Las Vegas optic. (East Las Vegas, N.M.) 1908-1921, 1912-04-08
TUGS SRESCUETHEPASSENGERS
CREW PREFERS TO REMAIN
WITH THE SHIP ON ADVICE
OF THE COMMANDER
ON ROCKY MONTAUk POINT
SCENE OF THE WRECK is IN DAN
eERoUs WATERS IN NORTH
ATLANTIC

Ditch Plain Life Station, Long iR-
land, April S.-The steamer Ontario,
1000 tons burden, Baltimore to Bos-
ton with Is passengers and . crew of
40, was run on the rocks of Montauk
Point by her captain early today when
fire was discovered in her hold. The
passengers were transferred in life
boats to the tug Tasco, from New
London, Conn, which rushed to the
scene in response TO the Ontario's s.
10. S. wireless signals and after six
hours work the fire was brought un-
der control.
The vessel is hard ground aground
with light sea running and but little
wind, and there is little danger, ap-
parently. of her going to pieces. Life
savers hovered near the vessel in
their boats all morning, ready to take
off the crew but Captain Bond, when
the fire was under control said there
would be no need for their services,
Two crews Of life savers. in II
boats, and three revenue cutters are
standing alongside. A'breeches buoy
was shot to the vessel from the shore
when she first went on the rocks at 2
o'clock this morning, but the captain
after transferring the passengers to
tug. sent word by life savers to his
srew would remain aboard.
Long before daylight they had chop
ped dozen holes through the pilot
house and water was pumped by the
vessels cwn engines into ths hold.
AT 6 o'clock Captain Bond sent word
ashore that the fire had been check
ed. The fire broke out during the
night and became SO threatening thai
shortly before o'cIock this morning
Captain Bond ordered the wireless
operator Ito send S. o. s. distress sig
nal. An hour later he turned back
upon his course and drove the vessel
full speed ahead for the reefs off
Montauk Point.
Through the early morning hours
the wireless sputtered along the en-
tire North Atlantic Coast with news
of the vessels danger Ten minutes
later the men at this station saw the
ship on the rocks, hurried off with
breeches buoy apparatus and later
dragged their surf boat on its truck
three miles over the beach to the
burning steamer.
The life savers, reinforced by a
crew from the Hither Plain station,
two miles away, transferred the pas
sengers in small boats to a tug and
stood off in readiness TO take the
crew ashore if need be-. Although the
flames could not be seen, great
cloud of steam and smoke arose from
the burning ship and spread a haze
along the water front for miles. Cap
tain Bond told the life savers that
the fire was confined entirely to the
hold. The hull of the vessel was bad
ly blistered on the outside.
The Ontario is a vessel Of 1887 tons
net. She is 300 feet long. of steel,
and was built in 1904 She left Bal
timero Saturday The revenue cut
tiers Mohawk ars Seneca picked up
the wireless call at New York and
cutter Acushnet at Boston hurried to
the scene. They we're able to give
but little assistance. however
Ait $3.50 Captain Bond sent word
ashore that the fire was under con-
troll, and the vessel was then hard
aground and apparently in no dan
ger of breaking up. The tug Tasco.
with the Ontario's passengers aboard.
was then still alongside. It was re-
ported that the passengers would be
landed at New London, Conn A
wrecking tug is on the way here