The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1912-03-16
Ocean Liner Is Rammed by
German Bark Off 'Beachy-
hand in the English Chan
mel Early Today.
p VICTIMS WERE
WOMEN PASSENGERS
Cargo of Human Freight
Swamps the Life Boat and
All but One Woman in 1t
Were. Drowned.
(National News Association)


EASTBOURNE, Eng. March 16.-
The Peninsular and Oriental liner
Oceana was rammed by the four-mast-
ed German bark Pisagua off Beachy-
head in the English Channel, early to-
day and SO badly damaged that she
sank 81. hours later while attempting
to reach port.
Twenty-four lives were lost, one of
the small boats of the liner having
capsized and all but one on it being
drowned. twenty-five of the victims
were women. The German vessel, a
much heavier ship than the Oceana,
which carried 500 passengers, struck
the Oceana amidships and the latter
began to settle Immediately. The
panic stricken passengers of the
Oceana, attired in their night clothes,
for the disaster occurred at 4:30 this
morning, while most of them were
asleep, rushed to the decks. The Off
GERS succeeded in calming the excited
men and women, but the crew became
so panic stricken that they were un-
able to lower lifeboats from the da-
Wits. Most of them dropped to their
knees on the decks, praying and wait
ing for the end to come.
Passengers rushed to the aid of the
officers and the small boats were
soon launched. twenty-five of the pas
sengers piled into the first boat and it
was soon under way.
Several hours after the collision this
boat was found floating keel upward
off New Haven, ten miles westward,
with a woman clinging to the keel.
She was almost dead from fright and
| exhaustion, but from the fragments Of
her story it was gathered by coast
guards that the boat had been swamp.
ed owing to it's heavy cargo Of human
freight, and all the others had gone to
the bottom.
In addition to the 500 passengers
which the Oceana carried, she al
SO had $5,OOO,OOO in specie ON board.
This is believed to have been saved as
the Oceana was taken under tow by
a channel mail boat which stood by
after the collision. However, the yes
sci was not saved. She filled SO rapid.
ly that when z miles off Dover she
sank to the bottom of the channel.
The weather was clear at the time
of the accident and life guards along
the promontory of Beachy-head could
easily see the Oceana.
AS quickly as possible life boats put
out from the New Haven station. They
took off many of the passengers and
the terrorized crew.
The bark crushed into the Oceana
| on the port side, her sharp PROV ram
ming big hole that extended both
above and below the water line. The
Pisagua was under strong headway
and the liner careened over nearly on
her beam ends.
So swiftly did the water rush IN
that the decks were soon covered and
the passengers had to wade through
two feet of water to get to the life
| boats.
! The officers of the ship gave orders
that the women schould be saved first
Consequently all passengers In the
boat which capsized were women ex
cept the men who were plying the
oars. The liner was taken in tow al
6 O'Clock and four hours later sank to
the bottom of the channel.
| The German bark Pisagua is one OF
the biggest sailing ships plying the
channel. She is of $3.50 tons dis
placement. She halls from Hamburg.