The SS ''Narragansett'' was a passenger

paddle steamer A paddle steamer is a steamship or steamboat powered by a steam engine that drives paddle wheels to propel the craft through the water. In antiquity, paddle wheelers followed the development of poles, oars and sails, where the first uses wer ...

of the

Stonington Line The New York, Providence and Boston Railroad, normally called the Stonington Line, was a major part of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad between New London, Connecticut and Providence, Rhode Island. It is now part of Amtrak's high-sp ...

that burned and sank on June 11, 1880, after a collision with her sister ship the SS ''Stonington'' in

Long Island Sound Long Island Sound is a marine sound and tidal estuary of the Atlantic Ocean. It lies predominantly between the U.S. state of Connecticut to the north and Long Island in New York to the south. From west to east, the sound stretches from the Eas ...

. The ''Narragansett'' had taken on approximately 300 passengers at the North River Pier at Jay St. in New York City at 5:00 pm. Later that evening, at around 11:30 pm, in heavy fog, she collided with the ''Stonington'' near the mouth of the

Connecticut River The Connecticut River is the longest river in the New England region of the United States, flowing roughly southward for through four states. It rises 300 yards (270 m) south of the U.S. border with Quebec, Canada, and discharges at Long Island ...

. The ''Stonington'' was damaged, but was able to return to a port and took no casualties. The ''Narragansett'' had a huge gash in the side of her hull, caught fire and burned rapidly. Many of the passengers asleep in their staterooms were unable to escape. Significant controversy followed the collision, as the captains of the two ships gave different accounts of the accident and the events leading up to it, and the crew of the ''Narragansett'' faced accusations of neglecting its duty. Approximately 50 passengers and at least five crewmen lost their lives on the ''Narragansett''.

Historical note

One of the passengers on the ''Stonington'' was

Charles J. Guiteau Charles Julius Guiteau ( ; September 8, 1841June 30, 1882) was an American man who assassinated James A. Garfield, president of the United States, on July 2, 1881. Guiteau falsely believed he had played a major role in Garfield's election vic ...

who, just over a year later,

assassinated Assassination is the murder of a prominent or important person, such as a head of state, head of government, politician, world leader, member of a royal family or CEO. The murder of a celebrity, activist, or artist, though they may not have a ...

President

James A. Garfield James Abram Garfield (November 19, 1831 – September 19, 1881) was the 20th president of the United States, serving from March 4, 1881 until his death six months latertwo months after he was shot by an assassin. A lawyer and Civil War gene ...

. Guiteau was on deck at the time of the collision, and afterwards believed that he had been miraculously spared to punish Garfield. One of the passengers on the ''Narragansett'' was John Reilly of the

Cincinnati Stars The Cincinnati Stars were a Major League Baseball team that played in the National League for the 1880 season and were managed by John Clapp. The club finished their only season in 8th place with a record of 21–59. Following the 1880 campai ...

, who was en-route to Providence to meet up with his team. After the collision, Reilly put a life preserver on and jumped overboard. He was in the water for over an hour.Greg Rhodes & John Snyder, ''Redleg Journal. Year By Year and Day by Day with the Cincinnati Reds Since 1866.'' Road West Publishing, 2001, .

References

External links

Nattagansett-Stonington disaster at GenDisasters
{{DEFAULTSORT:Narragansett Ships sunk in collisions Maritime incidents in June 1880 Long Island Sound Ship fires Shipwrecks of the Connecticut coast