The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1914-02-06
Went To Their
Death In Ocean

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
II was 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. told how the stricken
Monroe. witt er side gored deep by
the knifelike s.eei PROV of the Nan.
tucket. glled rapidly. rolled over on
her side and in a few minutes turned
over and plunged to the bottom, car
rying with her the III fated passen-
gers and members of the crews who
had failed to get clear OF the wreck.
Under the thick hank 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
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 warning.
Out Of the gray black fog that shut
out even the waves from view the
CLEAN of the Nantucket's searchlight
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.
When the crash came most Of those
on board the Monroe were In bed and
asleep. Only Captain johnson and
the crew on 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 clamberins to-
ward the deck.
Warned by the officers 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 fight 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.
Women shiyer in Wet and Cold.
AS the half clad. excited throng OF
passengers reached the deck they
were hurried toward the lifeboats by
the officers and the crew. Three OF
the Iifeboats from one side of the yes
sci we're unshipped and got away
from the side. filed mostly with wom-
en-. shivering in the wet and cold In
their fimsy night clothing.
BY the time these were away the
Monroe was rolling over on her side
and II was impossible TO launch the
ether boats.
With a sudden lurch the liner, now
fast filing with the water that rushed
through the rent in her plates, rolled
over on her side. throwing up her un.
injured side. then submerging cabins
and saloons.
With a chorus of shrieks the un.
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. on 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
aioat in the Icy ocean.
Rescue Many From ley Sea.
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 afioat 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.
Thomas X. Harrington kept his wife
afloat by almost superhuman effort.
swimming with her hair in his teeth,
but she died few minutes after she
was hauled aboard the Nantucket.
Lieutenant L. b. Curtis, u. s. A.. kept
himself sfioat until rescued, but died
after reaching the Nantucket
Captain johnson OF the Monroe and