Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-01-31
Early Reports Meager.

Early Reports Meaaer.
The Nantucket with her bow crump-
led and otherwise damaged was slowly
making her way to Norfolk early to-.
day with about IS survivors AS the
Monroe carried passenger list Of
flfty-four and crew of seventy, the
loss of life from what meager re-
ports are coming in over the wireless
would seem to be about forty.
There is a possibility, however, that
the Old Dominion liner Hamilton
bound down from New York and
which was nearby may have picked up
more survivors and others may have
been found by the revenue cutter
Onondago which hurried out to the
rescue. The Nantucket was due in
Norfolk about noon, according to her
latest reports.
Wireless Brings News.
Wireless operators all along the
coast, cropping out through the fog for
some definite news of the lost and the
saved could only learn that the Mon
roe bound for New York on a regular
trip from Norfolk, met the Nantucket
| in a fog about 2 o'clock. When the
| two ships separated the Monroe went
down and the Nantucket, with dam
aged bow, stood by and began the
work of rescue.
The Nantuckets boats secured the
waters and are said to have picked up
IS survivors. The wireless reports
do not say what number of the crew
or first or second class passengers
were among those rescued
First news of the collision reached
here through the wireless operator at
| Virginia beach.
The Monroe. a passenger liner
which also carried freight, put out Of
here at seven o'clock last night on a
regular trip to New York. The lane
of the costal steamers between those
two ports is comparatively close to
shore and on a clear night they never
are out of sight of land The Nam
tucket from Boston to Norfolk with
! freight. would ordinarily have been
running to seward Of the Monroe but
no early reports indicated the posi-
tons of the ships.
Fog Conceals Boats.
A dense fog enveloped the entire
coast and mariners here do not doubt
that the two liners met in head-on
collision. The position Of the ships
which was reported about As miles
southwest Of the Winter Quarters
lightship would place them near Hog
Island.
One wireless report which said Cap
tain Johnson of the Monroe was among
the rescued leads to the belief that the
Monroe sank very rapidly and that her
passengers, reused in the dead Of
night by the shock of a collision had
little time to prepare for leaving.
The Nantucket Of about half the
tonnage Of the Monroe, probably
rammed hole in the passenger liners
iron hull that flooded her lower COM
partments.
U.s. TO Investigate Disaster.
Washington, D. c., Jan. 30.-A
| thorough investigation of the causes
and circumstances resulting from the
collision with death list of forty-nine
was ordered today by the department
Of commerce.
Assistant Secretary Sweet instruct
ed the steamboat inspection service to
make an exhaustive inquiry.
Lieut.. Curtis, lost on the Monroe,
was appointed from Iowa, and was a
son of Major e. H. Curtis, U. S. A.
He had been at Fort Monroe, taking
examination for promotion.
Theatrical Co. Broken Up.
New York, jan 30.-The Marcaria
Theatrical Co., six of whose members
persisted in the Monroe disaster was
sent out by William Woods, now t.,
Boston, as manager of the Boston
theater 1t opened the season recent
:, ly at Newport News, Va. The play was
dramatization of novel Of the south
ern confederacy by Augusta Evans.
The dramatist was Charles M. Jelleff
of Baltimore, who was among those
who met death.
The Miss Haviland in the list OF
dead was Miss Hilda Haviland. lead.
| ing lady Of the production, New York
girl. The Lewis in the death list was
gorge Iewis of New York, stage
manager He also had part in the
play.
| Mario was young actor. His home
address is not known here. Another
actor who persisted was B. B. Vernon,
New York man, formerly manager of
a western stock company. Miss Seville
also reported among the dead, is not
known here.
At the Offices of the Old Dominion
line here it was explained that the r.
l.. Etheridge among the members of
the crew saved, was the Junior wire
less operator. The chief wireless oper.
ator, whose name was given here as
F. j. kuehn, was lost.
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