The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1884-01-19 00:00:00

THE VOYAGE OF THE "CELTIC."

All anxiety for the safety of the White Star
steamer Celtic, which was reported broken down on
the 16th December, was set at rest by her safe arrival
at Queenstown on Monday in tow of the same com-
pany's steamer, Britannic, which picked her up on
Sunday morning. She arrived off Roche'e Point about
eleven o'clock, when two tug steamers of the Queens-
town Towing Company, were in attendance with Mr.
3. W. Scott, the local agent of the company, on
board. The mails of both the Britannic and Celtic
were transferred to the tenders, together with two
cabin passengers and some steerage passengers, who
had regularly booked for Queenstown.
Mr. R. B. Birchoffer, of Dripsey House, no. Cork,
a cabin passenger, furnishes a narrative of the time
spent on board the Celtic, from which we make the
following extract :
"We left New York at 6.30 on the morning of the
15th December with fair weather and perfectly smooth
water. At eight on the evening of the 16th, in lat.
4056, long. 65'38, when we had covered 335 miles, it
was reported that the screw shaft was broken. The
accident was imperceptible to the passengers, as it
was unaccompanied by any report or shook. There
was a slight noise, followed by the slackening of
speed, which caused us to inquire the cause, when we
were informed that the shaft had broken. It was
then calm and fine, with a light westerly breeze, We
drifted about helplessly for some days, Captain
Glendon being in the hope that some incoming
stmuner would pick us up and take us back to New
York. We signalled nothing till the morning of
the 22nd December at two a.m., when we sighted the
German mail steamer Gellert, bound west. She stood
by us till daybreak, and offered to take mails and
passengers, but her assistance was declined with
thanks and a request to report us all well. The wea-
ther eontinued calm, and on Christmas Eve we found
that we had drifted to latitude 39.19 south, longitude
62.18 west, which was a considerable distance out of
the traek of outward or homeward vessels. On
Christmas Day the psisengers were relieved to find
that Captain Glendell had resolved to shape his course
for the Irish coast, and the only regret we had was
that he did not do so immediately after the accident
oecurred.

" Our first day on the homeward course was Chria-
mas Day, the weather being perfectly calm and the
good ship behaving admirably under sail. The canvas
we carried consisted of foretopsail, foretopgallant sail,
main and mizen topsails, foe's, main, and mizenstey
sails. The propeller of course was a great drag, but
the ship steered very well, and on the 20th December
we found ourselves back on the homeward track,
making 110 miles in the twenty-four hours, while
the day before we ran 164 miles in a strong westerly
gale, with a heavy sea. I should say that Christmas
Day we spent very pleasantly, had an excellent
dinner, washed down by champagne, which
was presented by the company, A Safe run
home and 'Success to the White Star Line' were
•ordially given. When the Gellert sighted us there
was a very heavy gale with a rough sea. We put out
a boat into which went the purser and third officer,
with a crew of four men. The Gellert lay off a dire
tames of about half a mile, and three hours elapsed
before these gallant fellows got back to us with the
message that the Gelterkwoull wait for us till morning
and take off mails and passengers, if necessary. As
I said, we told them we did net want assistance, and
to report us all well. The orew, who went
In the boat under somewhat hazardous cir-
enmetances, were rewarded for their pluck by
a subscription which was raised for them in
the it4ooll, tOn the Ist, 2nd, and 3rd January, we
had a strong northerly gale, with high beam sea,
In which the Celtic rolled a good deal, but appeared
nevertheless to make good headway. On the 4th the
Independent (steamer), going west, which we believed
was from Antwerp, spoke us. We sirnalled her, but
she seemed te fail to understand us. The reason, how-
ever, was soon explained, as we found she was speaking
in French, which was interpreted by one of our cabin
pm/singers, Mr. &limo% while we had di/stalled in
English. Evidently in the meantime some one with
a knowledge of English was found on board the In-
dependent, and we were informed they would give us
any assistance we required. Indeed they took the
greatest trouble and steamed round us three or four
times. Finally we thanked them, and they promised
to report us all well.
"The ,weather had now moderated considerably,
and on the next day, the sth January, at noon, the
steamer Argosy bore down on us. You have heard, of
mune, hew she took off four of our passengers—all
she could aceommodate. The ballot to select the choen
few was somewhat exciting, The four numbers, 1,2,
8,4, were placed in a hat, together with sixty-'one
blank papers, representing the number of cabin pas-
sengers on board. A little speculation immediately
arose with the successful drawers, two parting with
their right to rescue for £5 each. If they had held
their luck for a little time longer their lot would
have been very remunerative. One, an Americen
sculptor, who has a pressing engagement at Rome in
connection with the execution of a statue of the late
Ptesident Garfield, was willing, when he based the
chance of being transferred to the Argosy was
negocisble, to give £4O for the opportunity. He
WAN late, however. The weather continued good
until the 9tb, when we had a fresh gale of W.N.W.,
and on that day we ran 123 miles. The follow-
ing day the German steamer Polynesia signalled
us, and went her course on being informed that
we required no assistance. On Friday night we
were having a concert in the saloon, when
about tau o'clock a shout was raised that a steamer
was bearing down upon us. We thoeght it was
the Britannic, but it proved to be the Pavonia, of
the Cunard Line. We were sonfident that we should
soon fall in with the Britannic, and our connsh` was
made to that end. The excellence of the navigation
IVAN proved in the morning, when at six o'clock we
found the Britannic making for us. We despatched
a boat to get some necessary supplies of which we had
run short in the lest week, and at 8.15. a.m. we had
a steel hawser on board and were in tow,

Under the peculiar circumstances the navigation of
the steamer waq all that it eould be, and with a
necessarily diminishing larder, the manner in which
the supplies were manipulated, so as not to give the
appearance of a shortening supply, was most praise.
worthy; but at the worst there was no chance ol short
rations, as the Celtic had in her refrigerator a freight
of something like 200 0161101413 of beef, which, if the
emergency arose, could be drawn on,"