Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1888-08-18
the boat sink. As she went down / stuck
to her, and was carried down some dis
tauce Soon felt mysels

the boat sink. As she went down stuck
to her, and was carried down some dis
tance. Soon felt myself
i SHOOTING THROUGH THE,wArER,
impelled by my cork jacket. 1 was on top
OF the water for perhaps one-half an hour,
when Isclimbed on the keel OF q small boat
floating upside down and was finally picked
lup.n
"The voyage was uneveutful until early
Tuesday morning, . said q passenger on the
iThingvalla. II had left my berth, and was
looking out. Saw there was dense fog
prevailing. could hear our steam whistle
blowing, but heard no other signals. 1t was
exactly 4:3G o'clock when / was hurled to
the floor Of my stateroom. There was a
| terrific crash, and / knew instinctively q
collision had occurred. ran to the deck
and found we had run into the steamship
Geiser. As reached the deck, the Thing
valla drew out OF the rent she had made in
the Geiser's side.
Captain Lamb of the Thingvalla, was
| in his berth when the sccident occurred.
He was one OF the first to reach the deck
OF the Geiser. His arm was broken two
weeks ago, and he was in his berth when
| the Thingvalla
CRASHED INTO HIS ROOM.
He managed to climb aboard the Thing
valla, as she drew back. He was not SO
much as touched by the water.
"The Thingvalla's crew did all they could
to rescue the unfortunates, and obeyed
orders promptly.
"The Thingvalla's upper deck was not in
iured, but her bows were broken in from
point ten feet below deck. The dent was
about 81 feet in length, and ran back
above and below the water line to the col
lision bulkhead, Had it not been for that
bulkhead the Thingvalla would have gone
down like shot.
Captain Lamb. the first officer, Peter
son, and the third officer, Jorgensen, were
on the Thingvalla's bridge at the time.
afterward learned that Captain Moller OF
the Geiser had gone to bed and left first
officer Brown in command of the vessel
Brown was lost. Life boats were promptly
launched from the Thingvalla. and the
work OF rescue began. Some of the Geiser's
passengers and crew had reached their
boats, but most OF them were picked up
from improvised crafts. chicken coops,
camp stools and anything else that would
suit.
"The survivors had to hurry, as the
Geiser went down stern first, about five
minutes after the crash.
THE MUST WONDERFUL ESCAPE
was that OF Assistant Engineer Berthel-
son. After the Geiser had gone down, and
it was known that there were no passengers
in any OF the lost steamers boat, he had
the bows OF his own vessel protected as far
as possible with straw mattresses and other
material to prevent the water from enter
ing. Distress signals were sounded and the
ship laid in for daylight.
"a 15-year.old boy, whose name Ibid not
earn, had his legs crushed. He was one of
,he Thingvalla's passengers. The able
bodied passengers and crew used the ship
adders. As we reached the Wieland, the
asst Of the Gieser's abandoned life boats
ioated out of sight.
''There was no fault to be found with the
manner iu which were treated aboard the
Nieland; nothing was too good for US.
even the passengers divided their clothing
With the unfortunates of the Geiser."
Captain Albers, OF the Wieland, upon
eaching quarantine. telegraphed the first
ntimation of the disaster to Captain e.
3ordenhauser, general superintendent OF
he Hamburg line. Arrangements were at
'nce made for the
RECEPTION OF THE RESCUED PASSENGERS
n New York. Surveyor of the port, Baltic,
nd his assistant, John Whelan. together
nth the agents of the Thingvalla, met the
Veiland as she reached her dock on the
The Geiser was one OF the four vessels
wned by the Thlngvalla line, and was con-
idered their crack ship. Most OF her pas
ooked by A. Martin, Son & Co., general
gents of the line at Chicago.
The Geiser was an iron screw steamer OF
,S1S tons burden. She was 1875 feet long,
9 feet beam, and % feet depth OF hold.
he was built in the yards OF Barmeister
, Vain at Copenhagen, in 1881.