Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1907-02-14
STEAMER LARCHMONT GOES
DOWN; $50 MAY BE DEAD.
SUNK BY A SCHOONER
Passengers Washed to Death or
Freeze in Boats Before Rescued
Cold Adds 10 Suffering of SurvlV.
ors-one Man Driven insane and
Cuts His Throat.
BULLETIN.

Newport, h, l., Feb. ia dispatch
from Block Island says that S. bod
les from the steamer Larchmout have
been picked up and are now in the
two life saving stations there. FIT
teen survivors of the Suuken steam
er are now at Block Island. Prao-
tically the entire ablebodied popula.
ton was patouing the beaches last
night watching for more bodies,
Block Island r. l., Feb ia
marine disaster with an appalling loss
of life and entailing suffering almost
beyond tho limit Of human endurance
came TO light yesterday. when the
life boat of the JOY Line steamer
Larchmont, bound from Providence t.
New York, drifted into Block Island
| harbor.
In the boat were several bodies Of
men who had died from the effects
of long hours of exposure. In the
boat also were II men whose suffer
| ings were so intense that they
seemed oblivious to the fact that
death was in their midst and that
they had escaped only by virtue of
their ability to withstand the rigor OF
zero weather in an open boat at sea
The boat brought tale of disaster
that has rarely been equalled in Now
England waters, and it is believed
that when the final count is made It
will be found that not less than 150
! lives were lost. Following closely
in the wake Of the solitary life boat
came the bodies, cast upon the beach
: by waves Then came life heats
and RATS. Each of them bore their
burden of grim death, as well as loads
of suffering humanity, and each
brought tale OF horror, of suffering
and Of despair
Owing to the condition of the sur
yivors of the tragedy, 1t was mpossl-
bic to get from them an estimate Of
the loss of life.
Anywhere from Is to $50 persons
went to their death and at late hour
last night it was believed that the
latter figures are nearer correct than
! the former.
Still 1873 Missing,
| Steamship officials estimate that
80 passengers and crew of ~
were on board when the steamer left
Providence Monday night Forty
eight bodies have reached these
shores, and 10 were alive when taken
from the life boats. Taking the 75Ji
mated figures of the steamship off
Gals as a basis, there are still l33
persons to be accounted for.
Schooner Crashed Into Boat.
The cause of the accident has not
been satisfactorily explained. 1T oc
Cured just off Watch HILL at Il
o'clock Monday night when the three
masted schooner Harry Knowlton
bound from South AmbOy for Boston
with cargo of COAL crashed into the
steamers port side amldships Cap
tain McVey of the Larchmont declares
that the Knowlton suddenly swerved
from her course, luffed up into tho
wind and crashed into his vessel
Captain Haley OF the Knowlton as
serts that the steamer did not give
his vessel sufficient sea room and the
collision occurred before he could
take his schooner out of the path Of
the steamer.
No Fatalities on knowton.
The steamer with huge hole tori
in her side was so seriously damaged
that no attempt was made to run fol
shore and she sank to the bottom In
less than half an hour The Knowl
ton, after she had backed away from
the wreck began to fill rapidly, but
her crew manned the pumps and KEEP
her ahoat until she reached point
off Quonochontaug, where they put
out in a life boat and rowed ashore
There were no fatalities on Tho
schooner, but the men suffered from
the extreme cold.
Men at Oars Grow Weak.
Fishers Point, the nearest point OF
land, was not quite FIVE miles west.
ward Of the point where the steamer
went down and every boat immed.
lately headed for that place. But the
boats were heavy and the men at the
oars were weak A ffty-mile gale
blew on their backs as the men
strained at the ice covered oars In
hopeless endeayor to overcome the
handicap against which they were
struggling. The boats and RATS soon
| became separated aud only details
Of the terrible disaster which could
be learned here we're given when Nc.
Veys boat came ashore. Not a man
on board was able 10 walk Their
feet were frozen 20 badly that the
| life savers carried the survivors bod.
fly to the life saving station
Bodies Eneased In Ice.