The New York herald., 1922-03-08
SHIP ADRFT IN GALE
RACES WILDON RIVER
Tears Away Stakcboat and
Narrowly Misses Hen
dirk Hudson.
TUGS ARE SWEPT ASIDE
Ferryboat Is Rushed From
Weehawken Slip as Granite
State Nears.
TUGS ARE SWEPT ASIDE

The seventy mile an hour gale that
swept New York yesterday afternoon
tore the steamship Granite State, a
Shipping Board vessel. loose from her
moorings at West Thirtieth street.
She had no steam up and was not
under control. and she went plunging
up the Hudson River on the breast Of
the strongest tide that harbor and
river men have seen for many months
For two hours the big ship ran wild
veering gradually toward the New
Jersey shore and narrowly missing
collisions with the Hendrix Hudson
and other big. steamships. but finally
a dozen of the tugs that swarmed
about her managed to get lines aboard
the ship and stop her flight. She was
towed back to her anchorage and Sc
cured with two heavy anchors.
The current was against the vessel
when she started her run. but the tide
and wind combined proved much heavier
than the current. AS she veered and
twisted in the first gust Of wind after
her anchor lines broke the Granite State
caught up Stakeboat No. Of the Cor
nell Steamship Company and thereafter
carried the smaller craft along.
Couple and Girl Carried on.
On board the stakeboat were Charles
Mathewson. his wife and their ten-year-
old daughter. in danger all through the
excitement of having their boat crushed
against the sides of the Granite State
or being swept off by some of the other
ships that the runaway vessel ap-
preached.
The Granite state signaled for tugs
as soon as she began to drift up the
river. but she had got under such head
way by the time the first of them
reached her that they could do nothing.
Several got their lines aboard her. bur
they could not stop her. and were
whirlcd along in the wake of the big
ship.
One little tug got In front and tried
to push the ship back. but the Granite
state swept the tug aside and went on.
She rushed by the Hendrix Hudson
moored at the West Forty-frst street
slip. missing the big river liner by only
twenty-five feet. She went on and came
within few feet of ramming the ferry
boat Rochester, which, loaded with
commuters, was just putting out OF the
West Forty-recond street slip for Wee
hawlen.
The persons on the ferryboat yelled
and screamed. and every river craft
nearby Joined the footing whistles OF the
tugs. which by this time numbered
half dozen. The tugs scampered pack
and forth around the big ship. getting
more and more lines aboard. but power
1
shin 10 miss the Rochester was sud-
den gust Of wind that swept her out
into the river and sent her scooting
across toward the Jersey shore.
Heads for Ferry slip.
In midstream the Granite state was
caught broadside by the gate and sent
toward the Weehawken ferry slip. She
seemed destined TO crash into the slip,
and the captain of the ferryboat SYRIA
cuse, loading there for the New York
trip. hastily pulled out of the slip to
avoid collision.
But the combined pulling power of
the tugs stopped the big ship when she
was only a few yards from the slip.
The tugs held her with their lines. al
though she plunged and swept back
and forth in the river. pushed and
pulled by the gale and the current and
the tide. But when she had finally be-
come comparatively quiet the tug j. w.
williams steamed alongside the stake
boat. which had been carried along
throughout the dangerous trip. The tug
got line aboard the stakeboat and
then members OF the crew lifted Mathew
son. his wife and daughter off the small
boat on to the tug.
Off Craven Shoals the British freighter
woldringham. inbound. struck the
American steamship Knoxville City, at
anchor. but got clear and proceeded
into the harbor and anchored, to make
slight repairs. The other vessels bow
was dented.