The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1914-06-14
HOLE, FIFTY FEET,
| RAMMEO IN BOW
LINER new YORK
collision In Mid Ocean. But No
One lnjured-Prow Tears
Into Side Compartment
Passengers Aroused
By Deatening Crash
Dense Fog Wraps Ships While
Wireless Operators Talk to
Each Other---No Panic---The
Steamer Coming In

New York, June 13.--The American
bay tomorrow morning about O'Clock
with q big hole about fifty feet aft her
bow port side. whore she was ra1nmed
1T 3.a6 o'clock this morning. by the
KARI burg-Amertcan liner Pretoria.
Eastward bound. In dense fog. about
-FOUR hundred miles east of the Am
brose channel light
Nobody was injured In the cciilston.
no the wireless message from captain
Roberts, OF the New York. and from
Others aboard said today. The sharp
edged bow OF the larger Pretoria cut
into one OF the New ork's oo'nps~t-
Ynents where usually are housed the
stokars and the watch. The stokers
were working below and thu watch,
owing to tho thick weather. were en-
duty. and so the prov OF tho Pro-
toria cut into a compartment f1r-
tunafely unoceuped at tina rnsment.
whereat another hour there might have
been many Killed or Injured
There WAS no panic among the SIS
passengers and crew aboard the New
York twenty five OF whom we're lit
tie children, when the impact OF the
slow moving vessels routed the sleep.
ers from their berths.
Ten minutes before the Pretoria
SIN ashea into the New York Captain
Roberts. of the American liner. had
ordered the waterlight compartments
Of ths- New York closed. Captain
Roberts who was on the bridge. and
his crew Oh duty. through the fog
while passengers slept below, had heard
short time before the siren of the
Pretoria.
u The wireless man on the Pretoria
was holding O close conversation with
the wireless operator on the New York.
The sirens Of both ships crooned stead
|fiy. AS rlTeu aud wireless showed
THAT both shirs were almost touching
elbows, Captain Roberts mad his en-
gines stopped and Ina liner lay to.
Wh.a he saw few moments later the
outline Of the Pretoria Captain Rob
er.s ordered "fiiii speed astern-"
A point more To starbonrd and the
Pretoria would have slid along the
port aide OF the New York without
much damage. except 10 paint But
the German hal not Tina u make
that point. and SO her Prov banged
into the comparatively marked over
hang Of the New York. and went
through the American liners plates
II WAS very short time afrer the
blow that crunchsd and ripped the
New FORKS plates was delivered that
the Pretoria and the New York parted
The damage done to the Pretoria
was much Less than that sustained by
the New York. Her bow plates had
been slightly bent. go wireless from
Captatu pnGge eaid later where her
anchor had been ripped OF.
Richmond Party Aboard
News Of the collision. which reached
Richrnond Yesterday possessed peculiar
Interest here by reason of the fact
tina. aboard the Pretoria boand for
Hamburg, is John J. Wicker. son of
Rev. John J. Wicker, pastor OF Leigh
Street Baptist church. who IL conduct
ing party of forty tourists to the
Orient
Among the party are several vfr-
kinians. Rev. J. NJ. Rowland. OF laurel
Street Methodist church: Rev. L. r.
Williams Of Park Place Methodist
church. Norfolk. and Professor and
Mrs. r. r. Henderson. OF Bristol, Va
People from all the South make up the
balance of the party.
DR.. Wicker received a telegram from
the Office Of the neutrality-suspicious.
Inc yesterday afternoon assuring him OF
tho safety OF the ship and passengers
DR.. Wicker viii Join his sons part in
Ham burg. sailing from New York next
week on the yaterland.