The Irish standard., 1907-02-16
SCORES perish IN
collision At SEA
BETWEEN $50 AND 200 LIVES in
DISASTER OFF BLOCK is.
LAND, r. !.

STEAMER LARCHMONT
SUNK BY SCHOONER
Passengers Are Drowned or Frozen
to Death in Boats-Accident DC.
ours In Heavy Gale with Mercury
at Zero Mark.
Block Island, II. l., Feb. 13.-Only 19
out of an estimated total of $50 to
zoo persons survived the sinking Of
the JOY Line steamer Larchmont, in
Block Island sound Monday night, ac-
cording TO an estimate made at two
p. m. Tuesday. Of the saved, eight
were passengers, six men and two
women, and the rest we're members Of
the crew, including Capt. McVey. The
1.archmont, which was bound from
Providence, r. L., TO New York. went
.own after colliding with the schoon-
Ell Harry Knowleton. The survivors
reached this island in small boats.
In the boats which carried the sur
vivors were the bodies of several pas
sengers who had frozen to death dur
ing the trip from the wreck to the
! land. 1T was impossible Tuesday
afternoon to fix the number Of those
lost. Capt McVey estimated the
number of passengers as $50 and the
crew as SO. On the basis of these fs
ures the number of those who perish
ed was placed at 1S1.
The bodies of the victims of the dis
aster We're being washed ashore con-
stantly. BY noon is had been taken
from the water.
Many Frozcn to Death.
| The passengers met their deaths in
various ways. Some of them attempt.
ed to launch lifeboats and were frozen
to death on the decks of the founder
ing steamer. Others were drowned in
the attempt to escape before the yes
sci went down, and still others who
were successful in launching life
boat were frozen to death before the
small craft reached shore.
Capt McVey said he could not esti-
mate the exact loss of life at this time.
day evening, and at the time Of the
collision Capt. McVey 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 num-
her of those on board agrees, however,
with tho estimate made by the JOY
line officials at Providence, who
said that the Larchmont carried about
$50 passengers and a crew Of 30.
The inhabitants of all parts of the
island turned out to assist in rescue
work, although many of them live sew
eral miles from the point off which
the steamer sank. The northwest
gale continued With zero tempera-
ture, throughout the forenoon.
Race for Safety Hopeless.
| The Larchmont collided with the
Knowleton off Quonochontaug about
midnight, cutting off the schooner's
bow. The steamer was so badly dam
aged that she ran for Block island.
but before she could reach the island
she sank.
The Knowleton was run aground
west of Quonochontaug and Capt.
Haley and his crew of six men reached
shore safely in their own hoats. The
seas were running high and the tenn
perature was at about zero.
The cause of the collision is not
known. The night was clear, but there
was a strong northwest wind and the
throughout the night.
Survivors Freeze in Boats.
When the first boats came ashore
from the steamer it was found that
some OF their occupants were dead.
In the first confusion it was not known
whether they had been pulled from
the water after having been drowned
or whether they were frozen 10 death.
! The KnOwleton, which halls from
Eastport, Me-. was bound from South
Amhoy for Boston with ATS tons of
coal. 1t lies on sandy bottom, but
is full of water, and it is not known
whether she can be foated.
The Larchn1ont left Providence at
G:30 Monday night for New York, in
command of Capt. McVey, of Provi.
dence. The chief engineer was Robert
Gay, of Bridgeport, Conn. The vessel
carried a crew of about 30, and had
on board some passengers and mis-
cellaneous cargo of freight.
The Larchmont registered 500 tons
net. The vessel was of 1906 tons
gross, 252 feet in length, 371 feet
breadth and II feet in depth. It was
built at Bath, Me-, in 1885.
The Harry Knowleton registered PIT
tons net. 1t was built at Tottenville,
N. y, in 1890, was 1928 feet in length,
33 feet in breadth and IL feet in
depth.