Evening capital and Maryland gazette., 1912-12-09
THE STEAMER ATLANTIC
AORIFT IN THE BAY
Disabled With Eighteen Passengers
Aboard.
EVERY LIGHT WENT OUT.
Boiler Pumps Went Wrong and APP
paratus 0ut Of Commission No
Panic Aboard.

Although the regular run from An
napolis to Claiborne over the Eastern
Shore Steamship Development Com
pany's line had to be abandoned to-
day, because of the accident 20 the
steamer Atlantic, winch became help
less in the bay Saturday nignt by the
bursting of boiler feed tube while
bouad for Annapolis. officials OF the
company today stated the schedule
will be resumed tomorrow, or al any
rate by Wednesday.
Meantime President A. j. McIn-
tosh, who has just retdrned from
weekend trip to Norfolk and Old
| Point Comfort, is negotiating to se-
cure another boat TO take the place
of the Atlantic. No serious incon-
venience will, therefore, result to
| traffic between here and the Eastern
Shore points touched by the company.
President Mcintosh did not know of
the trc uble until this morning.
/ While the passengers on board the
| Atlantic had decidedly unpleasant
experience. Capt. Charles r. Kerr,
master of the vessel, said today that
there was NO real cause for alarm.
Some of the passengers were thor
oughly frightened for a time, how
ever Fortunately there were only
three women among the complement
of eighteen passengers. These were
cared for in the Captains cabin until
assistance was given by the Old Bay
Line steamer Virginia, while the men
were able TO stand the resulting dis
comfort somewhat better.
While the officials are not in a po-
sition just now 10 discuss the oues-
tion, Il is understood that it is un-
likely that the Atlantic will be re-
turned to service at all II is known
that her boilers and. in fact, her gen.
eral condition, is only fair She
needs good bill of caulking, too, for
| il is SAID that several of her seams
are leaking quite badly in some places.
If it is decided to utilize her for fu-
ture service, it will be several weeks
before thorough overhauling and
repairs are completed.
Sighted by the Old Bay Line steam
er Virginia, the steamer Atlantic, of
the Eastern Shore Development and
Steamship Company. with her Is
passengers aboard, was rescued at
4:S0 O'CLOCK yesterday morning.
The pass myers were half frozen
and in dread lest at any moment the
steamer would sink under them.
Ths steamer Atlantic had been dis
abled and drifted about since s
o'clock Saturday night, when she was
finally sighted by the Virginia short
/ " before 5o'clock yesterday morning.
Three women We're amolg those
taken off the crippled boat, and there
were also a number of Baltimoreans.
| For while. although the officers of
| the Atlantic assured them that there
was no particular danger, everyone,
bearing in mind the Titanic tragedy,
had visions of a watery grave, and
the assertion of the officers of both
boats that there was no demonstra.
| tion of fear on the part of anyone,
/ speaks we'll for those who felt they
were in deadly peril.
According to its schedule the At
lantic left Claiborne for Annapolis
late Saturday afternoon. There were
no indications that anything was
wrong until suddenly at O'Clock
every light OF board hickered once
and went out, leaving the steamer
in pitch darkness. Instantly the Off
Gers we're on deck among the passen-
| gers, assuring them that one of the
boilers was ont of commission tempo
rarily, and with the exception of a
| slight eommotion as the ship slowed
down and finally came to dead stop.
there was perfect order. In short
time oil lamps were lighted and hung
around the boat and the anchor was
let down. Then the long wait for the
appearance of rescuer began.
As the hours passed the boat be-
came very cold, as all the heating
apparatus had been put out OF COM
mission with the boilers. The night
was extremely dark and there was
great danger of being run down by
another boat. and it was not until
4 80 o. clock in the morning that ves-
sci, which turned out to be the Vir-
gnia, bound for Baltimore from Nor
folk, came in sight and signaled that
the sufferers were to be saved.
"We were somewhere near Bloody
Point, at the lower end of Kent Is
land, . said E. F. Daugherty, first
officer of the rescuing vessel. when
noticed light swing backward and
forward about two miles away on the
eastern side of the channel and one
and a-half miles from shore. We
got little nearer aud | saS that il
was on q disabled boat. AS soon as
we got close enough we let down a
boat, and after three trips all the
passengers we're on the Virginia. II
was cold and they were mighty glad
to see US
Capt. w. G. Lane. of the Virginia,
told of being awakened by a message
from the first mate, saying q ship il
distress was in sight. q dressed il
/. a hurry and ran up on the bridge, anl
as soon as possible we had boat OF
the way. Fortunately the SEA wa
not rough. If it had been we wouIs
| have had a serious time. Every ont
| ~ those we took of stood the strait