St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-04-07
The Steamer Daniel Steinmann
Lies at the Bottom of the
Ocean.
The Mistake of the Captain Thinking
that Sambro Light was
that of Chebucto.
Men, Women and Children Washed Over
board by the Cruel Waves and
DroWned-Full Particulars.
Those Below had Very Little Time to
Get On Deck, and SanIn With
the Steamer.

HALIFAX, April 5.-Jas. A. Chapman, of
Chapman Bros, agents for the White Cross
line, returned this afternoon from Sambro,
where he went last night to look after the
survivors of the wrecked steamer, Daniel
Steinnfann. The stormy weather last night
prevented him from attempting to reach
Sambro island, but this morning at O'Clock
he secured a pilot who would endeavor to
reach the island. They took pilot boat and
dory with them. When as near the island
as they could risk, the dory was launched,
and with the assistance of the men on the
island, Chapman got ashore and saw Cap
tain Schoonhoven and obtained the following
particulars of the wreck:
FOGGY WEATHER.
The steamer had fine weather on the pas
sage, with the exception of the last two days,
which were very foggy it being impossible to
get any reckoning, and he thinks he must
have overrun lis time. AT 10 p. III. the Sd
inst. he saw light ahead, which he first took
for Chebucto light, the fog making it appear
about five miles of, but it could not have
| been more than one. He discovered, as he
neared the light, it was Sambro, and before he
had time to reverse the engines, he was
among the lodges, northeast of the island.
| The steamer struck twice and began filling
fast. He then tried to run her ashore, but
| she sank in few minutes. As soon as the
ship struck, the captain ordered the passen-
gers all on deck, but they were all swept
overheard and drowned by the heavy seas
which swept over her.
THE SAVED.
Two passengers and five of the crew got
into boat and managed to reach the shore.
The ship went down stern first. The captain,
who was at his post on the bridge when she
went down, threw off his boots and coat and
took to the forward rigging, but she sank
faster than he could climb, so he
was obliged to let himself float and after
| considerable trouble caught the top-gallant
yard and clung there with one of the pas
sengers, who also managed to keep himself
aflOat until "a IN. on Friday, when boat
put off from the island and rescued them. The
captain will remain on the island to look af
ter the wreck, and will not come up to the
city until the first of the week. No bodies
| are yet washed ashore.
THE SURVIVORS.
The government steamer Newfield left this
morning for Sambro island, for the purpose
of getting off the crew, and securing all pos
sible information. Running at o'clock
within a few hundred yards of the island she
cast anchor, and proceeded to make the
necessary preparation for gettiug the sur
tba e., A hAo+
and the men pulled for the spot where the
survivors were awaiting relief Upon land
ing the sailors and passengers were inter
viewed by the rescuing party, and the follow
ing details of the dreadful catastrophe was
elected by the reporter:
The surviving passengers and seamen of
the Inflated steamer are: Henry Schoonhoven,
Antwerp, captain; Eugene Nickola, Milford,
Gutenberg; Locco Nicola, Vincengo Salano
Italy; John Medermann, Echenhofen; ODER
Bayen, Otto Kranz, Wittchendorf, near
Schwarsburg; Frank Florentine, Disseri,
Antwerp; Charles Won Louis, Antwerp;
Petro Fences, Antwerp; Fritz Wick, STRAIT
sund, Prussia.
CLEAR STATEMENT.
Alex Clinic, brother of the lighthouse
keeper, who resides upon the island, gave
the annexed statement ''My brother Alfred
is keeper of the lighthouse. The permanent
residents upon the island are, the keeper his
wife, three children, myself and another
brother, Stewart A. Bombarder and four
guDners of the royal artillery and Alex
Houseman, engineer, in charge of the fog
whistle. At the time of the disaster, the keeper
4 I,l;
duty, engaged in making their annual
returns, etc. Two boiler makers were at the
period of the wreck, at work repairing the boil
er of the whistle. | was in charge of the fog
whistle from till 9:30, having relieved the
engineer at 6, at which time the whistle was
in working order and sounding its notes of
warning. succeeded in keeping the whistle
going till 8 As, when it cleared sufficiently to
enable me to see distinctly DEVILS island
and Chebucto head 1 stopped the whistle,
the engineer at this time deeming it unnec-
essary to keep it going.
TIE STEAMER SIGHTED.
Just before the engineer relieved me at
$3.50 the lookout man sighted the steamer
about mile south by east of the light. lie
called me and | saw how she was lying to-
heading about east northeast. She laid there
about fifteen minutes, while | looked at
her, after which she ran ahead about a
mile, and then started ahead again, and
went about 500 yards and again stopped
l think she then struck on Broad
Beaver shoa, for she began to back astern
1t was very dark, and judged her motions
by her lights The fog whistle was started
again at 9 As, though it was still clear This
was done to warn the ship from the rock
About twenty minutes after she began to
back. This time she struck again, ON the
Mid rock on the northeast shoal
SHE SINKS.
She then let go anchor, but this did not |
seem to hold her and she drifted up across |
the shoal and sank between 300 and 400 |
yards from the shore of the island. Ny |
brother and then got into a boat and at
tempted to put out to the steamer, but the !
boat was too small, and we were forced to
turn back We then went up
and turned the lights upon the rocks, |
and lit bonfires along the shore to
warn any boats that might be aioat, against |
the dangerous coasts. We also waved blue |
lights in the direction of the cove, as signal |
to such boats to keep within a safe distance
from the island, and also as a guide 10 enable
to keep comparatively free from danger, so
that they could land without risk
BOAT COMES ASHORE.
In the course of an hour boat came in
sight, which proved to be one of the boats of
the steamer, containing seven men. We
succeeded in guiding them intoa place where
they might land. We kept lights burning
along the shore all ni@;it hut saw nothing