The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-05-13
Big Ward er, Merida,
Sent to Oceans
Bottom.
ALL ON BOARD
ARE IA KEN OFF
Wireless Calls for Help Bring
Battleship Iowa and Liner
Hamilton to scene-Fruit
Steamer, Admiral Farragut,
Escapes With Bad
Hole in Bow.

Norfolk. Va. May IA near traE-
edy OF the sea. filled with many thrill.
ling narratives Of human rescue and
escape. occurred off this coast early
today when the splendid Ward Line
steamer Merida. bound from Havana.
Cuba. for New York. with 3Is souls on
board. sank in thirty-ive fathoms or
water, nifty five miles northeast OF
Cape Charles, after she had been ram
med by the fruit steamer Admiral Far
regut. bound from philadelphia for
| Port Antonio.
| Ever person aboard the Merida was
rescued put one was seriously injur-
ed. Ihis was the Wife Of A. Poem q
| land proprietor of progresso. Mexico.
VINO with his entire family was bound
lot Paris TO await the end of Mexican
hostiiities. Mira. Peon. occupying a
room Immediately next TO where the
farragut struck the Merida. was
crushed. and IT Is feared that she has
| suffered Internal injuries
1 Strikes In Dense Fog
Ine Merida was struck by the .,d
mlrai Farragut during dense for al
iz;ao last night. after the former had
enjoyed most delightful voyage from
havana with fine weather and a per-
iect sea The collision came 10 Inc
sleeping passengers like thunde.
oolt out of the skies OF blue. In I'VE
| hours the Merida was at the bottom
OF The sea. but her passengers and
rev safely aboard her much smaller
an i, sonist. the Admiral Farragut.
ny means OF wireless telegraphy
iiashed from wires that for several
hours had been out of commission as
me result OF the severe impact tn.
oio Dominion Steamship Company's
steamer Hamilton. bound from New
YORK to Norfolk. was summoned by the
ndmiral farraSut and taking aboard
ne rescued passengers and crew Of
the Merida, landed them In Norfolk al
| Z o'clock Tonight
Inc Admiral Fnrragut. which carried
! out one passenger, whose name was NOT
obtained. proceeded for the Delnware
Breakwater. under convoy. 1t IS he
ieved' OF the United States battleship
IOWA. which arrived early on the soena
IN answer to wireless appeals for as
slstance. and was standing by the Far
ragut when the steamer Hamilton LEFT
win the rescued passengers and crew
for Norfolk il
The Admiral Farragut. after r,m-
ming the Merida, vessel several
times her size. staggered away with
bad hole in her port bow. and IT was
reared FOR time that she, too, might
'-eft In Dnrkncss.
me F'arragut crashed into the Merida
MIN great force not only disabling
the iatter's engines, but wrecking her
electrical dynamo and leaving the ship
IN total blackness, with her wireless
apparatus also wrecked and the steam
er helpless except for the. aid that the
Farrasut was subsequently, able TO her.
| self give
fortunately, the Farragut also car
ried wireless but when Operator Leach
| first attempted to send out call for
assistance he found his appeal could
not be heard The Farragut's wireless.
like that of the Merida had suffered Sc
verely and would not work
| While efforts were being made 10
call for help the work of transferring
passengers and crew from the sinking
Merida to the Admiral Farragut pro-
crossed. Among the passengers brought
to the Farragut from the Merida was
Perry f. Benton. one Of the real heroes
| or the hour. Benton is an expert en-
sineer. and 1t was largely through his
assistance mad knowledge of mechan-
les that the wireless apparatus on the
! Farragut was repaired and Operator
Leach was finally, at $3.50 o'clock able
to send out his first call for aid. This
/ was heard by the Old Dominion liner
| Hamilton and the battleship Iowa
! Both of them were about flfty-fve miles
away, and the Hamilton sent an en-
couraging message. saying: I'VE will
lreach you by s o'clock"
| Then the Hamilton and the Iowa be-
! gan race to save lives. The Hamil-
ton won. 1t was just few minutes
! after o'clock when the Hamilton
sighted the Admiral Farragut, and in
! half an hour was close enough 10 send
out lifeboats. The SEQ souls We're
! transferred from the Farragut TO the
Hamiltonfin Just two hours. The sea
cept for the fog and blackness of night.
was easy. The Admiral Farragut
| showed signs of sinking. and Captain
| Boaz. of the Hamilton. wanted to take
| off the members of her crew, but they
decided to stand by and carry the ship
bnck to Philadelphia
Thrown From Beds.
! According to the passengers on board,
the lights on the Merida were eNtin-
| gushed ten minutes after the collision
| occurred. There was. however, no en-
element of great nature aboard
| Passengers were thrown from their
| beds in staterooms and hunks below
Ibut officers of the ship assumed con.
| troll of the situation and Gained the
| fright OF the women passengers, three
or four OF whom. having Infants in
their arms rushed upon the decks in
their night dresses
The Merida was Al feet long. fifty
feet beam. thirty-fve feet deep, with
a displacement Of approximately 10000
tons. The vessel was only about FIVE
| years old. Its tonnage was 5000 Pre-
vious to the wreck last night the Me-
rlda had made splendid progress on It's
trip TO New York. Wednesday 355
miles were covered, while on Thursday
tho Merida had roma too c,Iloo ,,,.lxtp n