The sun., 1908-03-19
CAN'T SINK HHE EUONPUINT
TRAMP HITS HER AND SHE Turns
INTO FATERTIGHT CELLS.

MOVING . Lever on the Bridge Does the
Trick In 10 Seconds After Collision
Only Oyerhang Hurt-It Would Have
Been the same with nlOw Amidships'
When a little ireighter Smites big liner
nowadays, particularly in placid wateS'
somebody may be hurt who is near the
place the stem Of the freighter penetrates,
but there IL no danger OF the liner sinking
That was illustrated yesterday when the
fine new steel tramp Crown Of CASTLE. crop
ing from Quarantine through a fog thick
as buttermilk poked her sharp outwater
into the overhAnging storm Of the North
German Lloyd steamship kronprins VII
helm which had anchored In the murE on
Robbins Reef after she had been cleared
and was on her way TO her dock in Hoboken'
The Kronprnz's oyerhang shielded her
submerged hull. but even II the Crown OF
CASTLE had hit her amdships only one OF
her compartments would have been flooded
because at the moment OF impact every
one Of the watertight bulkhead doors that
divide the great ship into a number OF un-
sinkable smaller ships would have held the
water invaded compartment up as II II
we're a mere hleboat on the highest deck.
The Kronprinz arrived in Quarantine
long before daylight and anchored. After
the Health Oficer and the Customs men
had boarded her she picked up her hook
and started UP the bay, One Of the thick
est fogs Of the winter, all adrip, fell on the
waters. and Capt Nerloh decided that
the best way TO get along was 10 stop. He
dropped anchor and set his bells going fore
and aft while his whistles murmured gut
tural warnings,
The Crown Of CASTLE had departed from
Quarantine twenty minutes astern OF
the liner She was bound for Jersey City
and her skipper supposed that she had a
clear course. Why should any giant pas
senger carrier interfere with the progress
Of a thoroughly respectable tramp?
A lookout aft on the kronprinz saw the
tramp merely as a blur In the big fog at
first A moment later he realized that the
blur was a menaCing steam craft and ne
telephoned TO the bridge, In an instant
the anchor Of the ship began 10 come up.
Capt Nierich and the pilot decided that
il was wiser TO make an effort TO run down
Hoboken than he swatted In the stern by
tramp They we're not so alert on the
tramp as they were on the liner. They
never are. because they haven't the training.
While the skipper Of the Crown OF CASTLE
was wondering whether or not he would
be damaged by punching the hronprlns
the commander of the kronprinz was
making sure that he would be able TO naVl-
4 Z. 10, 70 IIak bon INT
az the lovers on the bridge that close the
compartment doors. Down in the depths
OF the ship bells began ringing the moment
the engineers force were jolted by the
impact of the Crown Of CASTLES bow with
the overheng Of the kronprinZ. The en-
gineers force knew what the ringing meant,
but there was not man who moved from
his post That's discipline and there II
plenty Of il aboard the North German
Lloyd feet
In twenty seconds every door making the
ship unsuitable was down II was all done
by hydraulic pressure, which Is safer. the
constructors OF the ship declare than either
electricity or steam A diagram OF the ship
filled with electric bulbs representing every
compartment showed to the commander
that the doors had done their duty There
was some excitement among the steerage
passenRers. and one Of the stewards who was
in the sleeping quarters that the tramp's
bow invaded, was hurt. The cabin passen-
gers-some Of them az least-were a bit
startled. but they said the jar was no more
than passenger might feel when big sea
hit the ship,
The gap in the Kronprnz was triangular
and almost obterated the escutcheon,
which any old skipper will tell you is the
place where a ships name is painted. The
accident will not interfere with the sailing
of the Kronprinz next Tuesday. The
Crown Of CASTLE had the upper part OF her
stem carried away.