Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-08-17

Mullef, were saved Sevenly-tWO paS3cnkclo anu
thirty-three OF the crew were lost
sUoooRna THE SURVIVORS
Thesteamer wieland WAS sighted shortly after
IL O'Clock. and the passengers were transferred
from the Thingvalia The wieland reached New
YORK YESTERDAY with as passengers from the
Thingvalla and those saved nom the 6eiser. The
ThinRvalla started for Halifax.
Capt. Muller. OF the Geiser, upon his arrival In
New YORK stated that the accident was due 20 the
we, weather: He made NO further statement From
seems that the Gelser sank stern nrst
Most everybody" said an eye witness, "was
20 eoSn
rom below. Those VINO reached the deck made
frantic Efforts 70 cut down the boats, but they
grabbed up different pieces OF wood and only
Jumped over the side OF the vessel"
Among the saved passengers there was one wo-
man. She Is MIA Hilda Lind, OF Cincinnati Der
two little children, who were going 10 sweden
with her, were lost Mr.. Liad Was not with his
family.
WONDERFUL ESCAPE
second Oncer Jorgensen was asleep IN his bunk
In his room In the house On the upper deck. The
crash OF the collision awakened him. and, opening
MS eyes be saw the black bow OF the Thingvalla
cuttng It's way through the door and roof IL his
room, and just missing his bunk by space 80 mar
row that ne could reach across it he lay there.
As the forward motion or the Thingvalla ceased
Jorgensen noticed that the chain cable attached
both hands he grabbed big link Just as she began
packing away, and thus clingng 70 the link ne was
aLagYed out OF his bunk, out through the hole
ship, and away from the sinking vessel For Q
moment ne hung thus expecting that the
waves would sweep the two ships together
again and crush him between them. and
then he climbed up hand over hand TO the Thing
vailas rail- Here be stopped and turned around
40 snS dVox o. nis own ship Il was sti very foggy
clearly. he saw the CHIEF oificer standing on the
or, nridge apparently As cool as though engaged In
men were working frantically with knives and
myers and teeth 70 clear away two OF the NE
ooatA another gang, among whom were en-
raft overheard. Passengers, Wild with excite
ment, came rushing on deck. only 10 slip and
plunge headleng down the slanting deck into the
deck, stepped on the broken deck, ike men who
were walking the plank, and
FELL INTO THE SEA.
He counted three men and two women who per.
ished thus and he Is sure many Others did He
saw Captain Mueller come on deck and rush on TO
the bridge IN his night shirt, followed by the lad
Louis De Ia Cour, and saw them both leap into the
sea Just as the ship went down Both were drawn
down by the suction OF the sinking hulk and TO
Jorgensen IL seemed that they would never come
up. He Is sure they were down 80 seconds AT
least But at last the captain appeared and
struck out TO swim, and had the fortune 10 get
hold OF two oars belonging 10 a wrecked life boat.
Then the lad came up and began 10 swim bravely
'1t was awful to stand there said MT. Jorpen-
sen, last night terrible TO see II all and be una
pie 70 move hand even 10 help any one. saw
men swimming from one thing TO another IN the
hope OF lettering their condition. They Would
leave plank hoping 10 reach a larger one, and
then, perhaps. Just as their fingers reached the
supposed haven wave would submerge them and
they would be seen no more. The engineers got
their raft launched and were all jumping on 10 lt
when the Gieser's foremost crushed down on
them, sinking the rart and killing the most OF
them by the force OF The blow, while the rest with
one exception, were drowned. That one Fireman
Nelson, got his leg broke, but managed 10 cling
70 something until he was picked up"
THE COOLEST MAN AFLoAT.
The third officer, Jorgen d. Petersen, showed
himself one OF the coolest and brayest men IN the
wreck. II was his duty to come on deck at
O'Clock. he had just reached the foot OF the lad
DER TO the bridge when the Thingvalla crashed
into the Geiser He caught a glimpse OF her
through the fog heard the chief ofiicer order the
helm to starboard and ring Tor the engines 10 be
reversed, when the two collided. seeing that all
was over he ran 70 help get q boat clear. IL was
found impossible 10 DO this, and so as the ship
went down he picked up a life preserver and
jumped into the sea. He was carried down py
the suction at least six fathoms as he saws but
was finally able 70 kick his way 70 the surface.
There he found that be was near boat, 10 which
several men were clngins, and so, swimming past
that, he went to another, where only one man
was. On his way he reached q woman at was Mrs
Hida Lind and swan with her to the boat She
was unconscious, but he got her on 10 it, and the
man already there held her. Then he swan away
and gave passenger a LINT who was then sinking
and saved MIN. About this time he Thought he
heard the voice OF Captain Mueller.
els tnatyou, captain'" ne shouted
bis own life preserver. Then he saw young De Ia
Cour.
"Ah! Louis " said he. cheerily, .as that your,
SWELL come over here and yourl be all right
and then, to make sure that Louis did come over.
he went TO help him. Thereafter he found Dr.
SafFrl mil TN
him TO the boat. The doctor was really uncon
scious but swan through instinct
Mrs Lind. who lost both her children, said last
night that when she was aroused by the crash She
ran on deck with her children. As she stooped 10
look around falling yard struck her and Knocked
officer had saved her.
THE THNGvAILA TO BLAME
The New York World says none OF the survivors
OF the crew OF the Geiser were i-ciined TO talk.
One Of them said that they had been told that II
they talked about It they need not expect the
company 70 assist them; TINS man refused 70 tell
tion Is made something startling would be deyel-
oped-
that the Thingvalla made the fatal mistake.
The GeiSer was bound east and the Thingyalla
west, but the line OF the Keel OF the Geiser was a
little TO the north OF the line OF the Keel OF the
Thingvalla When, therefore, Chief Oficer Brown
OF the Geiser ordered his helm 10 starboar1 he dd
the right thing, for that act tended TO point the
valla But when the helm or the Thingvalla was
pus to port IL threw tine bow OF the Thingyaua
around 70 the north also. and OF course she was
then beaded for the Geiser. and no power could
prevent q COLLISION She struck the Geiser almost
square on, and Just abaft The bulkhead the for
ward END OF the engine room. The fact that she
struck the Geiser almost at right angles shows
that when the helms OF the boats frst altered
the two must have been quite q distance apart
These long ships are slow TO turn Had the Thing
valla put her helm TO starboard both would have
escaped.
THE LOST VESSEL
The Geiser was one OF four vessels owned by the
line, and was considered their crack
ship. Most OF her passengers were Western
people, who were booked by A. Mortensen & Co,
the general agents OF the line AT Chicago. Tue
vessel was an iron screw steamship OF Isis tons
burden. She was 32<4 feet long, 38l3 feet beam,
22 feet depth OF hold. She was built at the yards
OF burneister VAIN At Copenhagen In 1881. |
She had three maSts and was ntted with COM
pound inverted engines with four cylinders OF |
thirty six and seventy-two inches diameter and |
forty Two inches stroke. |
Race Troubles IN LOutsiana.
3 r SMITH, CIVIL kN0IHkER, KILLED BY NEGROES
A dispatch from New Iberia, La, says: .Infor- |
nation by courier has just been received OF the |
mining OF Nj. T. p Smith, civii engineer, at Free
town, negro village 10 miles northwest OF New /
IBERIA Rumors have been coming In for several /
laws that the negroes were collecting al Free
and f0r "a r.rrr o.