Morning journal and courier., 1881-12-14
stopped, the. Nederland had rolled about in | the trough of the sea-


 
 stopped, the Nederland had rolled about in the trough of the sea.
 THE BoATswAIN's LEG BROKEN The chief officer, Mir. Apetz yesterday de- tailed to Herald reporter the leading incl dents of this, the most terrible voyage, he said, that he had ever experienced. ''We left Antwerp on November 19," he said, land have had a succession of gales and hurri- canes all the way over. The gales were in the main westerly, ranging from southwest to west-northwest, and exceeded in violence anything that have ever seen or ever ex- pect to see again. To go day by day through our experience would be monotonous we sit here safe in port, but the most trying time we had was between the 26th and 2Sth of November, and if I tell you briefly what occurred then you will wonder, as I am all most inclined to do, that we are here alive to tell the tale. On the morning of the 27th q hurricane was blowing, the deck was flooded continually with huge waves that broke over the vessel every few minutes and the wind kept on increasing in violence. Second Off, cer Fedderson was on the bridge when the beginning of the worst of our misfortunes came. A sea washed clean over the bridge, carrying away one of the stanchions, which struck him as it flew by, bru1sing him badly and causing him great pain. Soon after this vast wave came aboard and with one sweep carried away the saloon entrance and the chart room, not leaving timber standing save the partition supporting the bridge. The boatswain was the only man about the spot at the time. The sea caught him, swung him around, and then he was carried back and washed down the saloon stairs, breaking his left leg The water poured down the steps and soon flooded the saloon over foot in depth. It made its way into the state rooms, setting everything movable afoat. Of course the passengers were terribly frightened, but they behaved very well. Soon after this another great sea came tumb- ling aboard the vessel over the stern. It cleaned out the wheelhouse, smashed the steam steering apparatus and tore along the decks of the ship, carrying everybody before 1t. Five of the seamen were thrown off their feet and badly cut and bruised before they could secure themselves. Another sea made clean sweep of all the glass in the hatchway over the engines, and the water poured down into the engine rooms. The funnel of the cooks galley was torn out and carried aft, and the waves soon put out all the fires down there. The ship now could not steer, the engines were soon stopped and the fires out, and the vessel was now completely at the mercy of the waves. Meanwhile, the good ship rolled helplessly in the trough of the sea, the waves broke over the vessel with terrific force almost increasingly. All the boats but two were carried away, and the wreckage of 
 vessel, smashing everything in their progress It was not safe to be on deck even for minute, and the officers could only keep the bridge by flashing themselves together and securing themselves to stanchions. At length, on the 2Sth when we were all worn out, the gale partly blew itself out and we managed after great difficulty to get the steering apparatus patched up. Then the engines were set going again and we soon had her head to the sea and continued our voyage"
 TWO BIRTHS AND A DEATH.
 pr. T. K. Stabeck, the surgeon of the Ne derland, spoke also as to the unprecedented weather encountered and recounted some in- cidents of the voyage of interesting na- ture. He said: '"The officers, of course, will not speak of the courage they displayed un- der the most trying circumstances, but their bravery was general topic of remark among the passengers. When the entrance to the saloon and chart house was washed away and the waves poured unchecked down the con- panionway, flooding all the passage ways, sa- loon and staterooms, Captain Ueberweg him. self, at the risk of his life, forced his way on deck and, aided by his officers, secured the hatchway temporarily well as it could be done under the circumstances. The danger was real, too, for at the time the boats were being smashed up and blow from the flying timbers would have entailed broken limbs if nOG 1QSGanG Q0dGQ. A1buOuSA H6 IcCo4tou the worst buffeting on the 27th and 28th, on the night of December 5th I think the ship rolled and pitched worse than at any time during the voyage. Twas called that night at 9 o'clock to the steerage to assist in bring ing an infant into the world. Of all my ex- perience in the practice of my profession this WAS certainly the strangest. l could not keep my feet anaided for 8 moment, and two strong men had to support me while I assist ed the poor mother. Her screams were piercing, and added 8 new source of alarm to the terrors of the steerage passengers, al- ready frenzied with fear. No sooner was the little one born than I was summoned to the bedside of French lady, Mrs. Anna O. Dyckmans, who was suffering from con sumption when she came on board, and who died at a. m on the 9th of exhaustion induced in measure by the hor- TOTS of the voyage. She was from Brussels, and was on her way to friends residing in Philadelphia At 8 o'clock the same morn ing we had another birth in the steerage. I shall not easily forget the scene in the sa- loon when the water flooded it. Articles of wearing apparel. boxes and valises were float ing about in all directions and many of the passengers thought the end must be near when they saw the waves pouring down the companion-way in great sheets of foam. All in few hours things below resumed some- thing like their normal appearance"
 Before leaving the vessel the passengers held meeting and drew up letter of con- graduation and thanks to Captain Ueberweg and Officers Apetz, Fedderson, Albrecht and Bull for the admirable seamanship they had displayed and the noble manner in which they had risked their lives in the perfor- formance of their duty.