The Washington times., 1913-07-31
PANIC ON STEAMER
WHEN BOAT GROUNDS
Women and Children More Hys-
tericaI When Pipe Bursts
and Steam Issues.

With women and children clinging to
life preservers, some fainting. others
almost hysterical, the steamer Charles
H. Werner, was blown aground yester-
day Just a few yards from the pier
at River View, the shock of the boat
striking the beach tearing loose
steampipe that led to the dynamo tur-
bine and sending up cloud of steam
that made many fear the boat was on
fire.
A graphic description of the battle OF
the Werner with the wind and waves
was given this morning by Edward
Busey, one of the last to be taken
off when the steamer ST. Johns and the
Government tugs, Holly and Triton
came to the assistance of the helpless
craft and took off her 400 passengers
and brought them back TO Washington
last night.
The Werner was floated off the beach
at high tide. at 4:3O this morning, ana
an hour later reached her wharf, little
worse for her thrilling trip.
Shore Indistinct.
I'VE were almost to River View when
the storm broke over u.s." said Busey.
The sheets of rain and hail made the
familiar shore line indistinct. and IL
wsa hard to tell where the landing
place was.
I'VE had a hard time getting up to
the end of the pier, and to keep from
being blown further down the river an
anchor was let go. This anchor caught
in the piIing and swung the stern OF the
boat aground, so that Capt. Charles Pert
ner decided to beach her, and according
ly we were run aground
In the meantime lot OF the boys
on board began tearing the life preserV-
ers from their fastenings and putting
them on. and the women also seemed
to be quieter when they had one, though
none of the crew wanted any, and Few
Of the men bothered with them.
''All the officers aO6 the crew who
were not busy handling the boat did
their best to quiet the women VINO were
getting scared. 1 am sure we were never
in any immediate danger, though the
storm was terrifying.
Pipe Tom Loose.
When we went aground the shock
tore loose a steam pipe, and the cloud
of steam made lot of passengers think
the boat was on fire, while others who
saw that it was steam, spread the re-
port that the boiled had burst As a
matter of fact the pipe was one which |
supplied steam to the dynamo turbine, |
and 1t did not, disable the boat
After We were aground and the
Quieter, and by the time the St Johns |
arrived most of the passengers were
ready to joke about the storm, though |
all were worried about what had hap |
pened in the city.
How safe we were is shown by the |
fact that we were in but three feet Of
water after we were beached, and II |
would have been possible for US to wade |
ashore II We had not wanted to stay
on the boat No one was hurt, in spite
Of all the excitement and hardly any
one got wet
The steamers st. Johns and Charles
Macaiester-were both down the river
in the middle of the Potomac when the.
storm struck them, but neithef had any
trouble in weathering IT The st II
Johns was headed for washington
with a large crowd Of excursionists
aboard. and the pilot, by keeping her
nose pointed right into the wind, man
aged tc come through without mis-
hap. When the wind abated, the ST
Johns came alongside the Charles II.
Werner, which was beached, and sue
ceeded in getting the passengers on the II
stranded boat II
Crowds At Wharf.
A large crowd was at the wharf to
meet the incoming excursion steamers
and hundreds were weeping for fear
lovcd ones were lost The first of the
big boats to land was the Manchester,
which brought assurances that every
body on the Werner was safe, with the
St Johns standing by. II
Several pleasure launches had their
superstructures damaged by the gale
Above Water Mark.
Despite the terrific sweep with which
the storm struck the river in the vicin-
ity of the Corinthian Yacht Club, COM
paratively little damage was done to
the craft anchored thereabouts, accord
ing to Commodore c. E. Engling, of
the club. Commodore Engling says that
two boats were blown ashore, one
above high water mark, which has
not yet been gotten back into the wat
er. II
The boat blown above the high
water line said Commodore Engling,
SIS a thirty-five footer. and is owned
by Mr. Collins. A forty footer be-
longing to ]. NJ. Anderson. was also
blown ashore. but was put into the
water again at high tide. The eighteen
footer owned by Carl Lesh, was sunk.
"Other boats that suffered slight dam
age are those owned by W. E. Stock
eft J. A. Marconnier, ]. D. Hill, DR..
A B. Bennett. DR.. J. Allen Wolff. and
myself The damage done to these last
g..