Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-05-02
STEAMSHIP !SSUNK
BYFRENCH CRUISER;
66 PERSONS LOST
City of Athens Rammed Off the
Delaware Coast During
a Dense Fog.
PLUNGES TO THE BOTTOM
WITHIN A FEW MINUTES
Passengers Asleep in Their Berths
and Many Never Even Reached
the Steamers Decks.
By the Associated Press.

the Steamers Decks.
By the Associated Press.
AN ATLANTIC PORT, May 2.-Sixty.
six persons lost their lives when the
City Of Athens, bound from
New York for Savannah, was rammed
and sunk by French cruiser Of the
Delaware coast at o'clock Saturday
The missing include ten men and two
women who were passengers, seven ont
Of twenty-four United States marines
who were on board, fourteen out Of
twenty French sailors and sixty-threo
members of the crew.
Flames Quickly ouenched.
All the passengers and many Of the
crew were in their berths when the bow
of the warship plunged into the side OF
the coastwise vessel. Fire broke out al
most Immediately afterward in hold No.
1. but it had no bearing on the fate Of
the ship for the flames were quickly
quenched by the rush of water which
poured in.
Capt. J. Forward. one Of the veteran
commanders in the service Of the. Ocean
Steamship Company, owners Of the ves-
sci. did his best to avert panic and
man the lifeboats. So quickly did thes
doomed vessel sink, however. that there
was not time to get the boats away ana
many Of those who perished were trap
ped in their berths.
Those of the passengers and crew.
who were able to reach the deck. all Of
them thinly clad and many without life
preservers, plunged into the sea-
Cruiser Rescues Sixty-Eight.
The cruiser launched lifeboats imme-
diately after the crash and turned its
searchlights upon the waters, in which
men and women were struggling for
their lives. Sixty-eight persons were
picked up and brought back to this
port by the, warship. which was mot
seriously damaged.
Capt Forward was painfully injured
and was grief-stricken at the loss Of his
ship. He said he was proceeding at naf
speed about twenty miles OF shore.
sounding the usual fog signals. when
the dim bulk of the cruiser loomed
up through the mist and the crash fol-
lowed. Fortunately, the sea was calm
or many more lives might have been
lost.
Capt. Forward refused to make a
statement concerning the length of
time his vessel remained af1oat after
the collision. Members of the crew
declared. however, that the City OF
Athens sank within four minutes A
s, 1,ar af6 Ia half
the water line near the bow. and she
was carried down by her own momen-
tum as the water rushed in.
Running in Dense Fog.
Both ships were carrying running
lights because of the heavy fog which
F. J. Doherty, the wireless operator.
was able to send out only one "S. o.
s." can after the warship's bow plung-
ed into the City of Athens side. There
was no response to the appeal for aid.
and the vessel sank so quickly Doherty
had no opportunity to repeat the cali
He is believed to have been drowned
at his post.
Many heroic deeds are recounted by
the survivors One of the heroes Of the
sea tragedy was Harry A. Kelley, OF
New York. an oiler. who swami to an
overturned lifeboat and dragged up
on the bottom of it four persons who
were struggling in the sea. He held
them there until they were taken on
by a boat from the French cruiser.
All specially praised the efforts OF
the French sailors. who launched small
boats within a few minutes after the
accident, and, aided by the cruiser'A
picked up many Of the
survivors from pieces of wreckage.
hn GneAdv -
sinking of the steamer was responsible
for the heavy toll of life. although
some claimed that the City OF Athens
apparatus failed to work
sons. including twenty-four United
States marines, on board the steamer.
which was bound from New York for
Savannah with a o-million-doliar
cargo of cement. rope. foodstuffs and
general mercha ndise on board.
Owe Lives to Negro.
Mrs. Florence Pickhard Harrison.
wife f New York real estate agent.
WHOSE father. Winchell L. Pickard. is
president of Mercer University, Macon,
Ca, today told how her life, that of her
baby and two others were
saved through the bravery of a negro
fireman on the City of Athens.
Awakened from her sleep, Mrs. Har-
rison barely had. time to put a coat
over her night dress and hurry to the
deck with her child. II saw life
boat" she said. but no one was pay
ne any attention to it except a United
States marine. who lifted the baby into
he boat. I was about to climb in. with
ais aid. when the steamer toppled and
NY grasp on the gunwale slipped.
.aught up the baby as the ship sank
1nder the swirling waters. When I
.ame up, choking and almost uncon-
scioms from the water. with the little
,pe IN my arms. we were directly un.
ler the bow Of a nrcoodt.
vas man; game. ~ ailaee Of ssi wiiiis% sainss
treet. Savannah. lifted the baby from :
ny arms. When I regaihed conscious
less, found myself in the lifeboat.
covered with a piece of canvas. which
wrapped around the baby. My coat
md nightgown were torn from the
truggle to drag me in. After that
Wallace rescued one marine and q ci-
lillian. That brave negro deserves
lero's medal We were in the lifeboat
or about two hours before we were
picked up by the crew of the French
ruiser. I cannot speak too highly Of
he Eallantry and kindness of tho
french officers and men during our
escue and the time spent on the
ruiser."
The City of Athens was q vessel Of
.64S tons gross register, built in 1911