Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1888-08-18
AN OCEAN DISASTER.
a STEAMER GOES TO TIE B0TTO1a
IN FIVE MINUTES.

A Collision or the Novia Scotia Coast 8
i an Early Hour ON Tuesday Morning.
i And Another Disaster Added to th
Many in the History of that Dangerou
Part of the Ocean-Over One Hundre
Persons Drowned.
j New YORK, August 16.-The steame
i Wieland, from Hamburg, which arrive
here to-day, reports that August IA. o
Sable Island, the Danish steamer Thingvall
, came in collision with the steamer Geisel
The latter sank in five minutes. Tlirt
persons were saved from the Geiser, q
others were lost. The Thingvalla's passer
gers and the crew OF the Geiser wer
transferred to the Wieland.
The Geiser and Thingvalla both belon
to the Thingvalla line, which plies betweel
New York and Christiana, Copenhagen an,
Stettin. The Geiser was Danish steame
OF 1,S71 tons; she left New York Angus
IL. The Thingvalla, which registered ,84
tons, and is commanded by Caotain Lamb
ieft Stettin July 26 and Gopenhagen. Aagus
4 tor Ne~ York. Captain Moller command
ed the Geiser.
| PARTICULARS OF THE DISASTER.
| New YORK, August 16.-The steamer
Wieland. of the Hamburg rg-American steam
ship line has just brought news OF the
collision off Sable Island, between the
Geiser and Thingvalla, OF the Thingvalla
line, which occurred at 4 o'clock the
morning OF August Ia.
The Geiser sank in five minutes after
the collision, and los were drowned.
The Thingvalla was 50 disabled that she
had to put into Halifax, after transferring
all her passengers to the Wieland. The
Geiser had Sc passengers abroad. 72 OF
lision, and Ia were taken first on the
Thingvalla and then on the Wieland. The
Geiser's crew numbered so, of whom 33
were saved and IL were drowned. Captain
Moller, of the Geiser, was among those
saved. The passengers OF the Thingvalla
transferred to the Wieland numbered 4S5.
The Geiser left this port August 11th
bound for Stetten. The Thingvalla was on
her way to this city and was advertised to
leave here on August 25.
sEh1 hEASI oEA AND DENoH FOG
were experienced through the night and the
early morning OF the 14th.
The Thingvalla struck the Geiser on the
starboard side amidships. The boats then
parted and within five minutes the Geiser
sank. The crew on the Thingvalla did all
they could to save the Geiser crew and pas
sengers, while still in doubt as to whether
the Thingvalla was not dangerously dis
abled. But owing to the heavy sea only 81
were saved.
No other vessel was near at the time.
The Wieland, on her way to this port, was
100 miles away. At 11:3O o'clock the
morning OF the 14th the Wieland was
sighted.
SIGNS OF DISTRESS WERE MADE
by the Thingvalla, and the transfer OF pas
sengers began. The sea was very heavy, but
no mishaps occurred in the transfer OF the
passengers.
The following is list of he passengers
saved from the Geisers cabin: Mrs. Hilda |
Lind, New York, to Calsham. Sweden; steer
age; Fohann Larsoa New York, to Risen, |
Norway; Alfred Anderson, New York, to |
ggiiNgyssllapda d. Norway. Gleason Chicago. te
to Gosberg, Sweden; J. G. Johanson, Iron
Mich, to Stockholm; Paul Paul |
son, Ironwood, Mich, to Copenhagen, Den
mark; A. Wiel, Minneapolis to Brittania,
Norway; John Fenwood, Hudson, Wis.,, to |
Thondhjey, Norway.
The officers of the company were unable |
tonight to give list of the lost.
Captain A. Albois OF Wieland tells the !
following story: "At 10 o'clock on |
the morning of August 14th we passed |
some wreckage floating in the sea and sus- |
pected that an accident had happened |
somewhere near US. Little later we
SAILED THROUGH A SEA OF OIL,
and sighted broken boat OF the Geiser. |
At about 11:3O we sighted a steamer to |
the northward, about six miles off, and |
seeing she had flag of distress up, we ran
down to her. 1t proved to be the |
and Captain Lamb OF that
yes sci came to US in 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
that he expected her to sink at any mo-
meut. His forward compartment had
been completely carried from half down |
the deck to below water line.
1--WE sent out three of our boats, and |
the Thingvalla lowered hers, and in five
hours we had transferred the saved pass |
enger5 and crew OF the Geiser, and also |
455 passengers OF the Thingvalla. The
sea was very rough and the work OF trans |
ferring the passengers was very difficult.
THE IMMENSE HOLE IN THE THINGvALLA's
BOW
was then patched as well as possible, and
she started for Halifa ~
Tho collision far known. WAS
caused by the fog. The chief officers OF
each vessel were on deck at the time OF the
collision, and the Sd officer. Peters, told
much the same story OF the occurrence.
y e said the Jog was very dense through the
night and rain had fallen at intervals, and
the first he knew the vessels approach was,
when it appeared on the starboard side,
right upon him. Both vessels attempted
to sheer off, but the Geiser was struck op-
posite the engine room amid ships. Ihe
Geiser, being heavily loaded. was very low
in the water. SO that the Thingvalla carried
away her compartment and the upper part
OF her bow, and the decks OF the Geiser.
The Geiser's deck houses were carried
away, and the staterooms were smashed in
AND THE OCCUPANTS KILLED.
He heard the bell ringing in the Geise. g
engine room, but could not tell what the
order was. Officer Peters ran on deck as
soon as he heard the bell ringing again, this
time to be backed, and the steamer had just
commenced TO reverse when the Thingvalla
struck her.
Twenty-four Passengers and crew OF the
Gelser under the charge OF the second
officer. Jorgansen, arrived at the Hotel
Denmark. They we're brawney fellows,
curiously attired. and but few had either
coats or stockings. The second officer Jor-
gansen gave
A GRAPHIC DESCRIPTION OF THE COL
I.IsIoN.
He said: II was asleep in my bunk when
felt q shock, and Immediately went on
deck, taking in the situation at glance.
I ordered all hands on deck; then swung
myself off on the bow OF the Thingvalla
and scrambled to her deck.
"The doomed craft sank gracefully, stern
first. with her bow in the air. Almost
everybody was sound asleep, and when
she began to fill could hear groans and
"HEART.RENDERING SCREAMS
coming from below. Those who reached
the deck made frantic efforts to cut down
Il. le,4, b,,t fhov woro foo axcifad fo he