Pine Bluff daily graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1893-1942, 1914-01-31
43 Perish WHEN
STEAMERS COLLIDE
CONTINUED FROM PAGE oNn

i OVO4 OOAAu oA0 CAO WI n VI XCSCuC UC-
gan. Searchlights OF the Nantucket
were played on the water, but they
were Of little help in aiding the
rescuers because Of the heavy blanket
Of fog that hung over the sea !.
Though lost in the midst almost i'm
mediately after their boats left the
sides OF the ship, the sailors Of the
Nantucket went about their work I'M
daunted and one by one they picked
up passengers and sailors and Off
GERS out of the water until at least
no more persons were to be found
and no further answers came to the
cries of the rescuing parties.
When it was certain that all who
remained alive had been saved, the
Nantucket's crew proceeded to make
temporary repairs TO the bow of their
boat by means of sheets of canvas
and later the steamer, her flags at
half mast, started on her journey to
Hampton Roads. She was met later
by the Old Dominion Liner Hamilton,
which had answered wireless calls
for aid and also by the cutter Onae-
aga and the tug Merritt, but no as
sistance was needed then.
Had No Chance.
The lost had not chance for their
lives. In the heavy fog that lay like
a blanket over the sea, the Monroe
was picking her way northward. She
left Norfolk at 7:40 O'Clock last night
and at the time Of the crash there
were on deck only those whose duty
kept them at their station. The
passengers were asleep in their state
rooms except for those kept awake
by the siren which blared it's warm
ing through the mist.
Bound for Norfolk from Boston the
Nantucket presented similar condi-
ton. On he decks there were only
those whose duty kept them OF
watch. On her bridge was Captain
Berry; on the bridge Of the Monroe
was Captain Johnson.
Thus with the dense fog shutting
thin in, their passengers asleep il
their staterooms and most of their
crews below deck, the two steam
ers had drawn together during the
night until the crash occurred.
The shock Of the collision galva-
nized into instant activity the two
ships Their sleeping passengers
and crews were awakened and rush.
cd to the deck, grouping their way
through the wall of fog that brought
dispair to men and women. They
could not see where to group their
way to boats that were useless.
The Monroe was sinking like a
shot. Ten minutes from the time
when the Merchants and Miners boat
and the Old Dominion Liner collided
the Monroe had disappeared beneath
the waves. There has not been time
to launch more than one life boat,
not time enough even to bring a
semblance of order out of disorder,
although the Captain and his officers
in that brief space between the col
lision and the last lunge of the MOI
rec had kept cool heads and had
started their we'll or dered routine
for lowering the boats.
Capt. e. d. Johnson, commanding
the Monroe, was among those picked
up from the water by one Of the Nan
tucket boats. Capt. Johnson, aboard
the Nantucket, began as quickly as
possible to make list of the Mon
roe's rescued. and had this sent in by
wireless. A. p. Lyons, a newspaper
man, Of Richmond, said there was nc
panic on board the Monroe and Capt
Johnson and the officers and crew Of
the liner acted the parts of heroes.