The New York herald., 1878-07-11
COLLISION AT SEA.
WHAT WAS NEAR BEING A WILLIE do HAvRz
- DfsAsTER-sKILL AND CooLHEss OF A SEA

WHAT WAS NEAR BEING A WILLIE DU HAvRE
= DfsAsrER-sKILL AND oooLsEss OF SEA
CAPTAIN.
The steamship Herder, Captain L. Brandt, Of the
Hamburg line, which arrived in this port Monday
night with over bree hundred passengers and crow
o lilo men. had the narrowest possible escape from
suffering the same fate rs beicl tho Ve du havre
few years ago, when she down IN mid ocean
by the bark Loeb Earn In the latter Instance the
nervous agitation OF the captain was held responsible
for full OF the d.saser as il was asserted
the time thst he had ample warning, even though
1t only fifteen minutes 10 AVOID wholly or greatly
modify the effects OF the collision that took place be-
tween his steamer and the sailing ship Loeb
Earn. In the present case. that OF tho steam
snip Herder, doubt exists but that the
prompt decision OF the captain saved the vessel
from even late than what becli tho Vile du
Havre The Herder lett Hamburg June 20, Havre une
20 when In latude II 00 longitude 81 %, Monday.
July 5, at twenty mioutcs past three r. H., about
twenty miles south OF the Dry Georges shoals aud in
q dense fog came In collision with large and full
rugged ship, but with consequences happily that may
be only very lightly regarded. The agents Of the linz,
Richard Bois, at No 81 Broadway, know nothing
the collision that had taken place. The Captain had
yet reported and he couIo only consider 1t, IL COL
ls:on had really taken place, mere scrape against
a fishing boat. The HERALD reporter after this went
to Hob0kcn and found Captain Brandt IN his cabin.
looking tho beau ideal OF u thorough going sca dog
The Captain following tho for thriy-iour
years and knows whereof he spcuks. His narrative
freely aud graphically given, was as iollows:-
THE CAPTAIy's STORY.
''rbere was dense fog prevailing that afternoon
and l was steering west lcss quarter north. Inc
twenty minutes past three r. ~. and heard horn
our etarb0aTd side; at the same time put my
We nave complols anu perfect steam steering appara
tus. About the same m0mGnt VI SAW large vessel un
full sail, probably fifteen hunarcd tons, head-
out OF tue fog and bearing down square on to the
sarboard oil the Herder she was then not further OIL
than from 50 10 100 feet. hsaoed 70 him TO port
his hslu, and, waving my hand. told him 10 get his
ship against the wind and lessen hts headway. lnthe
next breath gave out ui speed ahead n order TO got
rid Q hun. and II mad not done that he certainly
wouN come smashing into our waist, as he must
have been making about ten knots an hour.
But, In spite OF that, he struck his jlbDoom my
main rigging damaged tho latter partially ana broke
MS boom. Then he scraped away astern, carrying
oil half dozen awning stunchions, the railworK OF
the after bridge scooped out piece the rail
with Tho stump Of his jbboom aud carried away the
$50 himself The hands 0 his vessel were standing
tho bow, hail0aing 10 me All right u ana
wnen they dnSiy sliding out OF sight IN The iog
they took on their caps and gave three cheers The
whole thing cegan and ended IN q minute ana half
and 1t was ilnpossiss 70 had out who she was or
where shc hailed from. As The huls oil the vessels
never touched saw 10 occasion to stay, and SO pro-
cceded on my voyage"
What kind oI vessel, Captain, did she appear 10
PROBABLY AN AMERICAN SHIP.
s'Sh0 looked ike an American SNIP eincT In
ballast or snt loaded. She mad every sail sot and
was making good speed; was bound west and tacking
al the time oil the collision
'swhat precautions did you take In tho fog ?''
81 kept constantly blowing my fog horn every
twenty seconds, ana kept It up hours after the col
Iison. Heard guns firing 0n my port side and thought
It was pilot. Went around 10 wnere the sound came
IRON and heard more guns driag, and regulated my
course accordingly, that there must have bcen
other vessels caught iE tho same log Took pilot on
board about theD."
.swhsre were you at the time Of the collision ?"
WuG o q second
mon the coltdins vessel acted promptly on my
directions when 1 told them 10 port their helm"
"How we're the passengers anectedT'
'Many Of then were on deck and many were below,
still seasick The seasick foks came rushing on dc
Eearing Of tho collision. but II was all over aud
past and gono before they reached there"
"what was tae difference between your case and
at WAS clear weather whom tho Vile du Havre
struck, aud The Loeb Earn was sceh hfteen minutes
before ths collision In my the unknown vessel,
which certainly big as the Loeb Earn, came out
scraping my rigging, ana II had not SO suddenly
ported my helm and sent my vessel ahead ut iuii
she would have pIoughed clean into us, and the
OF escape In that thicK log Tor The
would have boon much less than they were Tor those
Of the Vile du Havre.'
show did your passen sers treat the AFFAIR.""
ssThey all satisfied that did tho right thing,
and Herr Won Bassewitz, the German Wee Consul at
New York, VINO was standing by when tho occurrence
took place. gave me great praise Tor tho way
handled my vessel"
srrsd TO the remarkable resemblance between his
perience and that OF the Vile du Havre
The Herdcr had few traces OF The effect OF the col
lsion, or rather the scrapc. The nagsian laid
aud Gaping Of the buiwaTks st tho stern
away, aiong with portion OF the rigging forward;
but these were only noticeable whom attention
directed TO them.