The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1888-08-23
A HORRIBLE TALE OF THE SEA.
Steamer "Geiser' Sunk by a Collision with
the Steamer "Thingvalla''-One Hun
dred and Five Souls went
Down with the ILL
Fated Vessel.

disasters of recent years. The steamer
Geiser, of the Thingvall;l line, left this
port on Saturday last with full list OF
passengers, bound for Copenhagen
She belonged more especially to the
emigrant-carrying class, being a slow
sailor, and the majority of her passen-
gers were Of the poorer classes.
According to the story ola passenger,
everything proceeded smoothly and
good time was make until the vicinity
of the Sable Islands was reached, when
a dense fog settled down, obscuring OBJ.
jects at even thirty feet distant. The
speed OF the Geiser was decreased
materially, and the whistles We're kept
sounding and all precautions were
taken to prevent a collision, but the
density Of the fog prevented the signals
being heard at any distance.
Suddenly and without warning a
vessel loomed up in the fog, and before
the Geiser could take any preparations
to avoid her the crash occurred. The
strange vessel proved to be the Thing
valla, of the same line, bound for New
York, and she struck the Geiser a
little forward of amidships, cutting her
almost halfin two.
The succeeding scene batfied descrip-
ton, and neither passengers nor officers
attempted anything like an accurate
account of it. That q terrible panic
occurred is certain. The passengers
and crew lost their heads and ran
heedlessly up and down the deck, cry
ing to be taken from the fast-sinking
vessel to place of safety. Others,
cooler-headed, pitched strips of boards,
and whatever would serve as a life
preserver, overheard, and leaped after.
The matches were removed and women
and children piled on them and set
afloat. Life boats, on being lowered,
wele quickly filled, the crew battling
), with the passengers for place in the
boats.
All this happened in the shortest
possible space Of time, as, when in less
than five minutes from the time of
the collision, the Gciser lurchcd heavily
and went down, forward end on, car
rying with her one hundred and five
souls, seventy-three passengers and
thirty-three of the crew.
The Thingvalla was almost totally
disabled by the collision, having ter
rife hole stove in her forward compart-
ment, carrying it almost entirely away
from the deck to below the water line.
Her boats, nevertheless, put out to
rescue the survivors, and manfuliy
battled with the heavy sea then run
ming, to relieve the floating wreckage
of its precious freights.
The remainder Of the story may be
better told by Captaid Albers, of the
Wieland, who brought the news and
survivors here. He says: son the
morning Of August IA we sighted some
wceckage and suspected at once that an
accident had happened, as, although a
heavy sea was running at the time,
J there had been no storm of sufficient
violence to wreck a vessel. We next
sighted a broken boat, and almost i'm
mediately after made out the Thing
valla flying a signal of distress. We ran
down to her and Captain Lamb came
alongside in a small boat and piteously
| begged us to relieve him of the suryi-
vors OF the Geiser and his own passen-
gers, 355 in number, as his vessel was
50 badly injured that he wondered at
| her floating as she did. We sent three
boats, and these, with two from tn :
Thingvalla, succeeding in transferring
all the passengers on the vessel safely
to US in about five hours. The immense
hole in the Thingvalla's bow was then
patched up, and she started to run to
Halifax
The collision, 50 far as known, was
caused by the fog. The Thingvalla was
| heading west-south-w the Geiser
east-north-east. Both chief officers were
on deck at the time, and had taken all
precautions to prevent the accident.
The Thingvalla virtually ran the
Geiser down. The latter vessel was
heavily laden, and the Thingvalla ran
her bow up on the Geiser's deck,
smashing her stateroom and killing or
disabling all the passengers therein.
The first officer Of the Geiser was on
deck when the accident happened, and
grasped the Thingvalla's chains when
she backed off: He was carried with
her, and had Il leg broken. He is now
| in the Hoboken hospital.
Capt. Carl Miller refuses to make any
statement for publication regarding the
accident, save that it was due to the
weather then prevailing. He is heart
broken over the loss CT his ship.
The survivors were taken ut once to
the Hotel Denmark, and are spending
the night there.
Second officer, Peter J. Joyensen,
says: II was asleep i'll my bunk when
l heard a shock and immediately went
on deck. Taking in the situation at a
glance | ordered all hands on deck. /
caught the Thingvalla's chains and
reached her deck. From there / saw
| the Geiser sink stern first"
Amos Welse, civil engineer of Min
neapolis, was another graphic relator of
events. He said: about O'Clock on
! Tuesday morning l was awaked by 4
shock, and thinking we had struck a
wreck I went on deck, taking my cork
! Jacket with me When 7 reached the