Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1905-11-03
NATIONS CHIEF
IN BOAT Crash
TENDER MAGNOLIA WITH PRES
IDENT ON BOARD CoLLIDES
WITH FRUIT STEAMER.
BOTH OF THE VESSELS
IMMEDIATELY STRANDED

IMMEDIATELY STRANDED
Neither Roosevelt Nor Any of His
Party Injured-Is Transferred to
Cruiser West Virginia by Another
Craft and Homeward Trip Begins.
U. S. Flagship West Virginia, Oct.
% (via New Orleans, La, Oct. 81,
by wireless) AT IL o'clock Thursday
evening through confusion Of sig
nails the fruit steamer Esparta col
lided with the lighthouse tender Mag
nolia, which was conveying the presi.
dent, Secretary Loeb and DR.. Rixey
to the cruiser West Virginia. The
rail and port bow of the Magnolia
were damaged and two or three holes
made in the hull below the water line.
No one was hurt. The Magnolia i'm.
mediately on being struck was
beached, her bow being high and dry.
After a careful examination of the
damage to the vessel it was evident
that there was no danger and the
president and his party went to bed.
Maj. Craighill, of the United States
engineers, was aboard the Magnolia.
His ship, the Ivy, a sister ship of the
Magnolia, had preceded the Magnolia
and was some distance ahead. A boat
was Immediately put off for the near.
est telephone, about a mile and a half
away and the order given to head the
Ivy off at Pilot station and have her
return for the president and his party.
The transfer was made at three o'clock
Friday morning. The vessel got un.
der way Immediately and the West
Virginia was boarded on schedule
time.
Peril Ushers In Birthday.
New Orleans, Oct. 2S.-This is Presi.
dent Roosevelt's fo~rty-seventh birth.
day, and it was ushered in with an
accident that placed him in imminent
peril of death.
The accident occurred near the town
of Marin, which is on the right, or
west, bank of the river, and is in a
bend. 1t is presumed here that both
boats were running close to the shore.
AS the Magnolia was struck on the
port side it is the theory that she
was near enough to the shore to be
Immediately run aground.
The first news of the accident
reached New Orleans by telephone at
an early hour, coming in the shape
of an appeal for help from Capt. Rose,
of the United Fruit company's steam.
er Esparta. Capt. Rose stated that
the boats had struck each other. that
the magnolia had been run ashore,
that the president was uninjured, and
that the Esparta might have to take
him on board and carry him to the
mouth of the river. The message
came from Marin, La.
The Magnolia left here at $3.50 o..
m. and the Esparta was due to arrive
Friday at Chalmette. The weather
was fine, with comparatively little
wind on the river.
Tugs Sent to Scene.
Immediately upon the receipt of the
news communication was opened with
tug owners here and the powerful tugs
R. Wilmot and B. D. Wood left New
Orleans shortly after four a.. M, with
orders to go at full speed to the scene
of the accident.
Meantime, however, the presidents
party had managed to get in communi.
cation with the lighthouse tender Ivy.
At one o'clock the operator at Pilot
station was rung up by Maj. Craighill.
the government engineer, with orders
that the Ivy should be sent to Sixty
Mile Point with all possible speed. The
Ivy Immediately got under way and
covered the 40 miles in rapid time.
President Is Transferred.
President Roosevelt, Secretary Loeb
and Surgeon Rixey with their baggage
were at once transferred, and the Ivy
proceeded down the river. At 8:15
the Ivy passed Pilot station on her
way down, signaling that the presi.
dent and party were on board, and
that all were well. The cruiser West
Virginia was lying a mile and a half
off the passes.
At nine o'clock the Ivy reached Port
Eads. President Roosevelt and his
party were on deck. The tender did
not stop, but Immediately passed out
into the gulf. The West Virginia
was in plain sight. The tender quick.
ly covered the distance separating the
two vessels. and as the Ivy approached
a presidential salute sounded from
the warship. The transfer after the
Ivy reached the big ships side was
a matter of but a few moments, the
weather being fine and clear, with
little sea running.
At $40 the president stepped on
board the West Virginia, safe and
sound after his exciting experiences
here and on his trip down the river.
The West Virginia had already lifted
her anchors, and before ten o'clock
she started on her journey up the
coast.
Immediately upon hearing Of the &C.
cident and escape of the president
Mayor Behrman and Gov. Blanchard
sent dispatches by wireless to the
president expressing their regret at
the accident and rejoicing in his
escape from injury.