The sun., 1909-02-28
TIE MOHAWK OFF HOGS BACK
HOLE ~ HER SIDE BESIDES
TIE TEAR IN HER BOW.
She Was In Peril OF CspslzinE AT Low Tide
Before Coming On--Plates Dented
and Battered n Third OF the Way
From Her Observation-Disclosures Held.

FROM Her cOreIoOt-bulhhcnu HELD.
The revenue cutter Mohawk, which
thrust her ram bow into the rocks OF
Hogs Back at the south end OF Ward +
Island on Friday afternoon on falling
lde, was dragged of at high water yes
ferday afternoon with the assistance of
her own churning propeller going full
speed astern and Of the navy tug Pow
hatan and the lighthouse tender Larkspur
The steel hawsers Of the Larkspur and
the Powhatan we're made fast to the after
bits Of the imprisoned ship and never
we're 80 strained rs on this job OF salving.
The Merritt-Chapman wreckers, who
stood by. were not needed although IL was
thought that thev might be, as the Mohawk
had refused to bulge at high tide in the
morning when the towing ships did their
best. More coal was lightered from the
cutter and Capt Staley NJ. Landrey
prophesied that she would come of at the
next tide
When the morning tide began to drop
the Mohawk took IA greater list 10 star
board. The list increased dangerously
as the tide fell. and Capt. Landrey fearing q
that she might heel clean over on her side
had her braced to a derrick on lighter
on the port side with a steel hawser.
That was the only period in the twenty
two hours that the cutter was held in the
grip Of the reefs that gave her officers and
men any uneasiness.
1t was soon apparent to the wreckers
Of the Merritt Chapman Company that
the collision bulkhead was not going
10 give way and let into the hull of the
Mohawk the water that filled the fore
peak. II was found that the principal
leak was Through a hole about eight
inches In diameter about two feet above
the keel on the starboard side on a line
with the foremast. The pumps Of the
Mohawk were able to keep up with the
leak and It was not necessary TO utilize
any Of the wreckers to keep the Mohawk
free after she was foated She slid OF
into deep water swiftly after the Lark
spur and the Powhatan had been work.
ing on her less than half an hour
She was escorted do~n the East River
to the foot Of Fourth street. where one
Of the biggest Of James Shewan a Sons
dry docks had been made ready 10 re-
ceive her. It took only eleven minutes
for her to get into the dock, and within
half an hour she was out of water COM
plctely and the nature Of her wounds was
revealed.
Her forefoot below her ram bow is
torn about three feet and spectators could
peer into her forepeak through an ir-
regular jagged gap. All her plating on
either side of the keel about third of
her length from the stem is badly dented
and battered. This shows that she
rocked on the reefs, and. as her officers
remarked. she would have been wreck
indeed IL the water had not been COM
paratiy ely placid or as serene as il ever
is in He'll Gate.
Nearly all the dented plates will have
to come out of her and that may force
her 10 stay in dry dock more than two
weeks. IL is seldom that a vessel that
hits on the razor spine Of Hogs Back
gets og within SO short time as the lucky
cutteE ......
While the Mohawk was fast on the ledge
the barge Susan Clark, in tow Of the tug
Norwalk. in making an effort TO pass down
through the Gate bumped into a dredge
and filed and sank her deck was not
submerged and the captain and his wife
and crew were taken of.