Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-11-12
ACCIDENT AND CRIME.
The Umbria Runs Down the
Steamer Iberia.
FORTUNATELY NO LIVES LOST.
Appalling Tales of Woe From the
Scene of the Kansas Mine
Disaster.
Associated Press Dispatches to the HERALD

Associated Press DISPATCHES to the HERALD.
New YoRK, November IL The Cunard
steamer Umbria collided with the Fabre
steamer Iberia about four miles off the
Long Beach Hotel, just beyond Rock
away, Saturday afternoon. The Iberia
was badly damaged. having her whole
stern cut off, and the Umbria, after tax
ing off her crew of thirty men and lying
by the injured ship all night, came up to
the dock for repairs this morning at IL
O'Clock. When she left the Iberia the
latter was sinking badly at the stern,
and looked as if she would 60 to the bot
tom before noon. The Umbria was but
slightly injured, and came back to
her dock merely as precautionary
measure. According to an agent OF the
line, Vernon H. Brown, all the mark she
bore of the ugly wound she gave the
Iberia was ragged-edged hole in the
collision bulkhead. in it's largest dimen-
sions about 6 feet by 3 feet. The hole
was just abaft of the extreme bow, and
at it's lowest point about feet above the
water line. This is on the starboard
side. A small hole was punched in the
plate on the port side, directly opposite.
The Cunard people tell the following
story:
The Umbria left her dock Saturday
morning at 10 AS o'clock with 2l5 cabin
passengers, sixty-seven intermediate pas.
sengers and 429 steerage. Sandy Hook
was reached at IL P. NJ. and the pilot
leitat 2:30 without incident. The weather
was hasy and growing thicker all the
time. At IL 10 the ship was slowed down
on account of the thick fog; about five
minutes later steamer whistle was heard
on what appeared to be the star board bow
Captain McMicken was on the bridge
AS the whistle seemed to be growing
nearer the engines were stopped alto
gether. Almost the next moment the
strange steamer was seen directly across
the bows ahead. pointing to the north.
ward. The Umbria engines were i'm.
mediately ordered reversed at full speed
but that did not prove enough to neutral.
ize her headway, and the Umbria struck
the stranger on the port quarter, carry.
ing away portion of her stern
Orders we're Immediately given te
lower the boats and make an examination
of the Umbria, which was done with the
result as given already. The two steam
ers drifted apart and lost track of each
o her for fully twenty minutes. Shortly
after getting nearer, the first officer oil
the crippled steamer got aboard. His
name is Guillot. He said the name ol
his ship was the Iberia of the Fabre line
The Iberia had sailed from the
Persian gulf on September 2lst
with cargo of dried fruit
hides, coffee, etc. There were thirty
men in the crew, all told, inclusive ol
officers. The Iberia had met with an
accident to her machinery and has been
laying to making repairs for about thirty
hours. She had just got under way
when the accident occurred. The Iberia
was a steamer of about one thousand
tons register and belongs in Marseilles,
| France.
| There was great excitement among the
passengers on the Umbria. The blowing
Of the whistle Of the strange steamer had
put everybody on the 9ui Uiue to see
whence the sounds came, and when the
Iberia loomed out OF the fog the excite
ment grew intense among the 700 pas
sengers. Men were at once put to work
repairing the damage to the Cunarder.
II was an all night job. A plate of steel
five.eighths of an inch thick will be
placed over the hole, which will be filled
with concrete, making the steamer as
strong as ever. Captain McMicken was
thoroughly exhausted and went to bed
when the Umbria was docked. At noon
tomorrow the Umbria expects to con-
tinus her voyage.