The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1907-02-22
A STEAMER SINKS
But 10 Out of 200 Persons on
Board Survive Coils
ion at Sea.
COLD ADDS TO THE HORRORS
The Larchmont Was Bound from
Providence to New York-Collid-
ed With a Schooner OFF
Block Island.

Block Island, R. l., Feb 13.-About
$50 persons went to their death in
Block Island Sound Monday night as
a result of collision of the three
masted schooner Harry Knowlton and
the Joy line steamer Larchmont,
bound from Providence to New York.
1t is estimated that including the crew
there were nearly 200 persons ON board
the steamer when she sailed from
Providence. OF these. only 10 appear
to have survived the disaster, ten mem
bers of the crew and nine passengers.
Forty-eight bodies have been recov-
cred
Awakened from their slumbers In
their staterooms, the unfortunate pas
sengrs were at the mercy of the rates.
Many. it is believed went down with
the ship. Others, temporarily thank
full that they escaped drowning, prayed
that they might be relieved of the
terrible pain caused by their frozen
bodies, and one unknown passenger
plunged a knife into his throat and
enQeQ MS SuIIerluSS.
The few who survived were in
pitiful condition. In almost every
case their arms and legs hung help
lessly as thy were lifted out OF the
boats in which they reached shore
During the day 4S bodies came ashore,
either in boats or thrown up by the
sea.
The steamer with huge hole torn In
her side was so seriously damaged
that no attempt was made to run for
shore, and she sank to the bottom In
less than half an hour. The Knowlton,
after she had backed away from the
wreck, began to fill rapidly but her
crew manned the pumps and kept her
afloat until she reached point Off
Quonochontaug, where they put out
in a lifeboat and rowed ashore. There
were no fatalities on the schooner.
A majority of those abroad the
Larchmont, had retired for the night
and when the collision occurred there
were few with the exception of the
crew prepared for the weather which
prevailed. They hurried from the
warm staterooms to the deck of the
steamer and into a zero atmosphere.
Chilled to the bone, many rushed
headlong below to secure more cloth
ing. while others, barefooted, bare
headed and clad only in nightgowns,
stood on the decks, fearing that TO
go below would mean certain death.
1t now appears cetain that the loss
of life was heaviest among those who
had retired for the night. Despite the
efforts which were made to leave no
one on board, 1t would appear to be
impossible that of the 200 souls on
board none was left behind. Those
who had no opportunity to clothe them
selves succumbed long before they
reached shore, and even those who
were fortunate enough to be fully
dressed endured suffering of most
serious nature.
The bodies brought in Wednesday
were, with one exception, fully cloth
ed and had life preservers strapped on
them. The victims evidently had re-
NAMED on board the Larchmont long
err than those whose bodies were re-
covered Tuesday. All were encased
in ice To remove this covering the
lifesavers worked long and patiently
in in the hope of making identification
as easy as possible. A list of saved,
identified dead and missing revised
by the Associated Press Wednesday
night was as follows saved 10; iden-
titled bodies 81; missing 112.