Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-01-30
PASSENGERS, IN PANIC,
THROWN INTO BOATS BY
RESCUERS; Al DROWNED
Continued from Page 1.

Assistant Engineer Oscar Perkins,
Chief wireless Operator F. ]. Kuehen,
Junior Wireless Operator R. Lsther-
idge. Chief Stewart ]. P. Sullivan.
Captain Picked Up Exhausted,
That the loss of life, heavy as it
was, did not reach greater proper
tons was due to the fact that the sea
was calm. The Nantucket had a ten
foot hole in her bow extending be-
meath the water line.
Most of those saved were picked up
from the water. Many of them we're
suffering badly from exposure when
taken on board the Nantucket. and
had to be treated by the ships sur
geon.
Captain Johnson was found in the
water, clutching a piece of wreckage.
He was nearly exhausted when picked
up by lifeboat. When the Monroe
sank she disappeared completely, with
no vestige of her rigging remaining
above the water. Only scattered de-
bris marked the grave
That the death list was not much
greater was due also to prompt ac-
ton on the part of the crew of the
Nantucket, which herself was dam
aged badly in the collision. They
lowered lifeboats with a rush and
picked up many survivors who had
flung themselves into the water when
the Monroe plunged to the bottom.
Wireless Tries to Summon Aid.
While others of the crew were res
cuing all they could find in the water.
the wireless operator flashed rs. o.
s. into the darkness, summoning aid
for the crippled Nantucket.
The disaster occurred at 1870
o'clock while the passengers were
asleep. Captain johnson, Of the
Monroe, was rescued three hours aft
er the disaster and sent the follow
ing wireless message from the Nam
tucket, which was picked up by the
wireless station at Virginia Beach:
badly damaged. Steamship Hamilton
standing by U.S."
1t was later found that only Al
were lost.
The Monroe was bound from Nor
folk to New York, was feeling her
way cautiously in the fog when the
Nantucket suddenly doomed up out of
the mist. The sharp prov of the
Nantucket ripped into the Old Do
mnon liner, opening an enormous
cash and rolling the vessel over on
her beam ends.
Panic Follows Crash in Dark.
Panic followed upon the Monroe.
Terrified men and women, aroused
from sleep. began scrambling to the
decks.
Immediately after the collision the
Nantucket's crew began lowering the
lfeboats. while the vessels search
light was turned upon the sinking
Monroe
So thick was the fog that the pow
erful light cast only a murky glow,
and the sailors in the boats could
barely distinguish floating objects in
the water Many drowning persons
We're located only by their cries.
Within a few minutes half dozen
llfeboats from the Nantucket sur
rounded the Monroe, while the sea-
men of the latter ship were filling
II, 70
the panicky conditions on board would
permit
The horror of the situation was IN
tensified by the gloomy curtain Of fog
through which the Streams of terror,
the shouts of the officers and the
booming of the fog sirens mingled.
After the Monroe had disappeared
the Nantucket cruised about in the
neghborhood searching for other
survivors, but her own conditions
was so dangerous that she was head
ed for Winter Quarter lightship,
Where there is a life saving station.
v. S. Cutter Rushes to Aid.
Throughout narrowing minutes of
rescue the wireless operator on the
Nantucket continued to lombard the
gloom with help calls.
The United States revenue cutter
onondaga, which was lying off Nor
iolh, was among the first to respond
and set off at full speed for the scene
OF the disaster.
When the Onondaga arrived she at
once took command of the situation
on account of the perilous condition
OF the Nantucket it was considered
e&pedient to get her into port at once,
20 the Onondaga took her in tow and
started for Norfolk AS she did so
wireless message was flashed to shore
saying that 80 of the persons on the
Monroe had been saved.
4 Comparatively New Vessel.
The Monroe was one of the newer
SHIPS of the Old Dominion Line. She
was built at Newport News in 1903,
shd was equipped with all the modern
NE safeguarding appliances
4 She was 344 feet long and 46 feet in
me beam, and her tonnage was 1900.
.I cle was driuar hxr SinOla