New-York tribune., 1908-09-27
SUNK BY SOUND LINER
SEVENTEEN SAVED IN FOG
Commonwealth Rams Freighter-
u. S. Sailormen Nan LfebodtS.

commonwealth,
most luxurious SIDE wheel steamer afoat which
has been in service only few months met her
first naishap In dense fog yesterday on Race
Rock, at the eastern end Of Long Island Sound
She rammed and sank the little Norwegian
freghter volund bound in ballast for Windsor
N S. About eight hundred passengers were on
the Commonwealth, but, although few women
became excited, there was 10 panic The Voiuno
besides her captain and his wife. had crew OF
fifteen men, They rescued by the hfeoodls
of the Sound steamer within fifteen minutes aIter
the collision, and no one was even scratched.
The prompt rescues made by the boats or the
Commonwealth due to the quick Wit, coolhess
and good Judgment displayed by party OF Arneri-
can bluejackets who were on board ana VINO
manned them
One of the bluejackets remarked that 1acKles
don't usually waste money on swell staterooms'
and this explains why the saiormen were not
asleep when the collision occurred
The Commonwealth left Fall River and Newport
on Friday night and when well out In the Souno
was blanketed by an intensely thick fog. captain
Williamson her master was N the wheelhouse
and had double lookout forward He reduceo
speed and kept his siren blowing at intervals Inc
steamer poked her way through the fog without
running close to any other craft until ABOUT ie'
a m when she abean Race Rock
Suddenly off the port bow the lights OF tne
volund running at slow speed, appeared ana the
engines of the Commonwealth were sent "illEAiNe
astern There was an exchange or Signals oi'
unable to avert collision Both steer nuns came
together with terrific crash, and they were iocheo
together for about minutes, when the Coiii-
monwealth backed off
The Volund rarnmed aft OF the lorecdS.i.
and she began at TO ship conslderdDle
water When the Commonwealth backed away the
Wounds bow settled, and Captain SchJott hhe"
that he could not long keep afoat
He shouted to his wife when he saw the COM
nlonwealth coming head on for him, ana sne was
by his side when the crash came He ran for"aro
with her and with all his strength hurled her 10
the deck of the big Sound steamer. She fell into
the arms of two bluejackets, who assisted her 10
the cabin. Several women who had come out OIL
their staterooms, awakened by the crash ol INC
vessels gave the Norwegian shippers wl1e some
clothing as she had nothing on but her nlghlrooe-
Four Ieaped to the deck OF the Co1nnloii- non
wealth after the shippers wife was transferred
and one was ordered by the captain TO AWAKEN
those asleep in the forecaste- Six men jumped
overheard when the vessels struck, and captain
Schiott and five men cung to the bridge as the
steamer settled The first lifeboat Of the Com
monwealth. lowered and manned by three due
Jackets in charge of R J. Mitchell, who' with the
other sailors. on his way to the Ne" forh
Navy Yard from the training station at Newport
came alongside the sinking steamer and plcked
them up.
Two other boats, manned partly by bue1acKetS
and partly by men OF the Commonwealth's crew
foundered around among the 'wreckage and TOOK III
the remainder Of the shipwrecked men.
It was said that the Commemorative searchllght
was not thrown on the scene of the wreck until
twenty minutes after the collision, and that the
work of rescue handicapped until the search
light was turned The Commonwealth did not
leave the place where the Vound sank for an
hour and ten minutes, when every one was ac-
counted for.
variety of opinions expressed yesterday
on the speed of the Commonwealth when she
struck the Volund 1t said at the Fall River
Line pier by an official of the company that the
speed did not exceed eight knots. The damage to
the Commonwealth is slight. but she will have to
be laid I'D for a week for repairs 1t was an
nounced Yesterday after she arrived at her pier
that she would start for Fall River in the evening
on time The chief damage to the big s1de-Wheeler
is above the main deck. A large triangular mole
was torn in the bow the starboard side and a
network of dents and scratches extends along the
mates from the hole to the waterline.
It was learned yesterday that the United states
steamboat inspectors who investigated the Larch-
mont disaster would summon the captains ana
crews of both vessels to fix the blame for the col
lision-
The Fall River Line issued statement yester-
day which said in part:
The engine of the steamer Commonwealth was
bacitinr f1l sreed at the time of the COLLISION
CANAAN Williamson Immediately had four boats
lowered and made examination or ms steamer
and found that damage was sustained 70 neI,
and used every available means TO assure tne pas
sengers that no danger existed