Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1914-02-05
Steamers Crash Off
Virginia Coast.
COLLISION DURING FOG
Liner Nantucket Rams and Sinks
Steamer Monroe.

how forty-three persons went down
to death in the chill waters of the At
lantic when the liner Nantucket ram
med and sank the steamer Monroe
was brought to port by the ninety
nine survivors OF the sunken ships
company who were rescued and
brought to shore by the Nantucket.
1t was a story of sudden death,
sweeping Out of the dark and fog and
taking unawares the doomed half hun
dred with the heaviness of sleep still
upon them, 1t told how the stricken
Monroe, with her side gored deep by
the knifelike steel PROV of the Nan
tucket, filled rapidly, rolled owe on
her side and in a few minutes turned
over and plunged to the bottom, car
rying with her the i'll tated passen-
gers and members of the crew who
had failed to get clear Of the wreck.
Under the thick bank of fog that
hid the heavily running sea both big
ships were making their way slowly
and with difficulty. The Monroe, with
Captain Johnson on the bridge and a
double lookout peering into the fog
ahead, was edging under half speed
to the northward, having left Norfolk
for New York with a nerve racking,
fog bound voyage in prospect.
The Nantucket, heavily laden with
freight, and with but two passengers
aboard, was nosing her way south
ward bound from Boston to Norfolk.
Orders Lifeboats Lowered.
The crash came without warming.
Out Of the gray black fog that shut
out even the waves from view the
CLEAN Of the Nantucket's ~searchlighL
scarcely touched the dripping side of
the Monroe before the high steel
prov of the southwark bound vessel
cut into the Monroe's side with a rip
ping and crushing of plates. The
Nantucket, with her bow crushed in,
backed out of sight into the fog, as
Captain Johnson, seeing that his yes
sci was doomed, shouted an order for
the lifeboats.
Z ilS lao l. IloSl vi "
Oh board the Monroe were in bed and
asleep. Only Captain Johnson and
the crew OF watch were up and about.
But the ~shivering of the stricken YES
sci and her listing motion, as the
water poured through the cash in her
side, awakened the sleeping passen-
gers and sent them clambering to-
ward the deck,
Warned by the Off cers they hur-
riedly adjusted life preservers and
made for the tilted deck. But the
time was all too brief. Those rescued
agreed that from the time the Monroe
struck until she settled beneath
the waves not more than a short ten
minutes elapsed.
Baggage, clothing. valuables-all
were forgotten in the flight from the
staterooms of the sinking Monroe.
Night clothing and blankets were
the common apparel of those who
made the slippery up ended deck be-
fore the water trapped them below.
= AS the half clad, excited throng of
passengers reached the deck they
were hurried toward the lifeboats by
she officers and the crew. Three Of
the lifeboats from one side OF the yes
sci were unshipped and got away
from the side, filled mostly with wom-
en-, shivering in the wet and cold in
their tlimsy night clothing.
Unable to Launch Other Boats.
BY the time these were away the
Monroe was rolling over On her side
and it was impossible to launch the
other boats.
With a sudden lurch the liner, now
fast filling with the water that rushed
through the rem in her plates, rolled
over on her side, throwing up her IN
injured side, then submerging cabins
and saloons.
With a chorus Of shrieks the I'm.
fortunates left on the sinking vessel
turned and craWled over the super
structure, through portfolios, windows
and companionways, until they rested.
just out of reach of the waves, or the
upper side of the half capsized YES.
sci.
But even this slippery security was
not long available. With a rumbling
sound the big vessel shivered and
shook and then plunged beneath the
waves, leaving her human freight
afoat in the icy ocean
Meantime the Nantucket, herself
badly damaged, had stood by and
Captain Berry had aroused his sleep
ing crew. AS the Intellectual rays of
the ~searchlight failed to pierce the
blanket of the fog Captain Berry or
dered out his lifeboats and one by one
they slipped away into the fog to
search for the Monroe. They found
only the struggling survivors afloat in
the icy sea crying frantically for help.
Many of those picked up were utter
ly exhausted and unable to help them
selves. Several had to be hauled over
the side of the Nantucket with ropes