Little Falls herald., 1914-02-06
Steamers Crash Off.
Virginia Coast.
COLLISION DURING FOG
Liner Nantucket Rams and Sinks
Steamer Monroe.
.! ,.s& E.E&s'-SS5@ 5@s

Norfolk, Va, Jan. 3l.-The story 0E
how folty-three persons went down
to death in the chill waters OF the At
| i::itic when the liner Nantucket ram
med and sank the steamer Monroe.
| was brought to pert by the ,ainety-
nine survivors OF the sinisen ships
company who were rescued and
| brought to shore by the Nantucket ss
l.; was a story OF sudden DEATH
sweeping out OF the dark and ,Eog, and
| taking unawares the doomed half EEn-
drod With tie hcayiacss Of sleep stHf !.
| upon them. Il .c1d how tle; stricken
| A'cnroe, with her :;Ge gcred deep by
the krife:Ee Steel prev OF the Nan &
ticket. filed rapidly, rolled over on
| t:tr side and in a few minutes turned
! over and plunged to the bottom, car :
! ,ying with her tire i'll fated passen-
| gers and members OF the crew who
! lad failed to get clear:of the wreck ..
| Under the thick bank of fcg that
hid the heavily running sea both big
s2irs were making their wa; Slowly
! and Will, difficulty. The Monroe, with
Captain Johnson ON the bridge and a
| double lockout pee:ing into the fog
ahead, was edgjng under half speed.
i 10 the nortllwarl having left Norfolk
! for Kew Icc! with 4 nerve racklng.
! fog bound voyage II prospect. : \.
! The Nantucket; he;>ill' laden With
! freight, and With but t;o passengers
/ aboard, vas nc3ia.: her way south
/ ward bound from Boston to Norfolk.
4 Orders Lifebosts Lowered. .+#G
! The crash came without warning. /.
! Out ci the gray black fog that shut
| out even the waves from view the
! CLEAN, Of the -Nantlcket's seaEAnghIt
scarcely touched the dripping side Of /
! the Monroe before the high STEEL
I PROV Of the southwark bound VAsselI
cut into the Monroe's side with. q rip +
4 ping and crushing Of plates. The:
Nantucket, with her bow crushed in.
! backed out Of sight into the 11gg, as
Captain johnson, seeing that hts Yes
J sci, was doomed, shouted an order for
Tie Efeboats. ....4:.=.#
When the crash came most OF those
on hoard the Monroe were in bed and
asleep Cnly Captain Johnson and
She crew on watch we're up and about.
Eut the shivering OF the stricken yes
sci, s:1d her listing: motion, as the
was@er Dc:1rcd through the gashs In her
SIDE, awakened. the sleeping laSaen
GERS and sent them cla7nberng to-
ward .t.e deck. ='s. :.->
Warneu by the officers they Aur-
riedly. adjusted lie pTeservers and
Ecs1e toI the tilted deck. But the
ti!oe, was all TOO brief. Those 1esoned
agreed that from thc ti,ne the MoRroe
stt-2ck until spe settled bel,eath
the waves not more than a short ten
minutes elapsed. .@=3
baggage cloth :ng. va!,:sk3ee---alt
lwere forgotten, III the ilight from the
statereoms of tAe sini:ing Monroe.
Night clothing and blankets were
the common apparel Of these WHO
made the slippery up ended deck be-
fore the water trapped them below.
AS the hall clad, excited thrcng Of
passengers reached the deck they
were hurried toward the lifeboats By
1.-THE officers, and the crew. Three OF
the lifeboats from one. side OF the ves-
Isel. were lnshipped and got away
ifrom the side, filled mostly with WON
len, shiyering il the wet and cold II
ltheir f1imsy night clothing:
| Unable to launch Other Beats
BY the time these were away tho,
Monroe was rolling over :on her side
land it was Impossible to- launch the
other boats. <%4.z S. 81 ..1. 8.
With 4 sudden lurch the liner, now
ifast filing With the water that rushed
Through the rent il her plates, rolled
lover Oh her side, throwing up her ia
injured side then 5submerging cabins
land saloons. 5s*
l With. chorus OF shrieks the un
lfortunates left on the sinking vessel
turned and crawled over the super
|structure, through portholes, windows
land companionways, until they rested.
Lust out of reach OF the waves, on Mo
upper side Of the half capsized yes
lsel. #E .=.5s s szs5 5 81
But even this, slippery security WIS
not long available. With q runb1pe
sound the. big. vessel shiyered and
shook, and then plunged beneath tha
waves, leaving her human freieht
fafloat in the Icy ocean.
Meantime the Nantucket hsEgelff
badly damaged, had stood BY
Captain Berry had aroused .his sslsl,
Ing Grew. As the nenectual rays 1tk
the searchlight failed TO pierce
blanket Of the fog Captain Berr
dered out his hfeboats and ono by -
they slipped away into the fog tbI
search for the Monroe They f0de
cnly the struggling survivors, afioat I.
the icy sea, crying frantically Tor help s
Many of those picked up we're atte
| lly exhausted and unable tohelp thenl
selves. Several had g be hauled o.
: the side q To Vith e q