H. Lowe of the United
States marine corps, with Lieutenant
William G. Harlee and seventy-ive ma
rines, occupied the second cabin on the
side where the crash was felt. 1t is
thought the marines lost all of their spare
clothes, which were in their knapsacks.
None of the marines was killed or in
jured.
The City of Taunton made this port at
b:45 this morning with her bow stove in
and her pumps working. Her bulkhead
saved her from sinking.
Later Captain Davis Of the Plymouth
gave a brief version of the accident. He
said he was in the pilot house and was
particularly alert because of the dense fog.
LAS the vessels neared each other" he
said, II quickly rang for full speed astern
and heard the bell Of the City Of Taun-
ton give the same signal The accident
occurred just east Of Plum island The
Taunton was heard to sound the distress
signal as she backed off. We could not
see her because the fog was so dense but
from the fact of her sounding distress
signals we assumed that she had received
serious injuries. Our forward bulkhead
saved US, but I thought the only and
safest course was to make for the nearest
port"
Soon after their arrival here the work OF
removing the cargo from both vessels
was begun. Special trains were made uI
for Boston for passengers who desired te
continue their journey.
The appearance of both vessels shows
the immense force with which they came
together. Torn and twisted pieces of iror
and the entire bow torn out is the sigh
presented by the Taunton, while on thu
Plymouth the chaotic confusion Of mat
tresses, bedding, garments, furniture ant
panelings together with twisted bars O
iron gave evidence that the vessels hat
not responded to their machinery mucl
before they came together.