Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-08-02
j. s. TORPEDO BOAT
RUNS DOWN YACHT
Nine Persons Aboard Eleanor
c. Narrowly Escape
Watery Death.
PLEASURE BOAT BEACHED,
BARNEY NEARLY WRECKED
Storm on River After Accident Dis
ables. the Little Fighter En-
Route to City.

Nine persons narrowly escaped
being killed Saturday night when
the United States torpedo boat
! Barney ran down the auxiliary
yacht Eleanor c., belonging to
lWllliam M. Penn, 524 sd street
northwest, near Lower Cedar
Point. The yacht was sinking
fast when those aboard her were
rescued by a motor boat and put
aboard the Barney. The torpedo
boat was, in turn, nearly wrecked
when it became disabled in a Sc
we're storm yesterday afternoon on
its way to this city. The Barney
lost an anchor, one of its tenders,
all OF its awnings, and its decks
were swept clear during the
storm.
l
| the yacht were huddled below in a
! small compartment during the gale,
and several of the party were injured
when some OF the torpedo boats fur
| nishings were torn from their fasten-
| ings by the rocking of the craft, and
fell upon them. Those who were
aboard the Eleanor c. were as follows
William NJ. Penn of 524 Sd street
l 1nrfh fhNxyA
Penn. Miss Ruthette Penn, Mrs. Albert
Behning, jr.. and Miss Eleanor Penn.
daughters of Mr.. and Mrs. Penn; Mrs.
Ruthette Penn, mother of Mr.. Penn;
Miss Helen Frost of Laurel, Md, Harry
| Baker, 524 50 street northwest, and
George Bryant.
Thought Boat Was Afire.
The yacht was returning from a
weeks cruise on the lower Potomac
when it was run down by the torpedo
boat, which was on it's way to Colonial
Beach with party of members of the
District Naval Battalion aboard, in ad-
dition to it's regular crew. Lieut.. L.
Anderson, U. S. N, was in command Of
the Barney.zs.Ipa4- only other officer
the District Naval Battalion.
The Barney was steaming down the
river at speed OF between eighteen
and twenty knots per hour. The boiler
was operating under forced draft and
flames were pouring from the tunnel
Inc flames snot up into the air a dis
tance OF about fifteen feet, it is stated
Seeing the flames, Mr.. Penn thought
that a motor boat was afire and in
structed Harry Baker, who was at the
wheel of the Eleanor c., to steer in that
direction. The eleanor c. was proceed
veloped trouble a short time before
The Barney was directly ahead of the
Eleanor c., and Mr.. Penn could not see
that the flames were coming from the
funnel OF the boat because OF the dark
ness
Il went below and obtained what fire
extinguishers l had aboard said Mr..
Penn today, describing the accident
Baker and l then went to the bow of
the Eleanor c. and George Bryant stood
at the wheel. 1 instructed him to run
alongside of what 1 supposed was a
motor boat. The torpedo boat must
have altered it's course, for suddenly it
| swerved to one side. 1t was not until
craft.
Sideswiped the Eleanor G.
"The bow of the Barney struck the
bow-strip of my boat and tors it away.
The blow served to swing the Eleanor
c. around so that the two boats rubbed
side to side as the Barney dashed pas
US. tender hanging from the davits
aboard the Barney swept everything
| from the deck of my boat. The mem
bers of my family were seated Or the
! cabin. and that they escaped instant
death is nothing less than marvellous.
Harry Baker was caught between the
tender of the torpedo boat and a tender
which l carried on the Eleanor C.
thought he had been killed. How he
escaped with his life / cannot say.
IL hnI nof hn
fender which protects the steering
gear at the stern of the craft struck the
hull of my boat and stove it in.
Realizing that Baker was badly hurt
to him. He was bleeding profusely from
cuts about his head and arms, so 1
called TO the Barney, which had come
! to a stop, and was then short distance
from US. and as ked if there was a sur
geon aboard. A tender put out from
the Barney. with Lieut.. Anderson
aboard Baker was taken aboard the
| torpedo boat, where Lieut. Anderson
| mad facilities fo- administering first
| aid treatment.
Yacht Begins to Sink.
| 1T was not until after the tender
haG started back to the Barney that 1
realized the Eleanor c. was leaking
4, badly and that we were sinking. We
CaiieU 10 lHe barney 10 SenO the tender
back with all possible speed. Word
came back that a hole had been stove
| in the tender when the two boats came
| together and that it, too, was sinking.
| l asked that another boat be lowered
and sent to our rescue, only to receive
| the reply that no other boat was avail
| able.
| THAT we were saved was due to John
! Matthews of Lower Cedar point, who
| came to our rescue in his motor boat.
| Mr.. Matthews had seen the flames issu- =
| ing from the Barney and thinking the
! in his motor boat.
| I'VE got the members of my family
aboard the motor boat after consider
able difficulty, for every one in the
party had been bruised and otherwise
injured. and carried them over to the
! Barney.
Beach the Eleanor G.