The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1908-11-27
ONLY FOUR
LIVES LOST
STEEL FRElcHTER CRASHES
INTO THE e1o PANAMA
LINER.
REsCufRs WORK
Accident Takes Place During Thick
Fog, and That More Lives Were
Not Lost is Due to the Prompt Ac-
tion Of the Crews Of Both Vessels,
the Discipline Being Perfect.

Of fog Off Sandy Hook today the
steel freighter Georgac of the White
Star line, rammed and sunk the light.
aly laden Panama line steamer,
Finance, outward bound, with IS pas.
sengers The FinanceSwent down with.
in ten minutes, carrying to their death
three Of the passengers and one Of the
crew. The rest of the passengers,
who included nineteen; women and
fourteen children, as well as others OF
the crew, were rescued by the boats
Of the Georgic. The heighter was not
damaged. ssfss
OF the passengers lost, one was a
woman, Miss Irene Campbell Of Pana-
ma, who chung frantically to the rail
of the sinking vessel and could not be
persuaded to release her hold, nor
were the men who manned the small
boats able forcibly to remove her.
she was seen clinging determinedly
as' the vessel was engulsed.s
y William Todd, third assistant engi-
neer, jumped overheard and was lost.
When a roll of the passengers of the
Finance was called, it was found that
Charles H. Schweinler, policeman of
Panama, and Henry Miller, railroad
conductor of Panama, had disappeared
and there is little doubt that thew
were drowned.
The disaster occurred in the main
ship channel off Sandy Hook at 8
o'clock this morning, while the vessels
were cropping their way through a fog
that has held up maritime commerce
in local waters for the past three
days.
The Finance had weighed anchor
and was going down the Swash chan
mel, when Captain Mowbray, who was
on the bridge, heard the whistle Of an
approaching liner. The Finance was
ordered astern and was
slowly backing when the Georgic, in
bound from Liverpool loomed out Of
The fog and moment later crashed
into the portside and just above the
beam of the Finance.
The Prov of the freighter penetrat-
ed the side Of the Finance nearly ten
feet. The Panama steamer keeled
over to the starboard while men and
women, many of whom had been
awakened from sound sleep, were
thrown from their berths. Hastily
covering themselves with bedclothing,
they rushed in a panic to the main
deck, which was fast sinking.
Many of the passengers jumped
overheard before they could be re-
strained by the crew of the injured
steamer, some not stopping even to
provide themselves with life preserv-
ers. That more were not lost was
due to the discipline of the crew of
the Finance and the prompt and in
telligent work of the sailors from the
Georgia Immediately after the acci-
dent the freighter backed OF and an
chored, her commander, Captain Clark,
IN the meantime having ordered the
lifeboats lowered.
The boats of the Finance were also
cut away as quickly as possible.
Attention was first given to those
who had jumped overheard, and q
score or more were picked up by the
small boats. To add to the confusion
9 moment after the impact there was
an explosion of an ammonia tank In
the forward hold OF the Finance, and
the fumes drove the engineers and
firemen to the decks.
William Todd. the third assistant
was partially overcome and
staggering to the rail, threw himself
overheard. and he was not seen again,
Probably half of the passengers,
with the crew. stood by the ship,
awaiting rescue and these were taken
OF with remarkable expedition. When
1t was believed that all had left the
vessel. the water had reached the rail.
Miss Campbell was discovered holding
tenaciously to post. Appeals to her
Continued on Page six.)