Wichita eagle., 1888-08-17
AWFUL SEA DISASTER.
ONE HUNDRED AND FIVE PERSONS
DROWNED.
The Geiser and Thingvalla Collide
off Sable Island Early Last
Tuesday Morning.
The Geiser Sinks Five Minutes After Being
Struck-A Heavy Fog Cause
of the Accident.
The Thingyalla Goes Down After all the
Psssengeas had Been Trans
fered to the Weiland-
Other Accidents.
WEATHER BULLETINS.


SIGNAL OFFICE, WICHITA, Kan, Aug,
16-The highest temperature was 9o20;
the lowest 100, mean 1852
The wind was light to brisk, variable
and the weather partly cloudy with a
thunderstorm and light rain in the after
noon, with slowly rising barometer.
The maximum velocity of wind n %
miles per hour at 300 a. m.
Mean barometer reduced to sea level
9918 inches.
Mean humidity 20 per cent.
Rainfall .05 inch.
FRED L. JOHNSON,
Observer.
WAR DEPARTMENT, WASHINGTON, d. c.,
Aug. l6-The indications for thirty-six
hours, commencing Tuesday, August II,
at a. NJ. are as follows:
For Missouri: Rain; local storms; clear
ing Friday in northern portion; generally
cooler; winds becoming northerly.
For Kansas: Fair, preceded in south
east portion by light rain; cooler; winds
generally northensterly.
NEW YORK, Aug. 16.-The steamer Well
and, of the Hamburg-American Steamship
line, has just brought news OF collision
off Sable Island, between the Geiser and
Thingvalla, of the Tningvalla line, which
occurred at o'clock on the morning of
August IA The Geiser sank in five min
utes after the collision, and 105 persons
were drowned. The ThingYalla was so
disabled that she had to put into Halifax,
after transferring all her passengers to the
Wieland. The Geiser had eighty-six pas
of WIN
were drowned or killed in the collision,
and fourteen were taken first on the
Thingyalla and then on lthe Wieland.
The Geiser's crew numbered 1rfty; thirty
three were drowned and seventeen We're
saved. Captain Moller, of the Geiser, was
among those saved. The passengers of
the Thingvalla transferred to the Wieland
numbered 455.
The Geiser left this port on August II,
bound for Stettin. The Thingvalla was
on her way to this city aud was advertised
TO leave here on August %. Il very heavy
sea and dense log We're experienced
through the night and early morning of
August lit is said an object could not
be distinguished fifty feet away by reason
of the fog. Stories differ as TO where the
liability lies, if not wholly due to the fog
and heavy sea. The Thingyalla struck the
Geiser on the starboard side amidships
close on to O'clock in the morning. The
boats then parted and within five minutes
the Geiser sank. The crew of the Thingvalla
did all they could to save the Geiser's
crew and passengers while still in doubt as
to whether the Thingvalla was not dan
gerously disabled; but owing to the heavy
I h rty q
vessel was near at the time. The Wieland
on her way TO this port was 100 miles away.
At ll:3O o'clock on the morning of the Nth
the Wieland was sighted. Signs of dis
tress was made by the Thnovalla and u
transfer of the passengers began. The sea
was then very heavy but no miShaps oc-
Cured in the transfer of passengers. The
officers of the crew tonight were unable to
give "A list of the lost.
Captain Albers, of the Wieland tells the
following story: AT 10 o'clock on the
morning of August 14th, we passed
some wreckage floating in the sea and
suspected That an accident had
happened somewhere near us. a little
later we sailed through a sea OF oil and
sighted Il broken boat OF the Gelser.
About 1870 we sighted steamer to the
north about eight miles off, and seeing
she had a flag of distress up, we ran down
1
and Captain l.ambott came to us III a
small boat and begged us to take off his
passengers and those he had saved from
the Geiser. He said his own vessel was SO
badly injured 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 Thingvalla lowered two of
hers and in five hours we had
transferred the saved passengers and crew
of the Geiser and also the 40 passengers
OF the Thlngvalla. The sea was very
rough at the time and the work OF trans
Ierring the passengers was very difficult.
The immense hole i'll the Thjngvalla bow
was then patched up as well as possible
and started for Halifax The collision 50
far as known was caused by the fog. y
The chief officer of each vessel was on
deck at the time of the collision. The
third officer, Peterson, told much the
same story of the occurrence. He said
the fog was very dense. Though the
night rain had fallen at intervals. The
first we knew of the Geisers approach
was when she appeared on the starboard
right upon us Both vessels tried
to sheer off, being head-on. The Geiser
was struck opposite the engine rooms
amidships. The GeiSer being heavily
loaded was very low in the water so that
the Thingvalla carried away her own COM
partment. The upper part of her bow ran
over the decks OF the Geiser. The Geiser's
deck houses We're carried away, and the
staterooms were smashed in aud the occu-
pants killed. We heard a bell ring in the
Geisers englene room but could not tell
what the order was. Officer Peterson was
on the deck at the time He then heard
the bell ring again, this time TO back, and
the steamer had Just commenced to re-
verse when the Thlngvalla struck.
CHICAGO, Aug. l6.-Immediately on re-
ceipt OF the Associated Press dispatch an
nouncing the sinking of the GeSer. re-
porter called at the Office of the Thingvalla
company here. In point of Importance
this Office is only second to the New York
Office. Branch Offices are established
throughout the northwest which are trib-
utary TO the Chicago office. These minor
offices reach large Scandinavian popu-
latiou and the result is that the Thingvalla
line is really the only one which receives
The patronage of that nationality. No
news of the disaster had been received and
the agent in charge stated that several
hundred passengers had left on the i'll
fated ship for New York. The Chicago
Office had sold about fifty tickets 10 people
from all portions of the northwest. They
We're class who were making trip back
to their old homes to visit friends and
renew old associations. Later in the eve
ming when the sad news had become dis
seminated the Office of the company was
besieged by anxious friends OF some OF
those who sailed by the Geiser but rs the
telegram received from the New York
Office was very meagre as TO details, no
consolation was gived them.
The Gelsers whistle was blowing at the
time Second Officer Fergenson jumped
from the Thingvalla when they struck and
was hauled ON the Thinuyalla'S deck