on april 30, 1907 in fog conditions the "c. w. morse" collided with the tugboat/lighter "new york central no. 4". the tug sank immediately. no one on board the "morse" was injured, while the engineer of the tug was drowned. survivors were picked up by the "morse" and by another tug. no blame for the accident was given, this was appealed in 1909, where both ships were found at fault and each responsible for half the damages.