The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1907-08-13
-FOUR ARE DROWNED
IN NEEDLESS PANIC
Lost When Launch Seems Sinking
in Raritan Bay.
FATHER pERIsHEs SAVING BOY
Fly Wheel of Engine Drives Hole in
Craft-Good Swimmer Becomes
Entangled in Party's Fishing
Lines and Loses Life.


Red Bank, N J,-Borne down in a
panic as the launch Savoy began sink
ing in Raritan Bay, off Port Mon
mouth, four men in fishing party Of
eleven were drowned, and the others
were saved with great difficulty. One
of the four lost his life in saving that
of his son. He was Gustave Metzger,
sixty years old, chemist The lad
was rescued, but the father was dead
when taken ashore. The other men
who met death we're Charles Guen-
Their, forty years old, of No. As Ann
street, Newark; Charles Weber, of No.
"a Napoleon street, that city, and
Frank F. Schrierer, president of the
Newark Metal Company, living in No.
252 Van Buren, street, there Guen-
Their, who was in command of the
launch, was in business in No. 26
Houston street, Newark. Only his
body and Metzger's were recovered
A peculiar accident started the pam
ic and partly sank the boat. The
Savoy had been leaking from the time
she left Newark. She was a twenty
five foot craft of seventy-horsepowe
Her seaworthiness was not affected
materially by the leak, however, un-
til it was time for her to head for
home. Captain Guenther by that time
saw the launch was not in shape to
make the return run without vigor-
Gus bailing. He called for a pump
and began operating it, When he
was doing so the engineer started the
| fly wheel, evidently with the idea of
losing no time in getting closer to
shore.
That turned out to be the worst
thing that could have been done, for
/ a knob on the wheel struck the pump
with great force and drove it through
not only the flooring but the bottom
of the boat Acting as a giant dart,
the pump made big hole in the
crafts bottom and the accident was
| followed by an thrush of water that
| frightened most of the men aboard.
A projectile of equal size hardly could
have torn larger opening in the
bottom. Water burst in furiously,
and, though three or four of the
cooler members of the party tore off
much of their clothing and tried to
stop the leak with the garments, the
inflow could not be checked sufficient
ly to allay the fears of the menaced
men.
A scramble for safety resulted.
| While there was no deliberate brutal
ity, the stronger in their rush for life
| preservers knocked down the weaker.
| The Metzger boy was flung to the floor
| of the launch, whence his father
raised him at the risk of being
trampled to death Within minute
most of the men were struggling for
| the preservers, and in the press sew
eral were forced overheard. The
| Metzger boy, having been restored to
his footing by his father, ran toward
| the other end of the boat, where he
| fell overheard. Metzger jumped in
to the water to rescue the lad a sec
ond time and soon sank, leaving the
lad to be saved by others His body
returned to the surface and was re-
| covered.
n Guenther probably would nave
IS saved himself, for he was a good
4 swimmer, had not his feet become
S.entangled in fishing lines hanging
Qsover the gunwale of the boat. He
fell head first into the bay, his feet
qheld by the lines, and though he
| fought gamely to free himself, he was
Unable to do so. Weber and Schrier-
r sank almost as soon as they fell
T Into the water. Apparently neither
| of them could swim
The nearest craft TO the sinking
launch was the sloop R. Hand, COM
manded by Captain Walls She hur-
ried to the assistance of the fishing
party and Walls took the seven sur
vivors aboard, as well as the body of
the elder Metzger. None of the four
men need have drowned, it developed,
for the launch, despite the terrible
wound she received when the pump
was driven through her bottom, sank
only to the gunwale.