Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1916-12-14
SINKS IN CHESAPEAKE
Merchants and Miners Liner Pow
hatan Rammed by Strange Steamer
Near Thimble Shoal Last Night.

With great hole torn III her side
:ln,l many Of h,:a messengers and
rev injured, tn Merchants and
Miners steamer Powhatan lies
sunk three miles southeast Of
1himble Shoals light, almost on the
spot =. here she YVES struck by n. M
iEonm shi1 while making her way
- sea las, ..ight Gil route from Hal-
ti;Nure to Goston after stoppi = at
Norfolk.
The collision occurred shortly
after s o'clock and few minutes
later the Powhatan rested on the
bottom. while Captain Chase, her
commander, was making heroic
! effort to beach her to save his crew
and passengers.
While speeding toward the shore
the Powhatan took in water so rapid
! v that one of her boilers exploded.
nine men of her fre-room crew be-
! ing seriously injured. One of them Is
reported to have had an arm torn
off and two others are so badly Scald-
ed that they are not expected to i've
! With the ship in danger of turn
! ing over or sinking, the wireless
operator on the Powhatan kept up
| constant call for help. There was
considerable interference on account
of warships working their wireless
! in Hampton Roads, but the calls
were heard by the Coast Guard Cut
Ter Yamacraw, at Norfolk, and the
Old Dominion steamers Jefferson and
jamestown, all of which hurried 20
! the sinking vessel.
Following the first call the wireless
operator on the Powhatan sent this
! message:
; Boiler exploded; half side vessel
torn away. In danger turning over.
, Send help quick
Battleships in Hampton Roads.
mot five miles away. from where the
Powhatun was dealt her death blow,
turned their searchlights in the dt-
rection of Thimble Light and dis
matched the dcstroycrs Nicholson,
Samson and Cummings to the scene
The Old Dominion steamer James
town was the first to reach the Pow
hatan, she being bound to sea At the
time she picked up the distress
calls from the doomed ship. The Pow
hatan had already struck the bot
tom when the jamestown thre" n'f
powerful searchlight on the steamer
and began to lower away her lire
boats, All of the Powhatans pas
s.nmers were transferred to the
jamestown.
The Powhatan wireless operator,
still at his post, sent cut this ca':
MANY injured by explosion.
Please bring Doctors
The battleships Pennsylvania ard
Texas hurried surgeons to the Pow
hatan on board the destroyer DAVIS
The tug Apollo, from Norfolk, also
hurried to the scene with doctor on
board and she will bring the injured
to this city for treatment
With a gaping hole in her side
the Powhatan apparently was struck
by ship more stanchly built than
she is. What happened to the other
vessel has not be asccrtained. Up 70
midnight all efforts to locate the
vessel that dealt the Powhatan the
bIow that sounded her death kneil
had failed.
Ii was reported that she was
struck hv a WarShip, but this re-
mort cannot be confirmed. No war
shin had reported to the PennsFl-
;vania flagship, or the tliaite iie"'
lup to a late hour that it had been IN
tcollision with any ship.
The Powhatan was struck almost
within sight of Old Point Comfort
land within two hours after she LETT
her pier at Norfolk. The fact that
she was so near port and within
easy reach OF a number of vessels
prevented a serious loss of life.
The Powhatan is reported to have
II passengers on board, some 'i
whom boarded the vessel at Baltlmofe
and Newport News. She carried
full cargo of freight.