The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-06-22
Steamer in New York Ser vice Goes Aground in
 Harbor.
TUGS AND HIGH WATER
 FAIL TO FREE HER
Excessive Caution Believed to Have Caused Freight
 er's Plight.

The steamer City of Brockton,'' of Fall River, Mass, Capt. Whiting, on her maiden trip from Bridgeport to New York, last night, drove herself upon Gravel1y Bar, about 400 feet east f of Buoy No. 4 and 500 feet from the Beacon light. She is so firmly inn bedded in the sand that, although three powerful tugs strained at her for hours at high tide this morning and her entire cargo was shifted aft, she was not moved an inch.
 Though the high-powered wrecking tug "Tasco" has been ordered to john the fleet here at high tide tonight, which will occur at 9:5s. and the off, cials of the line assert that she will resume her regu1s( trips tomorrow, To- cal tug and barge captains are doubt full that she will clear her position until the entire cargo has been re- moved and the highest tide is re- corded.
 The position of the boat is such that she cannot be swung from port or starboard with any success and she cannot go forward The only chan mel left for her extrication is that which she dug as she forced herself upon the bar. Her even keel is upon the bar on which she drove for over half her length It IS estimated that at high tide she has A feet of water while her register calls for a draft of 1 8 feet, one inclh. s~.ss5sss
 The grounding of the City of Brock ton is believed in shipping circles to- be. due to excessive caution upon the part of Captain Whitney, a veteran navigator in sound waters and for many years connected with the New England Navigation company. Out ward bound vessels after passing Bug light. which lies some 800 feet to the rear of the stranded vessel, are com pelled to swerve sharply to port, a. manuever which requires consid derable headway upon the part of large yes- sells. It is believed that, in feeIine his way out, Captain Whitney found himself drifting upon the shoals, but before the vessel could get under way sufficiently to respond to the wheel, she was upon the east bank of the channels a boats width from the out side edge of the channel and directly aibean of buoy No. A.
 As the Jingle had been given or dering full steam ahead from the en- sands with full force and her bow carried far out of the water even at high tide. Although the captain has made public statement, it is under stood that this version has already been given the company
 As soon as the matter was reported on shore at 10:30 last night, Nestor Wedge, assistant general agent of the New England Navigation company, left for the vessel and what little cargo was on board was shifted to the sterm of the boat in hopes that the bow would be carried free. It was found, however, that the re-trinnlng of the vessel had little effect upon her posi- ton.
 As the tide had been running out for an hour last night, the operations
 were discontinued until this morn ing when the wrecking tug Alert. Cap tain Clinton Caswel1 of the Scott com pany, was requisitioned with the tugs ''Islis,'' Captain Joseph Lee, and Glenn Capt. Henry Schu1thies. Un- der the supervision of Captain Whiting and Manager Wedge, the tugs ran lines to the stranded vessel and at tempted to warp her off. With her own wheels constantly going astern to throw the slit from under her, the 1 combin ed efforts of the fleet were un- l availing and at 10:30, as the tide be- gan to fall, the tug Isis blew her whistle in signal that she would aba,n- | don her efforts to release the stranded | steamer. She was quickly followed by the other tugs The Tasco,' with wrecking crew, is expected here late this afternoon.
 The City of Brockton is a, two stack 2771. net 1911 She is 271.2 feet in 1 length with a breadth of 43 5. She car l ries a crew of 33. Her engines are | rated at Z, ,25o horse power. She had | been in the service between Fall River l and New York before coming to this | port for the first time Saturday night. |