Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1914-02-03
Big G DISASTER IlI|SsiAA At SEA
Fofty.One People Lose Their Lives
In Collision
STEAMER NANTUCKET SINKS MONROE
Two Vessels Came Together in q
Thick Fog, and One Of Them 10 Sent
to the Bottom With Many Passsn-

Thick Fog, and One Of Them 10 Sent
to the Bottom With Many Passsn-
gers and Crow. '' z'r'h ''Hi 20
Norfolk, Va, Jan. 30.-The story Of
how II people went down to death in
the chill water Of the Atlantic when
the liner Nantucket rarnmed and sank
the steamer Monroe early today was
brought to port tonight by So survi-
vors Of the sunken ships passengers
rescued and brought to shore by the
Nantucket. It was story OF awful and
sudden death, sweeping out Of the
dark and fog and taking unawares the
doomed half hundred with the heavi-
ness Of sleep still upon them. It told
how the stricken Monroe, with her side
gored deep by the knifelike steel prov
Of the Nantucket, filled rapidly. rolled
over on her side and in a few. minutes
turned completely over and plunged to
the bottom, carrying with her the Ill
fated passengers and members of the
crew who had failed to get clear Of
the wreck. Ia.. So
Tonight the revised lists prepared
by Capt. Johnson, who survived the
sunken vessel, showed:
Lost: Passengers 10. crew %, total
Il. Ht"H pin 80
Saved: Passengers 80. crew 80. total
80.
f. ]. j. Newby, United States navy,
chief petty officer, who was on ten
days leave. intending to spend 1t in
New York, was among the survivors.
Newby gave the Associated Press an
interesting description Of the accident.
Judging from my watch, which
stopped after I went into the water.
the accident happened at Las. My
watch stopped at LIS and judge that
II was not more than ten minutes from
the time the boats struck until ! was
In the water.
II was in bed when the crash came
and Immediately grabbed my trousers,
coat and cap and what little money !
had. Almost Immediately the vessel
listed strongly and in going up on deck
/ had to crawl like a monkey.
1.-THE officers Of the vessel acted
with promptness and efficiency. In an
Incredibly short time all Of the officers
were at their posts and the members
Of the crew not caught in their hunks
were in their proper places. atlI.cf
There was no panic in the ordinary
sense of the word, as used in describ-
ing accidents at sea. There was ex-
element, Of course, but the passen-
gers anc crew all conducted themselves
as far as I could see, in q proper man
ner. Efforts were made to, launch
boats and RATS, but with very little
success. There was hardly time for
anything. ~ E.
1.-THE engine room was evidently
flooded almost Immediately, as In a
few minutes the lights were out and
undoubtedly this caused a greater loss
of life among the passengers than
would otherwise have occurred. Many
unfamiliar with the ship evidently lost
their way in their efforts to get. on
deck and were swept down in the
whirlpool.
MANY of the passengers and crew
who lost their lives were evidently
killed in their hunks or pinioned there
so that they could not escape. The ves-
sci was struck on the starboard side
just forward OF amidships and so
quickly did she go to pieces, that, as j
was leaving, noticed the paint on the
bulkheads was crumbling and scaling
off,"
To the Associated Press Capt. p.
Nelson Of the Old Dominion steamship
Hamilton, which conveyed the Nan
tucket from the scene Of the wreck
into Norfolk harbor, said:
I'VE were able to do very little, as
the work was all over before we could
get on the scene. Our wireless picked
up s o e at about ESQ this morning,
when were were in a heavy fog and
running quite slowly. We were only
80 miles away, but on account Of the
fog, were forced to proceed very slow
ly, so that it was o'clock when we
came within signaling distance Of the
Nantucket.
AT that time the Nantucket show
ed badly broken nose and the crew
was engaged in putting her in as good
shape as possible. We stood along
side to render whatever aid was nee
essary, with lifeboats and ladders in
readiness and in the meantime on the
lookout for anything that could be
picked up.
I'VE found only one lifeboat and that
was empty The Monroe had gone
down like a rock within ten minutes
after she was struck and nothing was
to be found"
Assistant General Manager E E. Pa
len Of the Old Dominion Steamship
company tonight gave the Associated
Press the following statement:
"The Monroe left Norfolk at TAO and
ran into light fog when outside of
the capes, and was proceeding eau
tiously on her route to New York, blow
ing fog whistle every minute by an
automatic time clock.
"She passed two vessels, stopping in
each case when she heard their sig
mails.
when about halfway between Cape
Charles lightship and the Winter
Quarter lightship, the lookout heard
the fog whistle Of the Nantucket off
her starboard bow. She stopped and
blew two whistles, which were re-
sponded to by the Nantucket. She
again blew two whistles, which were
not responded to, and Immediately
thereafter the crash came.
The Nantucket was not visible ex-
cept Immediately before the collision,
the fog being heavy near the water,
but light above that.
THE Monroe was struck on the
starboard side, about one-third the
distance from her bow, the Nantucket
penetrated the Monroe something like
one-third Of her width, making the
sinking of the Monroe inevitable.
Capt. Johnson, who had been in the
pilot house for several hours, imme-
diately gave notice to the steward to