Jasper County Democrat, Volume 21, Number 8, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 April 1918 — U. S. LINER TURNS OVER AT HER PIER [ARTICLE]

U. S. LINER TURNS OVER AT HER PIER

All but Three of Several Hundred Workers Escape From the St. Paul. DEATH USFpuT AT THREE Volunteers Enter Vessel Through Holes Cut by Torches and Rescue Dozen Hysterical and Injured Men. An Atlantic Port, April 26. —The American line steamship St. Paul, a famous passenger liner, overturned and sank at her pier here while being warped into a pier preparatory to loading for a trip to Europe. Three men probably lost their lives in the accident. At the time the St. Paul was not under steam but was being brought by tugs from a dry dock, where for the last week she had been undergoing repairs. On her at the time were several hundred men —a majority of them employees of the dry dock —who had been sent with the vessel to complete their work while she was being loaded. Passengers on a passing vessel reported that they could see men at work on the exposed part of the hull, cutting holes through the side with gas-flame torches. Volunteers who entered through the holes cut into the St. Paul’s side have brought out more than a dozen hysterical and injured men. A search of the holds Is The steamer now is lying on her port side with about ten feet of her hull amidships above the water and Is completely submerged both fore and aft A large number of the men escaped by simply climbing over the rail and onto the exposed side of the vessel as It came uppermost, while others leaped into the water and were picked up by the tugs. Cause of Accident Unknown. One of the possible causes advanced for the accident, which was supported by experienced marine men, was that the ship, which was being warped into the pier by lines from the shore and assisted by tugs pushing; listed so far that water entered open coal ports, ttiis resulting in an overcoming of the center of gravity. Gun Crew Safe. Before leaving the dry dock the navy gun crew, which accompanies the vessel on her trips through the war zone, went aboard the St. Paul. All these men escaped, navy officials said, but they, with the members of the working crew of the ship, had .to leave their personal effects on board. The St. Paul was built at a cost of $2,650,000 and was launched in Philadelphia on April 11, 1895. Called into war service in 1898 during the Spanish-American war, the St. Paul, under command of then Capt. Charles D. Sigsbee, U. S. N„ distinguished herself with the St Louis, a sister ship, in several engagements.