Evening star., 1924-06-20
LINER, SINKING, WINS
DEATH RACE IN FOG
Canadian Pacific Ship, With 700
Aboard, Dashes to Shore After
Collision at Sea-
PASSENGERS PANIC AvERTED
ool-Headed Officers Drive Strick-
en- Craft to Safety.
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press
ST. JOHNS, N. F., June 20
How a liner, crippled and slowly
sinking, raced against time with
her 700 passengers through a blind
fog off the Newfoundland coast
and won-was told after two bat
tered steamers found their way into
this port last night after colliding
In the fog off Cape Race.
Inc vessels were the Italian steam
er Clara Camus, which crept into
port with her forward peak driven
oack to the forecastle winch by the
rorce of the collision, and the
Canadian Pacific liner Metagama,
bearing 700 passengers bound for
Montreal from Glasgow. The Meta
CANA, listing heavily to port with
the inrushing water gaining on her
pumps, was beached on a shoal in
st. Johns Harbor. Both ships re-
ported that loss of life had been
averted in the crash. which stove in
cabins on the Metagama, temporarily
empty of occupants.
Omcers Cool in Crisis.
Cool headed action on the part Of
the Metagama's officers averted a
panic among the passengers on the
craft when they rushed for the decks
after the force of the collision had
sent the craft reeling. Water poured
into the forward stoke hold, filling
the portside ballast tanks and lift
ing of the injured injured starboard
side high out of the water. The en-
suing 30-degree list to port resulted
in reducing the flow of water into
the hold and made il possible for the
pumps to keep the liner afioat until
she was beached
Passengers praised captain, oficers
and Seamen for their handling of the
situation. During the long race one
seaman provided music with a set of
bagpipes, the ships string bands
played continuous impromptu con-
certs and monographs were pressed
into service on the vessels tilted
decks, to help maintain the courage
of those aboard
Although within a few hours of
the collision other ships had ap-
peared. among them the steamer
Rosalind. and all had been made
ready for launching liteboats and
transferring passengers should the
occasion require the captain did not
halt to attempt a transfer in the
dense fog.
Sailors Stories Differ.
Stories somewhat at variance were
told by the crews of the two steam
ers. The crew of the Clara Camus. a
4.400-ton vessel, said that their ship
had been stopped, owing TO the dense
fog, when the crash occurred Her
forehold filled with water and she
made for port, arriving at St Johns
an hour ahead of the Metagama.
According TO the crew of the Meta
gama, she was running slowly
through the fog about 9 o'clock in
the morning, sounding her whistle
every minute, when another craft
crashed into her, then whistled
thrice and backed away.
AS the ship came to anchor in St
Johns Harbor she appeared in a criti-
cal condition and passengers implored
boats and tugs to take them off. But
with time apparently too short for
safe transfer, her captain rushed the
Metagama toward a Shoal. where she
was beached on a mud bank. 1t was
said that the Montreal would call to-
day or Saturday to ernbrak the pas
sengers and convey them to Quebec
The United States coast guard cut
ter Tampa and other craft were
searching today for the three men
who set out from the Metagama in a
boat shortly after the collision in an
effort to find landing place. The
fog was heavy at the time.