The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1886-01-18
BATTLING THE WAVES.
How the Steamer Katahdin Looked
on Her Arrival in Boston.

The details of the trip of the steamer Ka-
tahdin, from Bangor to Portsmouth, N. H.,
have been printed. On the steamers arrival
in Boston, a reporter of the Traveller went
on board or her, and we give few extracts
from his description of her appearance The
scene presented ON the main deck, where
most of the damage appears to have been
done, is chaotic one in the extreme. On
both sides of the vessel the bulwarks have
been almost completely demolished and car
ried away. Strong rails and stanehions that
once served to support the bulwarks and the
upper deck are either altogether missing or
reduced to splinters.
The plankshear is started, and timbers
that would scarcely seem to be liable to dis
integration by an earthquake are rent and
strained like so many straws. A gaping
anerture at the stem is where the mighty vol
umes of water entered, and reinforcing the
mightier waves outside, together made match
wood of the bulwarks, and swept everything
movable before their resistless onslaught On
starboard and port the scene is the same.
The stewards Stateroom, on the port side,
was once cosy, little apartment, fitted with
berths and ''all modern conyeniences," but
the ocean did not even respect that import.
ant functionary, and now the room has but
three sides and no contents whatever. EY-
ervthin9 was washed out, berths bedding
and all. Several other state ana storeroomS
present the same appearance, all open 10 the
sea and sky, and everything washed OUT OF
them. Some of the others were treated less
severely, and got off with unhlnged doors
and ripped-up carpets.
The reporter noted all this as he followed
one of the employees over the vessel and rs
tened to his description of the damage "On
this deck" said his conductor, "the sea
Nv0ul6 antnr ~ tho Urpat ph1Sm IN the SJeQl.
and rushing down on either side, would sweep
everything before it, and what portion OF the
water did not escape through the scuppers
would find its way in volumes into the lower
cabin
Descending to the aforementioned place, it
was found that locomotion was exceedingly
difficult not to say dangerous. Traces OF the
salt waters visit were to be seen on every
hand, and the wreck seemed to be more ter
rible here than on the main deck even. In
the cabin, where long rows of berths once
were, the latter were nearly all missing, hav-
ing been carried away almost in their entire
ty by the water which had surged through,
and the planking had all been torn up from
midships to the forward companionway.
Through the apertures thus made the floor
ing of the hold was plainly visible. AT
one time" said the guide, the water stood
up to the second tier of berths on this deck,
and you can imagine what picture 1t pre-
sented" The reporters attention was called
to a long row of heavy braces which ran
iongitudinally along this deck. These truss.
es were put in last year at the suggestion OF
carpenter McKie, and to their presence IS no
doubt due the salvation of the vessel and her
passengers They are common tx" trusses,
securely bolted on each side.
The upper dock suffered least of all, and it
was here that the passengers were housed
during the storm. The principal damage
was slight breach made by the sea in the
forward side of the saloon.
On all sides relics of the great washout, in
the shape of bedding, crockery ware, furni-
ture, ETC., were to be found, and the sight
was most melancholy one.