Waterbury evening Democrat., 1905-10-28
ON WEST VIRGINIA.
Roosevelt on Warship Speeds
 Toward Home.
WAS THREATENED WITH EARLY BATH
The Tender Magnolia Rammed Fruit Boat Both Vessels Had to Be Reached President Cool
 
and Good Natured.

and Good Natured.
 NEW ORLEANS, Oct. 2S. - After what might have been a serious mat ter on the Mississippi river in night collision, in which the lighthouse tend CT Magnolia, on which he was travel ing, was so much damaged that he had to abandon her, President Roosevelt is now hurrylng homeward on the ar mored cruiser West Virginia.
 The cruiser West Virginia, with Pres ident Roosevelt on board, was spoken by wireless telegraphy, the ship at the time being about 300 miles from Pensacola. The message was received at the Pensacola navy yard and stated that the West Virginia would reach Key West tonight.
 Navy officials are watching with considerable interest the effort of the commander of the West Virginia to maintain communication with the mainland by wireless telegraphy as she bears the president on his return from the south. Wireless stations have been installed at intervals all along the coast from Cape Cod to New Orleans, and plans already have been formu- lated to bring the isthmus of Panama in direct wireless communication with the United States.
 All the stations are working and available for the reception of messages from the West Virginia as she steams toward Hampton Roads.
 The lighthouse tender Magnolia while conveying President Roosevelt down the Mississippi river from New Or leans to the gulf, where he was to board the armored cruiser West Vir- ginia for his return to Washington, was in collision about midnight with the fruit steamship Esparta. Both ves- sels went aground on the river bank, and the Magnolia was disabled. Nei- ther the president nor anybody else on either vessel was injured. The presi- dent was transferred to the revenue cutter Ivy, which was summoned from down the river, and he resumed his trip and boarded the West Virginia on schedule time.
 It was off Nairn, sixty miles below New Orleans, that the collision occur red. The first news of it was received here over the long distance telephone from Captain Rose, commander of the Esparta, by Traffic Manager Dempsey of the United Fruit company, which owns the vessel. He reported the col lision and said that both vessels were aground.
 Soon afterward information was re- celved that the revenue cutter Ivy had come up from Port Eads to Nairn, had taken the president off the disabled Magnolia and had proceeded down the river.
 A telephone message was received from the telephone operator at Pilot Town after he had interviewed one of the men who was aboard the Magno- lia at the time the accident occurred. This dispatch said:
 'The Magnolia was slightly damaged on the bow. The impact was very con- siderable, and the president, who was sleeping, the time being II o'clock, was given a rousing jolt, but not hurt in the slightest This, too, at the close of the presidents forty-seventh birthday.
 ''Mr. Roosevelt got up. rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. put on his glasses and remarked in his customary brisk manner that 1t appeared the boat had struck a snag. He was cheerful and good natured. He offered no criticism. and once he said he hoped he would not have to take his bath quite SO early