Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-08-17
LOST AT SEA.
TWO STEAMERS BOUND FOR NEW YORK
Collide
sons prownsd--The Rescued Reach
the Home Port.
nav telnrranh b ,hn nI.nst-h.l

Hamburg August 9Th Ui1 Hayre 7ih,
with merchandise aud I13 cabin aud lj5
steerage passengers, arrived TO-DAY aud
repoIis August lith, thirty miles south
OF Sable island, ct noon saw Danish
steamer Thingvalla, from Copenhagen
for New York, with signals q dis
tress The 1hlnQyBlla had collidcd on the
l3th at 1 4. NJ. with the steamer Geyser.
Of the same line, from New York August
18th for copenhagen. The Geyser sank
ia about five minutes Fourteen pas
sengers and seventeen Of the crew,
among them Captain Moiler, are saved.
Seventy two passengers and tbirty-threo
OF the crew were lost The steamer
/ Wieland brought 40 passengers from
the Thingvalla aud those saved from tho
Geyser TO New York. The TmnRvslla
will endeavor to reach Halifax, y. ).
The Geyser left this port August 18th,
bound for Stein. The Thingyalla was
on her way 10 this city and was adyeT-
iised 10 leave here August both. a very
heavy sea and dense fog we're expe-
rienccd through the night and early
morning Of August l4th. II is SAID that
an object could not be distinguished
fifty feet away by reason of the log.
Stories differ rs to where the liability
lies il due not wholly TO the fog aud
heavy sea. but the ThingvaIla struck the
Geyser on the starboard side amid
ships. The boats quickly recoiled,
aud within five minutes the Geyser
sack. The crew OF the ThiDgvalla did
all they could 10 save the Geyser's crew
and passengers while still in doubt
| whether the 1hinPvalla WIS not danger
ousIy disabled, but owing to the heavy
sea only thirty.one were saved. No
other vessel vas near ut the time. The
Wieland, on her way 10 this port, vas
100 miles away. At IL 80 o'clock on the
morning Of the 18th the WIeland was
sighted. Signs OF distress were made
by the Thingyaila and the passengers
we're transferred. The sea wss then
very heavy, but no mishaps occurred IN
the transfer Of passengers.
The officers Of the company were una
ble tonight to give q list Of tho lost.
Captain A. Albcrs, of the Wieland, tells
the following story: AT 10 O'Clock on tho
morning OF August 18th we passed some
wreckago floating in the sea end sus-
pecied that an accident had happened
somewhere near us. a little later we
sailed through sea-oii and sighted a
broken boat OF the Gcyser. About 1890
we sighted a steamer 10 the northward
about eight miles of. and seeing she had
q flag o. distress ND We ran down to her.
II proved to be the Thing.alia, AMI Cap
tain Laub, OF that vessel, came to Us II q
small boat and begged us to take OF his
passengers and those he had saved from
The Geyser. He said his own vessel was
so badly injured that he expected her to
sink at any moment His forward com
psrtment had been completely carried
away from bali way from the deck to
below the water line. We sent ont three
Of our boats and the Thingyalla lowered
two OF hers, and in five hours We had
transferred the saved passengers aud the
crew of the Goyser and also tity-tive
passengers of the Ihingyalla. The sea
was very rough at the time, and the
work of transferring the passengers was
very difficult The immense hole in the
Thingyala's bow was then patched up as
we'll as possible, and she started for
Halifax.
The chief officer Of each vessel was on
deck at the time Of the collision.
DR.. Wern, of Copenhagen, young
dentist, who i on his way 10 Philadel-
phia TO complete his studies, was among
the Thingvallas passengers, and III de-
scrIblng the disaster 10 the Associated
Press reporter he said Iife-b0ats were
promptly launched from the ThinPvalla,
and the work of rescue began. Out Of 100
passengers and the crew on the Geyser
only thirtv-seven were saved. Some Of
them had reached their boats, but
most of them were picked up from impro-
vised RATS, chicken-coops, camp-stools,
and ANYTHING else that would float. The
survivors had to hurry, RS the Geyser
went down stern first about eight min
utes after the crash. Among the saved
passengers there is only one woman.
She is Mrs. Hilda Lind, OF Cincinngti.
Her two little children, who were going
TO Sweden with her, were lost. Mr..
Lind WAS not with his family. There
we're fourteen cabin and six st acrage pas
sengers and seventeen Of tho Geysor'
crew saved The Thingvalla's crew did
all they could 10 rescue the unfortunate
and oheyed orders. The IhiDgyallas
upper deck was not injured, but her
bow was broken ten feet below deck. The
rent was about twenty-seven feet in
length and ran back and below the wa
ter-line TO the collision bulk-hcad. Had
it not been for that bulk-bead the Thing
valla would have gone down like n shot.
Captain Laub, after the Geyser had gone
down and It was known that there were
no passengers in any of the lost steam
er's boats. had the bows OF his own YES
sci protected as far as possible with
straw mattresses and other materials to
prevent the water from entering. Dis
tress signals were sounded and the ship
laid TO for daylight, The fog lifted
about $40 O'Clock. Between 10 and IL
o'clock the steamship Wleland was
sighted. Third-Oniccr Petersontold much
the same story of the occurrence. he
said the fog wss very dense. Through
the night rain had fallen at intervals.
The first thing we knew OF the Geyser's
approach was when she appeared on the
starboard side right upon rs. Both YES
sells tried to sheer oil, being head on.
The Geyser was struck opposite the en-
gine-rooms amidships. The Geyser
being heavily loaded was very low in
the water. so that the Thingyalla carried
away her own compartment The upper
part of her bow ran over the decks OF the
Geyser. The Geyser's LIGHTHOUSES were
carried away, and tho stste-rooms were
smashed in and the occupants killed.
he first heard tho bell ring in the
Geyser's room, but could not tell what
the order was Peterson was on deck
at the time. he then heard the bell
ring again, this time to back, and the
steamer bad Just commenced TO reverse
when the ThiDgvalla struck. As soon as
the Weiland arrived in the lower bay
Captain Muller. OF the Geyser, left the
steamer on the Teyenue-cutter. tic
went directly to the Office OF the agents
OF the company, where he was closeted
few minutes with the agents. he
only left word that the accident was
Il. i Ia