Norwich bulletin., 1914-10-16
Steamer Sunk in
 New York Harbor
ALL HER PASSENGERS AND CREW
 WERE RESCUED.
WAS NO CONFUSION
After Being in Collision with Freighter lowan During Dense Fog -ln Twenty Feet of Water with Decks Awash.

New York, Oct. 16.-A collision In the lower harbor late today between the steamer Metapan, coming in froGz Colon, and the freighter Iowan, leaving port for San Francisco, resulted in the Metapan sinking shortly after she had been driven as far as possible on the nearby beach. All her 77 passengers and her crew were rescued.
 The Iowan, less seriously damaged, stood by and her boats took two of the Metapan's passengers aboard. The re- mainder were transferred to rescuing craft and landed in New York tonight. The freighter remained at aE'late hour at anchor near the scene of the col lision. The extent of the damage to her could not be learned definitely. but passengers on the Metapan said her bow was badly bent and twisted,
 Was Nearinu End of Voyage.
 The Metapan is United Fruit con- pany steamer and sailed from Colon for this port on Oct. s. The crash with the Iowan as she was nearing tEe end of her voyage occurred, according to her officers and passengers, during a dense fog, the freighter being first seen when she was but "a short dis tance away. In an effort to avert the crash the Towan is said to have let go her anchor, but the headway was greater than she could overcome and she hit the Metapan about 30 feet from the bow of the ship on the port quar- ter, blowing through the steel and iron and infiicting a wound that caused the Metapan to fill quickly.
 Prompt Response to Wireless Call.
 The wireless operator on the Meta pan immediately sent forth "S. O. S." calls for assistance, which were quick ly answered by six or eight vessels in the near vicinity, among them be- ing the United States dredge Atlantic, working about a quarter of a mile distant, and the British cruiser Lan- caster, on patrol duty off this harbor. As soon as it was seen that the steam
 CT was sinking, Capt. H. Spencer of
 the MetaDan asked the pilot who had just come aboard the way to the near est shoal water, and the vessel was headed that way. He also ordered out
 the boats and without confusion of un- due excitement everybody was taken
 off the steamer.
 Young Britishers "a Cool Lot.
 A party of six young Britishers on
 the way from Peru to England to join
 the army were on the Metapan. These young men, their fellow passengers
 say. proved to be among the coolest of the lot. As their boats, among the
 last to leave. was lowered from the
 davits they joined in singing Its a
 Long Road to Tipperary" Just as they
 were set afioat one of the women pas sengers was seen standing on the deck, apparently afraid to descend. One of the, Epglishmen, Peter G. Heyworth, taking the woman on his back, slid down the falls to the lifeboat
 Ships Deck Awash.,
 Captain Besley had with him as the
 result of six months work in the trop- ics a. quantity of mineral specimens, motion picture films, blood tests of
 tropical diseases, etc, which he values highly. This collection, together with the baggage of the passengers, is still aboard the Metapan. Late reports were that she was lying partly on her side in about 20 feet of water with her decks awaSh. The derelict destroyer Seneca moved out to her tonight and
 remained standing by, as did several wrecking tugs sent out by the con- pany. Officers of the steamer declined
 to discuss the accident until after they had reported to the officials of the United Fruit company in New York Captain and Crew Remain Aboard. Captain Spencer of the Metapan de- cided to remain on the ship tonight
 with the major portion of the crew, as the sea was calm and the steamer in | no immediate danger. Tomorrow those
 of the crew who went ashore will re- | turn to the stranded vessel and aid in the work of removing the cargo and repairing the damage to the steamer | so that she can be refoated. Her off, cers believe that a large proportion of
 her cargo, consisting mainly of banan- l as and other fruit. can be saved The Metapan, one of the largest of | the United Fruit company's fleet, was | built in England, but recently her registry was changed from British to
 American under the new shipping | laws. The 1owan carries a general cargo of | about 5000 tons destined for the Pacific coast by way of the Panama canal