The sun., 1905-11-03
STEAMER RIPSUPBARGEFLEET
HORATHO HALL SINKS THE MARIE
AUGUSTA, IN. HE'LL GATE.
Myra and Yale Rlue Also Smashed, but
Manage 20 Keep Anoat-Man ana
woman Go Down With Graft, but Como
70 -Rescued-wOman Hurt.

woman Go Down With Craft, but Como
70 Surface -Rescued-WOman Hurt.
The steamship Horatio Hall Of the Maine
Line, bound for Portland, collided with
feet Of empty coal barges In He'll Gate
about $50 o'clock last night, sinking one
Of the barges and manning two others.
Two persons, a man and a woman, went
down with the barge, but they both came
up and were rescued by the Hall unhurt.
The Hall was not damaged much and pro-
ceeded on her way after q delay OF about
half an hour.
The collision occurred just about the
middle Of He'll Gate, one Of the most dan
gerous spots in the passage. The barge
feet consisted Of ten boats In convoy OF the
tug Zouave. The barges all belonged to
the James McWlliam Transportation Com
pany, which has offices at the foot OF Hud-
son street, Jersey City. They had left
New Haven early in the morning and were
on their way to Perth Amboy.
The feet was made up In four 'sections.'
In each OF the first two sections three OF
the empty barges were lashed together.
The last two sections were made up OF
two barges each, also fastened together.
Il was the last section that the Hall hit.
This section was made up OF the Marie
Augusta and the Yale Blue. The Hall
tore into the Marie about midships, prac-
tically cutting her in two. The barge
went down in few seconds. The Yale
Blue was badly disabled, and the force Of
the blow also ripped apart the seams in
the Myra, which was just ahead.
The crew Of the barge feet, which was
- oil hiIf
two or three, were thrown into great excite
ment. II was dark, and those in the for
ward bargee, although they knew there had
been an accident. had no way OF asoer-
tanning quickly just what the extent OF the
damage was. So they called to the tug
boat to put in at the nearest point with all
possible speed.
The tug headed for Greenpoint and
steamed up through Newtown Creek to the
foot Of Clay street, where 1t was discovered
that two OF the crew were missing.
Capt. George MCGEE Of the barge Myra
said that he could not account for the aoci-
dent as all the bargee were carrying
the regulation lights. None of the Grew
Of the feet. he said, saw the Hall until che
was upon them. So far as he was able to
judge, the Hall, he said, cut right across
the path Of the fleet. When the feet reached
the foot OF Clay street the Myra and the
Yale Blue had listed badly.
An ambulance call was sent to, the Will
liamsburg Hospital for Mrs. Margaret
MCGEE, the wife Of Capt. McGee. She
had been thrown to the deck of the Myra
by the force Of the collision and had two
ribs broken. She refused to go to the hos
pital, however, and was removed to her
home in Jersey City.
The first news the Maine Steamship
Company had OF the collision was in De
Forest wireless message which stated simply
that the Hall had collided with tow Of canal
boats in He'll Gate and that persons from
the canal boats had been picked up and
would be landed either at Whtestone or
City Island. That message was received
a few minutes after the accident occurred.
A SEQ ond message said that the Hall did
not know Of any lives having been lost
OF any boats sunk The fleet, this message
said, had not stopped. A third message
from the Hall said that she had slowed
down when she approached the feet but
that the first tow came alongside her and
the last one swung directly across her path,
making the collision inevitable.
"Do not know of any damage to our
hull, the message said, This MESA ge said
also that the Halls officers had decided
to carry the salvaged captain and his wife
on to Portland as they were somewhat
frightened
The Hall had only few passengers on
board, the Maine Lines business at this
season Of the year being chiefly that of
freight transportation.
The Hall Is frat class vessel Of 3,1o7