The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1914-02-04
LAUD CREW OF
RANMED SHIP
No Panic Aboard Monroe; Fog
Causes Collision
43 DIE IN LATEST SEA TRAGEDY

Nineteen Passengers Go to Death
When Liner Nantucket Crashes Into
| Old Dominion Line Steamer Monroe.
Lost, passengers, 10; crew, "a.
Total 49. Saved, passengers, 36;
crew, 55. Total, 81.
This is the tragic summary of the
wreck of the Old Dominion liner Mon
roe, rammed and sunk by the steam
ship Nantucket off Chesapeake bay.
Surrounded by dense sea fog the
| two ships approached each other. Not
until they were within actual hail of
the voice did the officers of either
craft discover the lights of the other
Then it was too late. The whistles
shrieked their warning, the signal
bells tinkled too late.
The great steel prov of the Nan
tucket struck the Monroe about thirty
feet abaft her port bow. Right
through her plates the Nantucket
crushed away like a knife through
cheese. The ship was rent in an in
stant. The blow had struck to her
very vitals. She filled and sank and
now lies wholly submerged in nearly
| forty fathoms of water.
A list of passengers lost from the
steamer Monroe corrected and com
piled by the Old Dominion Steamship
company is as follows:
First Glass
Mrs. w. l.. Bolton. Newark, N. ].
| w. c. Clausen, Milwaukee, Wis.
Lieutenant l.. b. Curtis, U. S. army.
j. Edwards, U. S. navy.
Mrs. ID. Gibson, New York.
j. Cortlandt Haskell New York.
Mrs. T. r. Harrington, Bridgeport,
Conn.
w. H. Ingram, Sumter, N. c.
M. r. Jelleff, Macaria Theatrical Co.
Mr.. Lewis, Macaria Theatrical Co.
j. Okakamato, Japanese.
Mrs. c. w. Pools, Gray, Va.
Poole child, infant, Gray, Va.
j. F. Ray, New York.
| o. Wagner, U. S. marine corps.
Steerage-..
j. P. Mildert, New York.
NJ. Bolen, New York.
c. Roper, New York.
N. |. Wilson, New York.
Shocking as was the tragedy the gal
lantry of the officers and crew of the
doomed ship and of the vessel which
had struck the fearful blow must fur
nish brilliant page for the annals
of the American merchant marine.
The white seamen and the black
stewards We'd with each other in deeds
Of gallantry and self-sacrifce that find
their prototypes in the history of the
men of the sea from the earliest days.
The stewards, with life preservers,
| assisted the passengers, the most OF
whom were clad only in night robes.
They fastened the preservers about
them, they helped them over the side
to the boats, they cajoled and en-
couraged them and, let this be re-
membered, these stewards were black
men. Many of them were drowned
in the rush of waters that followed
the downward plunge of the ship.
When the crash came practically all
of the passengers on the Monroe was
asleep. The force OF the impact threw
them out of their berths. Frightened
by the shock they rushed to the deck
in their night clothes only to find that
the ship was filling and sinking rapidly.
Many of the passengers and crew in
stantly threw themselves into the sea,
seeing that there would not be time
to lower the lifeboats and most OF
these we're saved.
But there were many passengers
and seamen who went down with the
| ship before ever reaching the deck.
| Captain johnson and all Of the Of
ncers of the ship except j. E. Gately
were saved The officers were picked
up out of the sea by small boats from
the Nantucket. All of the passengers
who were saved we're rescued in that
manner.
The wireless calls for aid went out
from the Monroe Immediately after
the crash and were caught as far away
as Boston, but there were no other
ships close enough to reach the scene
in time to render any aid.
Though the Nantucket was badly
damaged heI lfeboats were quickly
manned and put overheard and the
work of rescue began. Though lost in
the mist almost Immediately after
their boats left the side of the ship
the sailorJ of the Nantucket went
about their work undaunted and re.
mained at the scene until no more
persons were to be found.
ut was just a solid stunning crash,
no grinding and gritting, but thunder
ing crunch" said Mrs. Rollins. one Of
the rescued. 81 had called my hus-
band and lie started to rise when the
shock came. He tumbled out of his
bunk, grabbing a single piece Of his
clothing, and together we made our
way into the dining saloon. The ship
already was careening and the deck
was on steep slant
81 do not know how long the Mon.
roe noated, but it seemed to me II
was hardly ten minutes from the time
she was struck until ! was swept off
the rail- by wave of water and saw
the Lash OF the ship, which was a
little space not bigger than hall