New-York tribune., 1909-05-28
BIG LINER HUGS FORT
PRINZESS 1LICE STEALS
ASHORE IN FOG.
Sand Ledge off Wads5corh Holds
Her Fast-Hopes to Get off at
High Tide This Morning.

Under unusual intermittent fog conditions
which prevailed all the harbor yesterday,
the North German Lloyd liner Princess Alice,
outbound for Bremen, went ashore on the sand
ledge bordering Fort Wadsworth. and, accord
ing to her master. the pilot who was taking
her out and the wrecking men who went to her
aid last night; she will remain there until high
tide. at 3 o'clock this morning. But it is be-
;ieved by many tugboat shippers who, with their
craft were prowling about the big liner yester-
dav that she will be lucky if she is able to clear
for Bremen at high water this afternoon.
According to the story of those on board and
those on shore who the grounding, the
steamer stole ashore quietly out of the fog like
a thief in the night" one of the artillerymen
al Fort Wadsworth expressed it Major HAM
commanding officer Of the fort who was in his
Office on the top Of the embanl1ment TO the left
of the fortifications said he was looking out OF
The window when the Alice came up on the
sboal It was fairly clear about five minutes
hefore she grounded. he said, and cleared again
after she struck The first knowledge those
aborIt the fort had that there was a steamer
close by was the rattle Of the starboard anchor
chain as it clanked out of the hawsepipe
The Princess Alice. according to her COM
mander Captain Grosch. left her pier IN no.
hoken about 10 a. m. She went slowly down
the bay and came into clear weather at Quar-
antine. which is ABOUT q til'uSs'iIu H''''' ''0
Of the place where she stuck
IA BRETAGNE NOT To BLAME
The French liner La Bretagne was ahead of
ne a. Quarantine" said Captain Grosch, and
she crowded us little on the way down the
Harroxs She was we'll out of our way though
at the time we went aground and Is IN no WaV
70 blame for the accident"
THE fog set in ahead of US after We Let
Quarantine and we could not see a thing when
we heard the bell on Fort Tompkins- We heaid
il twice once before we struck and again as We
went on the shoal The first time heard 1t
the pilot thought it the Little Swash ht"
buoy We had no idea that were so close in
and when the fort loomed up suddenly We
thought II was ship at anchor.
we we're steaming at six knots and when
v-a realized where We were we threw out our
starboard anchor and reversed to fun Spee'
astern. It was no use, however. for the anch'"
dragged along the sand without catching ana
". went right up against the fort
The skipper said later in the afternoon tla'
he was drawing five fathoms undtr MS i'
mast. and that it was only about thir'H les' 90
Tho how thai was holding the steamer fast
shortly after sunset three lighters, four tugs
ord the wrecking tugs Hustler and Relief of
., Merritt Chapman Wrecking Company. went
down to the Alice They VIII take out her cafs'
of case oil and make an effort TO float her al
o'clock this morning Practically al the wat
ballast forward had been pumped out yestern"'
ofterroon when six tugs hauled at the liner
,arr b,t even this with the reversing "f II"
sbip's tropellers. could not bulge her.
nelson Alderman. the lighthouse keeper al
r-o-t -ronpkins said the first knowledge he had
Of the proximity Of the Princess Ailce vas v"
10 Ter, his living room TO shut of the bell Wni'h
seconds
Tho fog had been running in patches all the
eoo,, said Alderman. The lighthouse
l-a,or ,,,rned 10 his log book and pointed 20 ms
cords You see. we had fog from 80 a. H.
. G al a m during which lighted up. inc"
a. -.e clear but the fog came again At '-"o d
~ and lasted in spots until II: 80 a. NJ
az. q, the rule here that when we can see
o,,arsntine Norton's Point ana roT' ha
80, ring the bell could see all three OF
these places and was just going out oL iNS 80
- ston the automatic striker when saw the
- % ,ho PRINCESS Alice come right up In front
- ,a There was a sailor standing up in the
- nd said TO him without raising my
voice:
...Ieuo, how did you come here?
"FIe laughed and said Just this way.
.I askad him If anything had gone wrong with
his steering gear or engines, ana ne put MS
eneer up 10 his lips. suggesting silence. 1t was
no q. m when the steamers bow came up
oeajns, the fort. There was no noise and no ex-
element on board. l shouted to the captain on
the bridge and asked if could do anything for
him. and he said he wanted tender
MAKES FAST TO GOVERNMENT PIER.
,-antain Grosch asked 10 have line made fast
| 70 tho government pier at Fort Wadsworth
! The skiuper was afraid Of the ebb tide. and did
not want the liners stern to swing seaward be
| fore the how was Iightered. Major Haan finally
/ consented though he said he did not want TO see
the PRINCESS Alice pull his wharf into the Mar
rows. He explained that the wharf had no land
| s,,r,orts and was hardly stout enough TO hold
| the steamer in place
CAPTAIN Henry c Daniel, Of the quarter
masters supply boat General Meigs who helped
/ ting AT the steamer shortly after she went
/ aground said the course of the Princess Alice
1 should have been south a half east" coming
! from the Bay Ridge bell buoy to Craven Shoal.
! Captain Daniel said the pilot must have been
| steering south a half west" to get where he
/ went ashore.
A late examination Of the Princess Alice
showed that she was damaged and no water
/ had leaked into her hold. The lighthouse tender
4 Relief anchored near the liner for the night.
The steamer carried I67 first. 143 second and
! l26 steerage passengers.