New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-05-14

aerial on the fruiter. We sent out call TOT
help again. Within five minutes we got q
reply from the United States battleship
Iowa, saying: We are coming for you at
twenty knots. VIII be there IN half an
hour
"A few minutes after the Iowa answered
! got the Hamilton. and gave our position
She was closer to US, and I preferred TO
work with her for this reason, giving her
directions and other information that would
help her pick us up. II was exceptionally
foggy at the time. asked the Iowa 10
keep out, and sne complied with the re-
quest
I'VE were working we'll with the Hamii-
ton when the naval station at Charleston
began to work. and it was hard then to
get the Hamilton. Charleston was sending
10 ~ a. R. which I think was the station
at Portsmouth, Va / begged Charleston
to stay out. and told him we were In great
danger. Either he did not understand or
did not get my message, for he kept on
interfering, breaking in continually.
However. I managed to keep at the
Hamilton. directing her to where we were
but the fog was so thick she overran us
and had TO put about TO find us
The last person to leave the Merida was
Captain Robertson He was accompanied
by his two quartermasters. Malcolm A.
McPhee and William A. Els. who preceded
him over the side of the sinking Merida
With the skipper in his llfeboat were the
chief officer, eight seamen and two cadets.
1t was only after much cCaxing, followed
by almost impertinent urging, that the
master of the Merida consented TO leave his
ship. Fifteen minutes after he climbed
down the side the $4,000 liner, with her
big cargo. $4,000 in silver bars, $4,000 In
specie and all the passengers hold baggage
went down in thirty-six fathoms Of water.
Captain Robertson and those who re-
NAMED with him. roamed about the Merida
long after her passengers had been trans
ferred. The skipper tried to topple over
the big safe in the purser's room contain
ing the specie and silver, but 1t would not
bulge.
Then he went about into the staterooms
and hauled out what baggage passengers
had left behind He was anxious to take
as much Of IT as he could over to the own
ers, who were then safely aboard the Far
ragut.
Under absolute pressure OF his men he
climbed into the lfeboat at $40 a. m, and
fifteen minutes later he saw his ship go
down The lifeboat was rowed about sixty
wards from the Merida, where II remained
until she sank The skipper never took his
ewes from his big steel charge until the
waves rolled over her and there was moth
ing to mark the place where she had mo-
ment before floated.
The liner gave a slight list TO starooard
lust before she sank. Her stern settled
and her bow came up. Then she straight
ened out and sank slowly. with her bow
slightly raised AS the water flooded into
her wound IN the port side her matches
burst upward and she disappeared.
The rescuing from the Merida was all
done by her own boats and men. Seven
lifeboats and two RATS were used In the
transfer. After the passengers were safe
~ landed on the Farragut the officers OF
the Merida broke open the air tanks on the
seven lifeboats and sent them TO the bot
tom.
The officers did this so the lifeboats
would not go adrift and cause the masters
of other steamships not knowing OF the
accident to go after them, thinking that
some one might be aboard.