The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1908-04-26
80 MEN MISSING
FROM WARSHIP HIT
BY AMERICAN LINER
Huge Wave Carries St
Paul Into Side of
English Cruiser.
BritOn IS Beached to
Save Her-SnoWStorm
Causes Wreck.

/ O0Q-NS " = IN
! SOUTHAMPTON. England. April Is
/ The American line steamship ST Pau
+ and the British cruiser Gladiator col
/ Aded this afternoon in the SoIent. on
( The Needles. in a binding suowsrorrn-
/ Thirty lives. IL is reported. were lost
/ II the collision A rclIcaH Of the crew
1 OF the Gladiator was finished tonight in
1 Fort Victoria. on the Isle OF Wight. and
Z thirty sailors failed 10 respond 10 their
/ names The marine hospitals are filed
\ NTH injured Three bodies have al
\ ready been washed ashore.
{ The St Paul abandoned her yov@ge
( westward and reached Lers before md
/ night reporting all Of her passengers
/ safe. She made port under her own
I steam and despite the contact with the
/ steel sizes Of the Uarship. was able TO
/ nave continued her trip had her com
/ mander deemed IL expedIeut. She has
/ a badly buckled bow. All the damaga
is about the water line
Cruiser Lies a Wreck
| Washed BY mounta-nor- waves. the
! Gladiator lies On her side near Rls-.-
1 Rock. on The Isle OF Wight. q -o-aI
I wreck on shore. with lust bes5v-av
I enough 90 keep their position azsf7s-
/ the blizzardIike storm that sr-eerz he
entire coast are swinging the batrIes,i,
Formldab bic and two cruisers OF ~
enamel feet, their searchiehts pIsvf-v
I upon the wreck in nope OF finding any
/ sign OF life aboard
Along the mainland and the Isle Of
wight coast guarGsuen are pstrolIl7r
watching anXicusly for bodies Of M
victims one OF them is I.fe-teDs7-
Graves. executive officer % the Ciss-
iatcr.
The ST Paul left Southampton win
Z tWenty-one saloon qasssu-e-s ana lie
. usual complement IN the ota-r cal-i--.
AT the time rne wln.l was blowing u
gale anC heavy snow n.cde it al
most impossible 20 ace NOR than hsIr
a ships length aisaaL As the liner
had the mail aboard there was no ,5ss-
sibility Of delay
only half speed was a.zGe. A51lr
the same time the Gladiator left under
orders 10 report AT The Pcrrsmou- Il
navy yard In the Solenl the weather
was thicker than AT the start. bur Doch
vessels We're booming along. their sir
ems sounding
Waves Dash Liner Into Cruiser.
Although close watch Hss kept. Meth
CT craft saw the other until less ths1
80 feet apart As the captain Of The
s. Paul sighted the cruiser she was
broadSide 10 him A frantic sigma to
the engine-rOom checked the speed OF
the ST Paul momertsrily. but even be-
c1re her twin screws had ceJsed 70
revcIve a huge ave lifted the liner
q
eEairst the starbCard side Ct the war
ship.
There vas a crash OF steel and then
the knife-Iike prov Gf tie liner tore
away The plates OF the Glad-atr- and
the water rushed into heE. So heavy
was the impact that the starbcard boz
er was Jared from It's foundations and
several OF the srckers were injured
The bows Of the St. Paul crumpIed
above The water Inc for the full length
OF the initial plates. but only a little
water was shipped So promptly had
the signal 10 close the water tight com
PartmeRts been obeyed-
Panic on the Liner.
There vas a panic on the liner. BY
orders Of her commander all hands had
been kept below decks and the first in
tlmauCn that anything had happened
was the shock OF the smash. Inmates
OF staterO5ms were Jared from their
feet and thrown against The SIDES CT
the boat, and all were shaken up.
Life boats we're manned officers and
men few 10 their stations. and every
thing was made ready for launching
beats and RATS should il become neces-
sary- The chief engineer was soon ia
the bows and reported to Captain Hath
row that the ST Pau was IN no grave
danger The captain sigraIed the
Gladiator 10 see If assistance was
needed.
On board OF the warsaip all was con-
fusion Every man whose duty did nor
actually require him TO be on deck was
below in shelter, and q panic followed
The crash.
Jaclies jump Overheard.
Some Of the more frenzIed. believing
that the vessel was laundering under
them. Ieaped overheard Several boats
were launched from the cruiser l-5e
they we're swamped- one OF the boa-s
slipped from its davits before II could
be lowered. and Az the men in il
were plunged into the sea and drowned.
An attempt as made TO lower some OF
the liners boats and pick I'D the drown
ing sailors, but several we're swept
away a number OF the GIadiator-s
sailors. however. were rescued.
BY this time some measure OF dis
cipline was restored aboard the cruiser
and Il was decided 20 run for the shore.
At fun speed the { adiator was headed
for the beach. AID soon afterward
grounded hard and fast II was not a
moment TOO soon. for she could not have
kept afoat much longer. The St. Paul
followed the disabled cruiser in the run