Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-10-11
ESCAPE Death At SEA
AS IF BY SOME MIRACLE
Two Hundred and Forty Passengers
on Bay State Liner Tennessee
Imperiled by Collision.
SCHOONER RIPS HOLE IN SIDE
Ragged Gap Of Forty Feet Long Cut
by Bowsprit-Panic Prevails When
Steamer Concord Arrives and Peo-
pie Transfer in Safety.

NEW YORK, October 1o.-The Bay
State Line steamer Tennessee rammed
on Saturday night by the three-must-
ed schooner Samuel Thorpe just south
Of Watch Hill, r. l., tied up at her
dock In Peck Slip, East River. o-day,
minus seven of her cabins and forty
feet Of her side. BY reason Of some
miracle none of the 24o passengers in
the Tennessee were killed. Only one
man was injured seriously enough to
warrant his removal to n hospital. He
is Robert Heating. ffty-four years old.
a travelling salesman. of Wood Haven.
Conn. He is In the French Hospital
suffering from internal injuries. The
tales OF the survivors and of the off,
GERS and the Colonial steamer Concord,
to which the panic-strickcn passen-
gers were transferred. combine to in
crease the wonder at the fact that no
deaths resulted from the collision.
1t was 1880 o'clock when the night
was stygian. but the sea was smooth
and the wind moderate. Nine-tenths
or the Tennessces passengers were I'm
their berths or in their cabins. The
crash came without the slightest
warning, according to Robert j. Noble,
general manager for the Bay State
Line, TO whom Captain George b. Enos.
spirit of the Thorpe stabbed it's way
through Mr.. Keating's cabin, just for
ward OF m'dship. Heating, caught In
fast-narrowing passage, would have
been cut In two had not the schooner
veered broadside. But when the
Thorpe swung, the bowsprlt made a
sweep that cut seven Of the cabins as
cleanly from the deck as a knife would
cut butter. Each OF these demoi' shed
cabins was occupied The berths we're
literally swept from beneath the occu-
pants. Yet not one Of the persons in
tnc utotn 1T,
severe than bruises.
PROV CALMLY RIPS OPEN
HOLE FORTY FEET LONG
The Prov Of the Thorpe, having i'm
bedded itself in the side OF the Ten
nessee. calmly ripped open Il hole forty
feet long. but not extending below the
waterline. The hole opened the freight
decks and hurled cases. barrels. cans
and crates into a furious tumble
Meanwhile a wild panic developed
on deck. The hlackness Of the night
aggravated the terror. Without thought
TO clothing. baggage or one another,
men. women and children began a wild
rush toward the lfeboats
Some were clad I'm their underwcar:
some wore night clothes: number of
children were quite naked. Few men
but fewer women had on their day
garments, nor any part Of them. Hard
~ any or the frightened crowd knew
just "I'dt had happened, but the Wild
CRY, Get in the boats; we are going
down" arose. and one and all they
rushed toward the starboard boats
The port davits were carried away by
tho Prov of the Thorpe. a half dozen
men tried TO lower "A boat. Captain
Enos burst his way through them,
pushed two Of them back ana then be-
gan 10 threaten the others
There is no danger unless this fu-
rore continues he roared Keep
COOL We are not sinking. The water
is not coming. There's steamer
right here ready to take you off"
The Concord arrived within a few
moments after. Whether Captain Enos
would have been able to hold the
crowd back. had the Concord been
longer In coming, is problematical
But the Concord turned broadside to
the Tennessee.
a gangplank was thrust through the
darkness and spanned tho narrow
chasm between the rails of the two
steamships The Concord herself was
crowded almost to capacity. The still
wailing crowd from the Tennessee
scrambled across the narrow plank.
\ few had found clothing. Others.
quiet restored, went back for their
baggage. But the vast majority fed.
half-clnd and crowded. shivering. into
the main saloon of the Concord.
Blankets from the Tennessee and the
Concord were thrown into the saloon.
and in these the chilled survivors
wrapped themselves
The Tennessee crew went for the
deserted baggage, and before the Con-
cord pulled away n heap of bags and
valises were lying on her deck In
the meantime the Thorpe. heavily la
den with coal, swung away from the
Tennessee. She was bound from New
port News to Newburyport Mass. The
tug Mohican towed the Thorpe in to
New London. The Concord away. Cap
tain Enos made inspection and found
that he was in no danger of founder
ing.
Under her steam the Tennessee came
into port shortly after noon. The
Concord locked at the foot of West
HoustoT Street early In the morning.
Heating became unconscious after eX-
animation in the French hospital and
it was feared he was in a serious con-
dition. But he rallied and TO DR..
O'Hnra declare that he had no idea
how the collision came about
"A11 that I know is that the how
spirit of the schooner came through
the wall and pinned me TO my berth"
he said. Then Il moved forward. and
there was Il tremendous ripping and
tearing. I thought the ship was being
cut in half. There was tremendous
uproar.''
MIR. Noble. after hearing the reports
OF the officers of the Tennessee. de-
clarcd that ne believed that the Thorpe
was to blame. lie declared that the
Indications We're that the pilot of the
schooner let go the wheel for mo-
ment and that the Thorpe luffed
around. Before the schooner could he
put back into her course. she struck
the Tennessee. Mr.. Noble thinks But
why the Thorpe was so close to the
Tennessee is still a mystery.