The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-02-13
Steamer Sinks Within
 Ten Minutes. IsI MEN AND WOMEN
 ARE UNAcc0UNTED FOR Only Nineteen Known to R Saved, IncIuding Eight Officers. BotA vessel. were Li<Atsa up A Time Of Accident But Neither Captain
 Is Asls lo Explain How
 It Happened.

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 Block Island, R. l., Feb. 12.--A ma rine disaster with an appalling loss of life and entailing suffering almost be- yond the limit of human endurance came to light today when a nfeboat of the Joy Line steamer Larchmont bound from Providence to New York drifted into Block Island harbor. In the boat were several bodies of men who had E died from the effects of long hours of exposure to a death-dealing tempera- ture.
 In the boat also were eleven men whose sufferings were SO intense that they seemed oblivious [, the fact that death was In their midst and that they had escaped only by virtue of their ability to withstand the rigor of icy weather in an open boat at sea.
 The boat brought 8 tale of disaster that has rarely been equalsd in New England waters and 1t is believed that when the final count is made it will be found that not less than ibo lives were lost Following closely in the wake of the solitary iifeboats came the Dod- ies, boats and rafts washed upon the beach by angry waves.
 Owing to the condition of the survi- vors 1t was impossible to get from them an estimate of the loss of life. From seventy to 150 persons went to their 
 believed that the latter figure Is near ST correct.
 The steamship officials estimated that about 150 passengers and a crew Of fif- ty were on board the steamer when she left Providence last night Forty eight bodies reached these shores to- day and nineteen were alive when talk en from the boats. Taking the esti- mated figures of the steam ship offi- ciais and the known list of missing as A basis there are still many persons to he accounted for. IAst Is Under Waves.
 The only fositive evidence of the steamers victims is lying at the bot tom of Blsck Island sound. The list of passengers and crew handed te the purser just before the steamer left Providence was locked in 2 safe ana q was not Iecnvered. ..
 Tfe cause Of the accident has not been satisfactorily explained. It oc- cured just off Watch Hill about IL o'clock last night when the tllree- masted schooner Harry Knowlton. bound from South Amboy for Boston with cargo of coal crashed into the steamers port side amidships. Captain Gsorgs McVey of the Larchmont de- clares that the Knowlton suddenly swerved from her course. luffed into the wind and crashed into his vessel
 Captain Haley of the Knowlton de- cIares the st aamer did not give his ves- seI sufficient sea room. The steamer, with large hole torn in her side was 50 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 i'll rap idly but her crew manned the pumps and kept her a1oat until she reached Q point where they put out in the life- boats and rowed ashore. There were no fatalities on the schooner.
 A majority of those on the Larch- mont had retired for the night and when the collision had 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 zero atmosphere. Chilled to the bone many rushed head long below to secure more clothing while others barefooted and clad only in night gowns stood on the decks fearing that to go below would mean certain death.
 Many Freeze to Death.
 It now apears certain that the loss of life was heaviest among those who had retired for the nigh. Despite the efforts which were made to leave no one on board it would al ear to be ina possible that of the 200 souls on board one was left behind. Those whe had no opportunity to ciothe themselves succumbed long before they reached shore and even those who weru fortu- nate enough to be fully dressed en- dured suffering of most severe na- ture.
 Statement by Captain McVey.
 For several hours after he was res- cued. Captain McVey was not able to talk. When he had partly recovered, HA fAlN Kfs.~ s..- a correspondent of the Associated Press:
 we left Providence at o'clock. A brisk northwest wind was blowing an we were of Watch Hill at about II o'clock. had gone below to look over the passengers and freight, leaving q good pilot and quertermaster in the pi- lot house. returned to the pilot house, passing through there on my way to my room. Everything was o. K. fin the pilot house as I stepped into my room and I prepared to retire for the night.
 suddenly heard the pilot blowing for signals, and hurried into the pilot house. There was schooner on the port side and her crew seemed to have lost control of her Without warning, she luffed up and before we had an op- portuntty to do tnlng, she was head ing for us.
 ssThe uuartermaster and pilot put the wheel hard aport. but the schooner was sailing along before a fresh breeze. and in a moment she had crashed into our port side. directly opposite the smoke stack. L tried to signal 10 the engineer and mate, but the collision had broken the main steam pipe. filling that part of the boat with steam. and cutting off communication with the pi- Iot house. After cutting into our ves- sel, the schooner fell away and disap- penred to the leeward.
 Ship Was Filling Fast.
 q sent the quartermaster below, and In a few minutes he reported that the ship was filling rapidly. The officers were summoned to their stations, and when I saw that the Larchmont was settling, I ordered all hands to pre- pare to leave the ship.
 ..when saw that everyone was making ready to escape as fast as pos sibie. [ went to my boat which was hanging on the davits' and took lnlo it six af the crew and four passengers