The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-12-29
Torpedo Boat Destroyer
Warrington Ranmed
by Schooner.
CREW TAKEN OFF
IN SMALL BOATS
Little Naval Vessel Badly Dam
aged and Now Is Being lowed
to Hampton Roads-Officers
and Men Calm When
Close to Death at
Sea.

Norfolk. Va. December es.-wlth
stern badly smashed in and water
flooding the aft holds. the torpedo boat
to Norfolk by the revenue cutter onon-
daga. The Warrington was rammed
by an unidentified schooner this morn
ing, fifteen miles northeast Of Cape
HutteIas. Two men were badly In
jured by the collision. which occurred
during the height of forty-ive-lnii
gale. when sea and sky were one mass
OF indis tlnguisha BILE blackness. The
injured men are:
runners Mate ]. NJ Stanley, foot cut.
Chief Boatswnin's Mato L. NJ Bound
er. badly bruised all over body and a
thrce-inch scalp wound.
TWO other men were seriously in
jured when the greater part of the
crew of seventy men on tn Warrington
were transferred in small boats to the
Onondaga. which raced from New York
on an 20. s. D. call. One of the men
had three ribs broken and another an
arm severely bruised, the small boats
in which the transfer was made being
dashed against the steel sides of the
Warrington by heavy swell.
The Onondaga arrived at the scene
OF the accident about noon, finding the
Warrington anchored and in no imme-
date danger. The torpedo boats Ster-
rctt, Perkins, Paulding and Drayton,
which were coming up the coast behind
tho Warrington. were also standing by.
Fifty-siX men were transferred 10 the
Onondaga from the Warrington. Four
teen, including all the officers of the
vessel. remained on board the crippled
torpedo boat.
The water, which had poured
through the assures IN the stern. was
held in the aft holds by bulkheads.
Immediate examination following
the collision showed the bulkheads TO
be intact, and the Vessel in no danger
OF sinking.
When the accident occurred this
morning at . o'clock the Warrington
was leading nine other members of
the Mosquito fleet up the coast from
Charleston to New York via Norfolk.
eighth and ninth divisions of the At
iantic torpedo fleet They left Charles
ton Tuesday morning and up to late
Wednesday afternoon, when the heavy
gale set in, had been making good
time.
The Warrington was eight or ten
miles ahead of the other members OF
the fleet now half under and now half
out OF the water as the forty-tive-
mile gale swept the rough sea over
the little vessels.
Suddenly out of the darkness loom
cd the Houndering schooner. Before
the man on watch could swing the tor
pedo boat out of the schooners course
the lattcrs nose rammed the Warning
ton. Then the schooner scudded off
In the darkness before any of the men
aroused by the shock could tell wheth-
er she was a two or four masted yes
sell The blow sent the Warringto on
staggering and shuddcring, all of the
crew except those on witch being thrown
from their hammocks. Stanley was
thrown against the after bulkhead,
sustaining badly cut foot. Bounder
was pitched heudfrst from his ham
mock to the steel floor. receiving a
threc-inch cut on his head and being
bruised all over
The officers and men, with the cour-
age typical of the American blue
Jackets, remained calm in the face OF
what looked like an awful death in
the sea \ hasty examination showed
the torpedo boat leaking badly through
the broken stern plates.
No other part of the vessel was in
jured. and the bulkheads were found
to be in perfect condition. keeping the
water to one part of the ship.