Smyrna times., 1907-02-20
CHARGES AGAINST OFFICERS
Miss Golub Says Captain McVey Re-
fused to Take Her In His Boat.

fused to Take Her In His Boat.
Block Island, R. l., Feb. 15.-One
more grim harvest of 23 victims of
the Inflated steamer Larchmont, that
the Block Island fishermen had gath
cred in nearby waters, was sent to the
mainland. And as the death-laden boat
left for Providence, still another vic
tim was brought in by the fishing
schooner Theresa, making in all "a
bodies that have been recovered here
from the disaster off Watch Hill on
Monday night.
One survivor, Miss Sadie Golub, of
Boston, still remains on the island,
where she is being cared for. She
stated to several of the newspaper
men that when she begged either Cap
tain McVey or Purser Young to take
her in their boat they pushed her back,
and the lifeboat left the Larchmont
with only six persons in it, although it
would have held 20 more. When the
steamer went down she found herself
on piece of wreckage, and remained
on it until picked up 10 hours later
by the crew of the fishing schooner
Elsie. Miss Golub was very emphatic
in her charge against Captain McVey
and the officers of the steamer Larch-
mont.
The cause of the accident has not
been satisfactorily explained. 1t oc-
CURED just off Watch Hill, when the
three-masted schooner Harry Knowl-
ton crashed into the steamers port
side amidships. Captain George Nc
Vey, of the Larchmont, declares that
the Knowlton suddenly swerved from
her course, luffed up into the wind
and crashed into his vessel.
The steamer, with a 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
af1oat until she reached a point off
Quonochontaug, where they put out in
the lifeboat and rowed ashore There
were no fatalities on the schooner. but
the men suffered from the extreme
cold.
A majority of those on the Larch-
mont had retired for the night,
and when the collision occurred there
were few on board, with the exception
of the crew, who were prepared for
the weather which prevailed They
hurried from the warm staterooms to
the deck of the steamer and into a
zero atmosphere
Passengers Suffered Terribly.
Literally chilled to the bone. many
rushed headlong below to secure more
clothing, while others, barefooted
bareheaded and clad only in nigh
gowns, stood on the decks, fearing thai
to go below would mean almost Ger
tain death.
1t was a physical impossibility fo
any but the most hardened to with
stand the cold, which turned ears an,
noses white with the frost, and whicl
SO benumber feet that both the pas
sengers and members of the crey
stumbled rather than walked to tn
small craft IN which they were to leav
the sinking ship.
Shrieks of agonized pain browne
the roar of the inrushing water. Par
demonium reigned supreme, but 1
spite of it the women on board, SUI
fering more intensely than the mer
were placed in lifeboats, the men pa,
sengers and members of the crew 8,
lecting the unprotected RATS as the
vehicles Of escape.
Captain McVey remained on the u,
per deck directing his officers an
crew until every one on board appeare
to haye been cared for. He ordered a
lifeboats and rafts cut away, and b
fore he stepped into his own boat /