The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-08-17
A HORROR ON THE OCEAN
ONE HUNDRED AND FIVE LIVES
LOST IN A COLLISION.

to the Crew.
New York, Aug. 16-The steamship
Wieland, Capt Albers, from Hamburg,
Aug. 5, via Havre Aug. Z, with merchandise
and 1l3 cabin and Ass steerage passengers,
on Aug. IA, thirty miles south of Sable
Island at noon, she saw the Danish steamer
Thingvalla, from Copenhagen for New
York, with signals of distress
HAD BEEN IN COLLISION.
Tee Thingvalla had collided, Aug. IA, at
o'clock In the morning, with the steamer
Geiser of the same line from New York,
Aug. II, for Copenhagen.
The Geiser sank in about fige minutes.
Fourteen passengers and seventeen of the
crew, among them Capt. Muller, are
saved.
OVER HUNDRED LOST.
Seventy-two passengers aud thirty-three
of the crew were lost.
The steamer Willard brought 455 passen
gers from the Thingvalla and those saved
from the steamer Geiser to New York.
The Thingvalla will endeavor to reach
Halifax, n. s.
The officers of the company were unable
tonight to give list of the lost
STORY OF CAPT. ALBERs.
Capt. A. Albers of the Wieland tells the
following story: "At 10 o'clock, on the
morning of Aug. IA, we passed some
wreckage floating in the sea, and sus-
pected that an accident had happened
somewhere near u.s. A little later we
sailed through a sea of oil and sighted a
broken boat Of the Geiser. About IL 80
o'clock we sighted steamer to the north
ward, about eight miles off, and seeing she
had flag of distress up we ran down to
her.
SHE WAS THE THINGvALLA.
SIT proved to be the Thingvalla, and Capt
Land, of that vessel, came to us in q small
boat, and begged us to take off his passen-
gers, and those he had saved from the
Geiser. He said his own vessel was SO badly
injured that he expected her to sink at any
moment His forward compartment
had been completely carried away from
half way from the deck to below the water
line. We sent out three of our boats, and
the Tbingvalla lowered two of hers, and in
five hours we had transferred the saved
passengers and crew of the Geiser and
also 455 passengers of the Thingvalla.
The sea was very rough at the time, and
the work of transferring the passengers
was very difficult. The immense hole in
the Thingvalla'S bow was then patched up
as well as possible, and she started for Hall
fax"
The chief officer of each vessel was on
deck at the time of the collision.
The Geiser left this port Aug. II bound
for Stetlin. The Thingvalla was on her
way to this city, and was advertised to
leave here Aug. IS.
A HEAVY SEA AND FOG.
A very heavy sea and dense fog were
experienced through the night and
early morning for Aug. IA
1t is said that an object could not be distip-
guished fifty feet away by reason of the
fog. Stories differ as to where the liability
lies, if not due wholly to the fog and heavy
sea, but the Thingvalla struck the Geiser
amidships. The boats quickly recoied, and
within five minutes the Geiser sank.
ONLY THIRTY-oNE SAVED
The crew of the Thingvalla did all they
could to save the Geiser's crew and passen-
gers while still In doubt whether the
Thingvalla was not dangerously disabled,
but owing to the heavy sea only thirty-one
were saved.
No other vessel was near at
the time. The Wieland on her
way to this port was 100 miles away. At
II 80 o'clock on the morning of the 14th
the Wieland was sighted. Signs of distress
were made by the Thingvalla. and the
transfer of passengers began. The sea was
then very heavy, bnt no mishaps occurred
in the transfer.
DESCRIBED BY PASSENGER.
Dr. Wenn of Copenhagen, a young dentist,
who is on his way TO Philadelphia to CON-
plete his studies, was among the Thing
valla's passengers. In describing the disas-
ter to an Associated Press reporter he said:
"The life boats were promptly launched
from the Thingvalla, and the work of res
0,,f Of M
crew on the Geiser, only 81 were savei.
Some of them had reached their boats,
but most of them were picked up from
improvised rats, chick n coops, camp
stools, and anything else that would float.
The survivors had to hurry. as the Geiser
went down, stern first, about eight minutes
after the crash.
GOOD WORK BY THE CREW.
"The Thingvalla's crew did all they could
to rescue the unfortunates and obeyed
orders promptly. The Thingvalla's up
per deck was not injured, but her
bows we're broken in from a point 10 fe'
below the deck. The rent was about 81
feet In length and ran back above ane below
the water line 10 the collision bulkhead. Had
it not been for that bulk the Thingvalla
would have gone down like a shot
capt. Land, after the Geiser had
gone down and it was known that there
were no passengers in any of the lost
steamers boats. had the bows of his own
vessel protected as far as possible with
straw mattresses and other materials to
prevent water from entering.
LAID TO FOR DAYLIGHT.
Distress signals were sounded, and the
ship laid to for daylight. The fog lifted at
40 O'clock. Betweel 10 and III o'clock tn o
steamship Wieland was sighted
Third Officer Peterson told much the
same story of the occurrence. He said the
fog was very dense. Through the night rain
had fallen at intervals. The first we
knew of the Geisers approach was when
she appeared Oh tine starboard side right
upon US. Both v ssels tried to sheer off,
being head on. The Geiser was struck op-
posite her engine rooms amidships.
Low IN THE WATER.
The Geiser being very heavily loaded was
very low in the water. 50 that the Thing
valla carried away her own compartment.
The upper part Of her bow ran over the
decks Of the Geiser. The Gesers deck
houses were carried away and the state
roo MS we're smashed in and the occupants
killed. He first heard the bell ring In the
Gelsers engine room, but could not tell
what the order was. Officer
He then heard the bell ring again, this time
TO back, and tho steamer had just COM
menced to reverse, when the Thingvalla
struck.
AS soon as the weiland arrived in the
lower bay, Capt. Muller, Of the Geiser, left
the steamer on revenue cutter.