Durango semi-weekly herald., 1907-02-14
FEARFUL
STEAMSHIP
DISASTER

this morning the loss of a vessel In
yesterdays storm will show deaths 10
the number of over hundred. The
full particulars with name of schooner
are expected here hourly.
Block Island, X. L. Feb. 12.-It is
feared at noon that the loss of life
caused by the schooner Knowlton col
Hiding with the steamer Larchmont
during the night and sinking will
reach over one hundred and twenty
souls. All morning dead bodies have
been washed ashore and boats Just
arrived from the wreck, say many are
frozen TO death and more are drown
ed. The steamer sailed from Provi-
dence last night with $50 passengers.
bound for New York. Shortly before
midnight while strong northeast
wind was blowing the vessel collided
| with the big steel three-masted
schooner. Both vessels were badly
damaged. The steamer started for
Block Island but before she reached
here she sank. The captain says he
does not think twenty passengers es-
capped. The Knowton was run
aground and the captain and crew
saved. arriving here today.
| The cause of the collision is not
/
was strong northwest wind and the
sea was rough. 1t was intensely cold
throughout the night. When the first
boats came ashore from the steamer
II was found that some of their oc-'
cupants were dead. In the first con-
fusion II was not known whether they
had been pulled from the water after
| having been drowned or whether they
| were frozen to death. The Knowlton
which halls from Eastport. Maine, WAS
| bound from South Amboy for Boston
with coal The Larchmont left Provi-
dence at $50 last night for New
York. in command of Captain McVey
of Providence. The chief engineer
was Robet Gay OF Bridgeport. Conn.
| She carried a crew Of about thirty
| and had on board passengers and a
miscellaneous cargo of freight. The
passengers met their death In various
ways. Some of them attempted to
| launch life boats and were frozen to
death upon the decks of the founder
| Ing steamer. Others were drowned in
| an attempt to escape before the ves-
sci went down and Still others whc,
were successful IN launching a life
boat were frozen to death before the
| small craft reached shore.
Captain McVey said he could not
| estimate the exact loss OF life at this,
| time. His steamer left Providence
late In the evening and at the time
of the collision he had not had an
opportunity to examine the passenger
list which had been handed to him
| Just before his steamer left Provi-
dence. The captains estimate OF the
number of those on board agrees,
1 l.. ,,+fsl nuti .a+r L.. hsF
the Joy line officials at Providence,
who said that the Larcbmont carried
about $50 passengers and crew of
thirty.
| The inhabitants of all parts of the
island turned out to assist In rescue
work, although many of them live
several miles from the point on which
| the steamer sank. The norwest gale
continued with zero temperature
| throughout the forenoon. At II: 80
O'Clock four more bodies washed
ashore, making total Of eighteen
bodies recovered with eight survivors
of the accident being cared for upon
the island.
Block Island, r. l., Feb, 13.-The
recovery of the bodies OF the victims
Of the steamer Larchmont proceeded
| ana WIN iht
icy shores OF the island during the
night and early part of today owing
to darkness. Up to / o'clock this
morning ffty-one bodies had been
gathered in by coast patrols and ves-
sells sent to scour the sound as soon
as news of the disaster was learned.
This makes an increase Of three over
I.. xf..t4 t.t of
survivors still stood at nineteen. Iden-
tifcations had been made OF five more
up to daybreak, bringing the number
Of identified dead up to eleven. There
are only two women among the sur
yivors, Mrs. Harry Feldman of New
York and Miss Sadie Gallup of Bos-
ton.
Block Island, r. l., Feb. 13.-Just
how many persons lost their lives in
the sinking late Monday night in
. Block Island sound OF the Joy line
steamship Larchmont, through a col
: lision with the three-masted schooner
Harry Knowlton, may never be accur-
, ately known.
Nineteen exhausted and nearly
frozen persons from the wreck reach
ed Block Island after long drift in
: an open boat under the most crue
] conditions OF wind and weather.
At an early hour today over fift,
bodies had been washed ashore OF
] the same beach where the survivors
i had landed, but the list Of passenger
} on the boat was lost and the com
y pany has only the hazy recollection o
q its purser, whose mind late last nigh
showed plainly the effects Of thu
awful experiences through which HI
had passed. That anyone should hav'
!. been able to go through those terrible
/. hours of Tuesday morning. when tn
:. temperature was at zero and north
. west gale was hurling frozen spra
y into the little boats, was perhaps on
- of the most surprising features of tn
u disaster.
The Lsrchmont left Providence ws