The Portland daily press., 1886-12-03
FRIcHTFuL ACCIDENT AT SEA.
A Huge, Cross Sea Rolls Upon a
Steamers
Deck and Kills Six Men and Injuries
Thirteen Others.
The Sad Catastrophe One Which
Was Unavoidable.

JERSEY CITY, n. j., Dec. "A frightful
disaster. involving the death of six men and
the infiiction of serious injuries to thirteen
Others, was reported this afternoon upon the
arrival of the steamship Western Land at
her dock. The catastrophe was unavoida-
Bile. On Saturday afternoon, November
37th, when the Westernland was seven days
out from Antwerp, huge, cross sea was
suddenly encountered, and it fell with terrific
force upon the forward deck Of the steam
ship. The deck was crushed In and buried
the unfortunates beneath a mass Of
wood and iron debris. The next instant the
water swept along tho gangways Of the main
deck, carrying several persons with it. The
injured were then carried as soon as possible
to the intermediate cabin which was trans
formed into hospital. Here they were at
tended by Dr. j. Hurlock, the ships sur
geon, and DIR. Felix Calm Of New York City,
who was among the passengers. Four sea-
men were found to have been killed outright.
They were:
Rasinas sandagen, aged 81, of Antwerp, whose
skull was crushed to ielly
GUSTAV Dudart of Antwerp, aged 43, crush ed to
Emile DeCock Of Antwerp, aged 2e, found
pluned to main deck by the Jagged end Of an iron
stanton, which had pierced his abdomen.
Henri Johrens, aged %, legs broken and thr oat
cut by the spllntered deck.
The two others killed were steerage pas
sengers, Max Frank, aged IS. of Water
heisen, Germany; and Gerternil Invader,
aged II. of Constantinople.
The injured seamen are:
Second Boatswain Neil Hansen, Nils Olsen,
Jayinnus DeJOugh Henry Verstraeten, Francis
Frank, Charles Bedo and Ferdinand Human.
The passengers injured were as follows:
Joseph Levaderi, Max Kagl, Julius Wiel
Francis Tassani William Harcomb Of New York.
Eugene Sohmer and Gustav Breorn
All the injured had arms, legs or ribs
broken and were otherwise bruised, con-
fused and internally injured.
The four dead seamen were buried at sea
Saturday night, and the two dead passen-
gers, Frank and Levaderi, Sunday night
Many affecting scenes were witnessed at
the improvlsed hospital when the passen
gers inquired about their relatives.
When the catastrophe occurred the steam
ship was about $50 miles east Of the Banks
When the Westernl2nd reached port the
injured passengers were transferred to
Wards Island Hospital.
The deck Of the vessel offered some idea of
the terrible blow she had received. The
crushed deck was known as the forward
whale back. 1t was constructed of four inch
pine planks resting upon massive iron
beams. These in turn were upheld by three
inch iron rod Stantions. The vast volume
of water struck the whale back deck about
Is feet from the stern and crushed in sec
tion 20 feet long and extending the full
length of the steamship. Nine beams and
Is stanJions were crushed in upon the fore
castle deck, where the victims were gath
cred. IL Will cost about $1,000 to repair the
steamship.
Second Officer Epoff who was on watch
when the accident occurred makes the fol-
lowing statement:
AT 2.30 O'Clock Saturday afternoon, were
in lat. 470 So, long. 430 81. / was on the
main bridge when / noticed an enormous
wave on the starboard bow. The next in
slant another towering wave joined it from
the port side They seemed to leap into the
air as they mingled. They must have been
nearly 40 feet high as l saw.their united mass
above the lower yard of the foremast.
Then came a crash of water upon the deck
1t sounded louder than dozen cannons fired
at once. The water swept from one end to
the other of the main deck, and carried
everything before it.
The steamer company will defray the ex-
penses of the injured Immigrants and those
who are necessarily detained here