Evening journal., 1888-08-18
The Ocean Disaster.
The Thingvalla Arrives at Hal
ifax Badly Damaged.
CAPT. LAUB TELLS OF THE CRASH
There Was No Fog, and Both Steamers
Had Their Lights out-His Ship Barely
Escaped the Fate of the GeEser-steam-
Ing Into Port Stern Foremost.

HALIFAX, N. s., Aug. 1s.-The Danish
steamer Thingvalla was slgnaled off the
harbor yesterday. She crawled along at the
rate Of two miles an hour, and three hours
elapsed before she arrived at the wharf OF
Pickford g. Black, her agents.
A correspondent and Capt. Lange, Dan
ish interpreter, were the first to board the
steamship after she reached the wharf The
officers and crew we're dumb, being
upder positive instructions not TO talk
Of the disaster. As the rhingvalla was
docked Lieut.. Ray jumped on board
with the compliments of Vice Admiral
Lyons, commander OF the British feet in
North American waters, and the offer Of
any assistance in his power to render. Capt
Laub sent his thanks to the admiral for his
courtesy, and the second officer gave Lieut..
Ray report Of the disaster. AS soon as
Capt Laub had telegraphed his arrival to
New York agents and cabled to Copenhagen
he gave the reporter an interview, and said
le would furnish all the details in his pos
session.
He told the following story Of the disaster:
''The second officer took charge of the Thing
valla at o'clock Tuesday morning. l was
sleeping in my berth. In less than half an
hour heard orders given TO port the helm
and reverse the engines. / rushed on deck,
and as / did so there was a tremendous
shock. The ThingEalla shivered from stem
70 stern. At the name instant the shouts and
uhrieks Of the passengers rose above the crash
q the two vessels. Il was a moment Of
great terror never to be forgotten. / rushed
forward to take in the situation. We were
then forty miles south of the west end Of
Sable Island. The sea was quite calm, but
there was little swell on. Daylight was
breaking. There was no fog, but there had
been a rain squall, which left the weather a
little hazy. We had struck a big steamer
amidships and had almost cut her in two.
"The situation was a desperate one. My
first duty was to my own ship and passsn-
gers, SO ran aft and ordered the boats made
ready for launching. By the time l returned
forward the Thingyalla, whose engines were
going full speed astern, had torn herself
away from the other i'll fated ship, which
then learned was our sister ship, the Geser
The next three or four minutes were the most
thrilling that can be imagined in human ex-
perience. While we could not ascertain our
own damage we could see the Geiser rapidly
sinking. Three Of her boass were launched
and quickly filed with her passengers and
crew. The wall OF despair sent up by those
still on the doomed vessel was heartrending
mo imagination could picture the awful
few minutes that elepsed from the time Of
collision until the Geiser was swallowed up;
the last two minutes were perfectly madden
ing. The doomed people felt themselves
being engulfed in the frightful vortex caused
by the suction of the sinking ship and gave
one last shrek Of despair. The Geiser seemed
to break in two and 60 down stern first Her
three boats were capsized by the suction. By
that time three Of our eight boats were afioat
and were picking up the survivors, all OF
whom were clinging to the capsized boats or
to pieces Of floating wreck. Capt Muller
was found on the keel Of one of his boats
He was very much exhausted We got the
survivors we could find on board the Thing
yalla and then we gave them dry clothes and
hot drinks Many of those on the Geiser
must have been killed in their hunks Others
were engulfed with the ship and never came
to the surface again. Our boats went back
among the wreckage to see if we could find
any other survivors, but they saw nothing
but the body Of a female steerage passenger,
An hour had elapsed.
1T was now daylight, and all hands set to
work to jettlson the cargo 50 as to get at the
first bulkhead. After jettisoning 200 tons
We reached the first bulkhead and showed 1t
up with planks propped by iron bars. At 10
/ o'clock salvation hove in sight in the shape
/ Of the German steamer Wieland After
being convinced Of our dangerous condition
the captain Of that vessel agreed to take 500
Of our passengers and the Geisers survivors
to New York. She proceeded on her way at
O'Clock.
"At that time our position was so critical
that a part Of the crew made vigorous
effort TO induce me to abandon the ship and
4 proceed with the others on the Wieland. but
refused to desert the ship, and headed for
/ Halifax. The strain on the bulkhead from
the water was something terrible, and we
could only proceed at the rate Of two knots
an hour. Next day, Wednesday, l fell in
with the Nova Scotia fishing schooner Cupid,
and engaged her to accompany us so as 70
take off our crew in case the Thingvalla
foundered
1--WE had n novel experience yesterday
evening stiff breeze with heavy swell
came up. / was afraid that the head sea would
/ crush in our bulkhead and sink the ship. and
so ] backed her against the wind That is, /
proceeded stern first, and steered her by az
taching the schooner to the bow (which was
now the STERN, thus using the schooner as a
rudder. We managed to get along this wsy
very well until the swell subsded, and this
morning we safely reached port
Again, referring to the weather at tire
time of the calamity, Capt Laub said hts
whistle was not blowing at the time. as there
was no need of it, He declined to express
any opinion on the cause Of the disaster. say
ing that was for board Of experienced nan.
teal men TO investigate and decide. lie
thought the GeiseT was 800 feet from tne
| Thingvalla when she went down
"When ! reached the deck, ,'s'he said. 'sirl.
mediately after the shock, the lights on boeh
steamers were burning all right; Of that
am certain The Geiser had been seen by or
first officer several minutes before the col
lision. She was nearly straight ahead of Us
but little bit on the port bow. She stsr
boarded to get out Of the way, and We
ported. She should have ported likewise
The Thingvalla was surveyed by LloyG'.
agents yesterday afternoon. She will dis
charge her cargo and COON a slip to be re
paired. After repairing she is TO reload her
cargo and proceed to New York. The cost
Of the repairs will be so, 900. The baggage oi
the Thingvalla's passengers viii be forwarded
to-day by the Red Star steamer Portea.
From Capt Laub's statement of the disaster
1t would appear that the fault lay with thoss
on board the Geiser, who put her to star
board instead of to port The Geiser's off1csl
who was on the watch at the time Of ths
collision was among those who psrished
First Officer Peterson, Of the Thingvalla
occupied similar position on the Geiser fol
three years and was transferred only q shori
time ago.
Experienced navigators here condemn th'