The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-06-15
Capt. Roberts Says German
% Liner Was - Miles OFF
Right Course.

The upper bay and river mouth, alive
craft. were anu;ter with the welcome OF
waving handkerchiefs parasols and new
straw hats during the early half of yes
tcrday afternoon The American liner
New York crcpt slowly in from Quaran-
tine to her berth at West Twen,y-second
street. a gray bandage of canvas cover
Ink the big cash torn in her port plates
forward by the Hamburg American ship
Pretoria In the darkness and fog 400 miles
ehst of the Ambrose Channel light shortly
before daybreak Saturday.
Brighter even than The upturned smil-
Ing faces that paved the decks OF the
river craft chugglng by We're the smiles
that came from the men, women and chill
dren passengers, who had begun to crowd
the rails OF the crippled liner once the
velvet green hills of the Narrows forts
had begun to rim the homebound horizon
The same grownup and youngster pas
sengers called happily from their ripped
up port rail as the Government tugs, a
boat with movie man turning his crank
methodically and other craft circled the
liner as she lay to or Quarantine at 40
o'clock y. NJ The liner had been ex-
pected at Quarantine 1--WE or six hours
earlier, but Out from the fog in which
she mad so narrowly escaped humiliation
the New York had gone into other smoth-
ering fogs, and SO Skipper Roberts mad
sneaked cautiously toward port instead
OF smashing along at the liners usual
Is 10 is knot gait.
Capt. Roberts sAd in his cabin after
the New York had been warped In at
S15 O'Clock yesterday afternoon that at
the time OF the collision his ship for the
FIRST time was travelling along the new
westbound lane. which until very recently
was the old eastbound track. The Pre-
toria should have been about twenty Ave
miles south of him. he said, He would
make no comment when asked whether or
not he thought Capt Dugge knew OF the
new change In the lanes
Passengers Praise Captain.
Whatever chagrin Capt. Roberts may
have felt because OF the smash In the
nose Ms ship had got or whatever
his WEAKNESS must have been after al
most forty hours without "A wink OF
sleep, no skipper could be sick. sore
md tired OF things in general but that
he must have felt some elation over the
words OF praise constantly showered upon
him yesterday for his quick Judgment and
mastery seamanship.
One quick yj,nco yesterday served 70
show how close had been the New York q
call. About twenty-five feet aft of the
bowsprt on the port side and high above
the water the ships plates were curled
back M If they had been made OF tin.
From the promenade deck the highest
deck used by passengers on the New
York, downward through two decks and
aft for more than twenty feet the port
bow yawned wide open beneath the can
vas bandages Out Of the hole for about
yard stuck the Pretora's rusty port anchor,
which had become jammed fast In the
petty officers washroom and then had
been torn away from the German liner
as the two ships separated in the fog.
THE night was foggy," said Capt.
Roberts, without waste OF words, when
asked for a statement about the smash.
Since $40 o'clock Saturday morning,
when the fog closed In again. we had been
going slowly, say from four to five knots.