Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-08-17
RUN DOWN AT SEA
The Scandinavian Steamer GeiSer
 Sunk by the Thingvalla.
OVER 100 LIVES SACRIFICED.
THE DOOMED VESSEL GOES DOWN IN FIVE
 MINUTES AFTER THE CRASH.


 dered Useless--O Only One Woman saved-- The Disaster Occurred in the Early Morning on the Coast of Nova Scotia All the Rescued and the Passengers of the Surviving Vessel Brought in Port by the Steamer Wieland--The Thing val1a Badly Damaged, is Trying to Reach Halifax.
 NEW YORK, Aug. 17.-The steamship Geser of the Thinsvalla line was run down at sea at o'clock Tuesday morning last by the Thingvalla of the same line. Four minutes later tho G6iser sunk As far as Is known 124 human beings went down with her.
 The collision occurred off the Newfound- land coast. Who is responsible for the ca tastrophe is not yet known. First Officer Brown of the Geiser, who was in charge of that vessel at the time of the collision, went down with his ship, and as the Thingvalia has not yet reached Halifax, to which port she put into in disabled con- dition, the explanation of her officers can not be given.
 It was the steamer Wieland, of the Ham, burg Packet Line, which brought the sad news to the city. She arrived here last evening.
 So terrible was the shock and so effect i've it's deadly work that the victims were launched into eternity before they had sufficiently shaken off their sleep. The fortunate ones were saved by mere chance for there was no time for intelligent &C., tion. Even when they arrived in this city yesterday they had not entirely recovered from the dazing effect of the ordeal through which they had passed. They, too, had been asleep, and not one on board could tell plain story of how the fearful acc- dent occurred. The Thingvalla was on her way from Copenhagen to New York, and had on board 4S5 passengers and full crew. The Geiser left Hoboken last Saturday for Copenhagen with eghtystX passengers and a crew of fifty. The saved include only fourteen of the former and seventeen of the latter, the first officer, who was III charge of the vessel at the time, being among the lost D From stories of the survivors it IS learned that the night was very dark, and heavy rain and a thick haze made it diff hcult to distinguish objects at a distance The captains of both vessels were asleep, and the first officers were in charge. Their stories can not be obtained, for one Is at the bottom of the and the other is taking his shattered craft into Halifax. The best obtanable accounts agree. how ever, that the Thingvalla, without mo- ments warning, crashed into the Geiser, striking her on the starboard side amid ships. She was cut almost clean through. The attacking vessels bow ploughed through the hull of her unfortunate asso- ciate, letting water into every compart ment. Almost immediately the Geiser seemed to have been broken into two parts. She tipped upon her stern and sank before boat could bc launched to take off her passengers. and the saved owe their floD %ho& or near dismembered parts of the vessel. Even the main reliance of wrecked sels, the life raft, was useless, the heavy masts caught it when the stern went down and dragged it beneath the waves.
 There were many blood-curdlinS scenes of distress even in the few minutes of the awful catastrophe. Fortunately the Thingvalla although her bow was stove in, was able to render some assistance, but the time was too brief to save more of the unfortunates. Her officers, after all the wrecked people in sight had been picked up and the condition of their own boat had been ascertained ran up signals of dis tress, for they found that it would be hazardous with their original 425 passen- gers and the thirty-one people from the Geiser to attempt to make a port For many hours they waited and watched, dur ing which all on board were filled with anxiety and tear, momentarily expecting the vessel to sink also, despite the assur- ances of the officers and crew that there was no danger. They all knew that the vessel was dam aged badly, and could not comprehend why it should be safe, after having gone through such experience, especially when the other vessel, with a much lighter load, should have succumbe so easily.
 At 11tl o'clock, a steamer was seen away to the eastward. The weather had cleared now somewhat, and at once the whsle ot the Thingvalla was set ablowing. The stranger came straight for the Thingvalla, and reached her before noon. It was the Wieland.ot the Hamburg line.
 'Even before we saw the steamer with her signals of distress holsted,n said Capt. 4. Albers of the Wieland last night, i've had seen the floating wreckage, with the half of life boat that had been cut in two floating about. When we were near enongh boat put off from the Thingvalla which brought Capt. Laub to us. He told me briefly of the collision, and asked me to take those rescued from the Geiser, as well as his own passengers, on tho Vie land, for he feared that his own ship might spring leak at any time and go down. OI course l readily agreed to do so. We used three of our boats and two of theirs, and between 12 o'clock and D. ID. took of, not only the rescued from the Geiser, but 45l passengers belonging to the Thngvalla We had to hoist them all, one by one or board with ropes, on account of the heavy sea; but we did it without mishap, anC here we are safe in New York"
 or what those who were saved from the Geiser experienced and the half car never be told. There was Second Of1ceI Jorgsnsen He was asleep in his bunk il his room in the house on the upper deck The crash of the collision awakened hlm and opening his eyes he saw the blacl bow of the Thingvalla cutting it's wa, through the floor and roof of his room anC just missing his bunk by space so marrow that he could reach across it as he la, there. AS the forward motion of tn Thingvalla ceased Jorgensen noticed that the chain cable attached to her anchor wa. just within reach. Putting out both hands he grabbed big link just as she began backing away, and thus clinging to tn link he was dragged out of hls bunk, ou through the hole which the ThiRgvalla ha' cut in the side of his ship, and away iron