The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1903-09-18
NAVAL YACHT SYLPH CAUGHT IN
A GALE WITH PRESIDENTIAL
PARTY ON BOARD.
VESSEL PITCHED HEAVILY
SHE RODE OUT THE STORM, HOW.
EVER. WITHOUT BEING MATE.
RALLY MANAGED.

experiences. While on the way from
Oyster Bay to New York on the
naval yacht Sylph, he passed through
a terrifying wind and rain storm, dur
ing which the. vessel was In danger.
Subsequently he visited the immigra-
ton station on Ellis Island, New YORK
Bay, and made a thorough inspection
Of the institution.
After dining on the Sylph last night
he went on the revenue tug Chamber
lain to Jersey City, where he boarded
a special train on the Pennsylvania
railroad which Is to convey him, Gov
ernor Murphy Of New Jersey and their
invited guests to the battlefield of
Antietam. There, today, will occur
the ceremonies incident to the dedi-
cation OF the monument erected to the
memory of New Jersey soldiers who
fell in the Civil war
Shortly after 10 o'clock a. m. PJesi.
dent Roosevelt boarded the Sylph In
Oyster Bay. He was accompanied by
Mrs. Roosevelt and their son Kermit,
Mrs. Richardson, Secretary Loeb, Pro-
lessor Albert Bushell Hart Of Harvard
college, Professor. j. B. Moore Of Co
1umbia university, G. Grant Lafarge
OF New York. and Jacob A. Riis Of
Richmond I1ill, L. I. In addition, the
guests Of the president included mem
bers of the executive staff and repre-
sentatives Of the press associations.
Runs Into a Bad Storm.
Less than an hour after the Sylph
had entered Long Island Sound she
ran into a terrific wind and rain storm.
The storm off Fort Schuyler developed
into a hurricane. The Sylph, q com
%paratively small vessel, pitched heav-
lly, and of Willett's Point, listed
sharply to starboard. The president
and his guests had been forced to go
below, and beyond a drenching, none
OF them suffered inconvenience. The
storm became even more severe as
the vessel neared He'll Gate. The
waves and wind swept the deck, max
ing it almost impossible for the sail
ors to remain exposed.
In He'll Gate, a quarter of a mile of
the port bow of the Sylph, a tugboat,
having in tow a large three-masted
schooner, was capsized by the wind
and waves. She sank stern-foremOst
but did not settle completely out OF
sight for perhaps five minutes. A
small boat from the tug put off with
the crew, except two men who chung
to the bow until the vessel disappeared
It appeared from the Sylph that the
two men were taken aboard the yawl
Lieutenant Preston wished to stanC
by to render such assistance to the
tug crew as he could, but Captain
William H. Brainard, an experienced
pilot who was at the wheel, declared
it would be foolhardy for the Sylph tt
attempt to rescue in such a storm
that she almost certainly would be
wrecked herself in the attempt.
Wished Assistance Had Been Sent.
President Roosevelt knew nothing
of tn. capsizing of the tugboat unit
nearly an hour afterward. He thel
expressed the wish that some assist
ance might have been rendered thu
crew.
The slyph arrived off Ellis Island a
1925 O'Clock. Despite the furious
storm a large party had assembled a
the island to greet the president, VIII
lurcl.ed with immigration Commission
or Williams, and afterwards devote,
four hours to the inspection of all de
rartments of the immigrant station.
At the conclusion of the work, tn
president expressed his pleasure a
the admirable condition in which h
had found everything on the island.
During the afternoon. the president
acting on his own desire, went direct
ly among the immigrants with a vie1
Of ~ascertaining personality how the,
were treated.
The president gave Adele Walter,
German woman. IS as a present 70
her tiny seven-months'-old baby, an
Investigated the case of an elderl
Russian woman who had been detai1
ed at the prison since July 80. TIL
+. president finally decided there was n
cause for OBTAINING the woman, as sh
and her children were financially abb
to care for themselves.
BAD WIND AND RAIN STORM