New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1907-05-09
BALTIC AGROUND In FOG
STUCK NEAR sandy HOOK
Bag Liner May Not BE Pulled Off
TO-day.


with an incoming tramp steamer, the big Baltic
OF the White Star Line. was seized by the tide
last hlsht and swung on the bank at the inter-
section OF the Swash and Gedney channels off
SANDY hook When she went aground she had
just passed out Sandy Hook down the main
channel around Southwest Spit and down the
south leg of the main channel to where the
SWash Channel runs dagonally across from one
leg of Gedney to another.
At low water she lay with her nose in only
I five feet of water, and while her owners are
confident that she will be pulled off at high
water this morning. there is a possibility of
their being unsuccessful unless what cargo she
has on board is lightered. In that event her
passengers, or such wished it, would be taken
off and brought back to this city.
The Baltic, delayed by the longshoremens
strike, sailed late yesterday afternoon, with
more than three hundred first cabin passengers
board. =
Among the passengers are Mr.. and Mrs
Andrew Carnegie and Miss Margaret Carnegie,
the Countess of Yarmouth. Mr.. and Mrs. H H.
Rogers. the Baroness de Buren, Charles Lancer.
DR.. Henry Barton Jacobs, Professor George
Hale, Professor James Orr, Mrs jefferson Selig-
man, Frederick Topping. W. Butler johnson.
Colonel S p. Everett. George r. Fairing and
Marc Klaw.
The weather clear with a light breeze
just south OF east Just before she reached
where the Swash merges with the main. Ced-
ney, Channel she met a tramp steamer inward
bound, supposed to be the Elise Marie. from
Amsterdam. Philip Ruprecht & Co
The tide was running strong and desirous to
give the inbound freighter a wide berth Cap
tain Ransom ordered the wheel thrown over to
port. AS the huge Baltic sheered off the tide
lifted her and swung her the bank, her
port bow taking the mud first she slid on.
carried by her momentum Her nose was buried
deep and fast
Word was sent at once to the Merrtt-Chap-
man Wrecking Company. which sent down the
wrecking boat William E Chapman. in charge
of the wreckng master. Edward Denning. She
started from her dock at Stapleton at 10 o'clock
and apparently lost her way in the fog
The newspaper tug Reliance. owned and COM
manded by a clever tar-heel skipper Captain
Leta d. Potter. plunged through the obscurty
with what, from a landsmans point OF view.
might have seemed daredevil recklessness. The
marine reporters We're somewhat pessimistic
about reaching the grounded liner, but Captain
Potter said he was sure he could dig her out Of
the mud
He met nothing recognizable the chill and
cheerless way except the dim, hardly discerni-
ble channel lights and he heard only the duh
and hoarse fog whistles The prospect of pick
ing up the Baltic grew fainter as the Reliance
proceeded. but Captain Potter retained his con-
hdence. The fashlight of the Roamer winked
feebly through the gloom and the skipper said
then that il was all right
AT II: 40 flush like a sunset in an impress
sionistic painting appeared the Reliance's
port bow, and at midnight the tug along
side the Baltic hailing her Most Of her ports
We're IN eclipse, as the passengers had gone TO
bed. The cold southeaster forbidding.
The officer in charge OF the bridge was some
what reluctant TO talk at first AS the Reliance
drew near voice from her megaphone asked:
Are you agrOund?' A cheerful voice respond-
ed: We are. The Reliance then got a line to
the Baltic, the heavy swell prevented boarding
and the interviewing was accomplished by mega
phone
Captain Ransom summoned on deck and
cheerfully gave the story OF the ships mishap
The Baltic is 70S feet inches long with a
beam Of 755 feet. Her depth is 40 feet she
was built in 1904 at Belfast, Ireland, by Har-
land & Wolff. Limited. She has a tonnage OF
l5,295. a displacement of 1900 tons and a
horsepower of 10000.
The Atlantic Transport liner Minneapolis went
aground In Swash Channel last Sunday after
noon IN dense fog, but after skilful maneu-
wiring was able to get off in a few minutes and
later anchored inside the Hook She turned
around several times 10 avoid going aground a
second time
On April 30 the Celtic, from Southampton
blocked the main ship channel for twelve hours
Among the other boats which grounded i'm the
lower bay was the Caronia. She was stuck in
the mud forty-eght hours last summer In
June, 1903, the Deutschland met with a similar
accident and remained aground for twenty -four
hours The Etruria. in March, 1909 went
Sandy Hook, and remained there twelve hours.