The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1888-08-18
THEOCEAN HORROR
There Was No Fog When
the Steamers Struck.
SUCKED Dows BIZ THE eErsEm.
Statement By the ThingvaIia's Cap
tain-A Terrible Biupaer-An Ago
MIXING Scene. but Soon oyer-The
Trip Of the Thisgvaii. 90 Halifax.

HALIFAX. Aur i7.-The Thinvvalla was
sighted coming up the harl-er AZ ssso q N
ard ske reached the pisr three hours after
Capt. Lamb was ssieep AZ the time Of the
collision. Hts sfatemeat furnishes moth
ing ncw.
tarl<. wiki nearly the whole Of her bow
torn away, leaving an immense hole ex-
posed 10 view. A i0uE piece Of the bon
hangs over the hole. which reaches back
into the sides Of the ship over Is feet. TIE
projecting piece hangs out over the water
the powerful iron plates were broken
through and susppei OF zs il card haArd
Wonder Is expressed fkst she ever
reached port. The disabled vessel y IN dis
charge rsa 20 aud X, Gu she slip ta be re
paired. The work VIII probably consume
two months After repairing she is TO re-
load and prseeed for New Sosk.
Eapt. Lamb has imposed silence upon his
seamen gs % the disaster. bot has himself
prepared q statement Of the details Of the
collision as be kueg aud saw II His story
is much fhe same as those told by other
seanea YESTERDAY
He says the Seeac a. the Thirgyalla
backed sEay from the GeiseF was fright
fui. Il es1'i st.esapi 10 describe it,. said
he. t-S9lIe OF her Issssen.egs were rush
ing faaily about her deck, while Others
were crowded in several bOais in the
water. ! believe many passengers fausf
hare been killed in their bunks By the
foFce nf the ecllisies and never knew what
happened
lis the steamer plunged beneath the
water, carrying down those on board, she
eaTSsized the boats that had gel away. The
air was rent &sra agQuicing sAricks and
prayers Most oi the people probably went
down with the tiesSer They were fol
lowed soon after by the i'll fEted souls in
The beats, WHO must have been sucked
under a. the ship sank. The cries ot the
dying still ring ia my ears
Three of eur boats were already
launched and trying TO save as many as
they .couid from an ocean grave. but il
was slow work, as comparatively few man
aged to keep af3oas. At the steamers dis
appearance three beats was all could get
cut ia the time we bad. aud didn't know
buf what we might want the remaining
ones for ourselves. The vessels were not
more than 100 or 10 feet apart when the
GeiSes went down.
The screams OF the drowning lasted
perhaps tive minutes. and then suddenly
all bef ame quiet. Our three bod;s returned
loaded with the saved who had been
picked up. ! sent them back 20 continue
the search for survivors, bat they returned
with only the corpse Of woman. We pro
yided the snrHivOFs with dry clothes, hot
coffee and wine. and made them as com I
Portable as possible while attending 10 the
injury 70 ourselves.
ebay was just beginning to break when
the collision occurred. II was raining f.,
The second officer told me just before Il
was not foggy.
"In my opinion nearly all the people on
the Geiser's deck and boats sank with the
steamer. Everything We could do possibly
10 save them was done. After the Geiser
disappeared We began lettisoning the cargo
TO keep the Thfugyalia adcat TIE crew I
and passengers worked side by side, throw
ing overheard what was brought oui OF the /
hold. what was je.tisored consisted
v holly of wood-pulp and provisions. There
was not ,luca wind, bat heavy sea. Be
tween and 10 O'Clock we reached the for /
v ard baikhead and then stopped throwing /
iug Gp the compartment.
AT II O'Clock the steamer NIeland. for 4
New York, hove in sight and we trans
ferred all the rescEed passengers. as vet I
as car own 90 passengers, - her. The 4
Wieiand proeeedee about 3oeiock in the I
New Y0rk We continued the work OF
shuring up the compartment. bus after I
awhile, on account % the wind and sea In. 1
ereasing. we found i impossible 20 keep
on for New York ard decided 10 head for
Halifax At this time IL sfill looked very
much as II we might sink. aud some of the !
crew had refused 70 work. wanting to be
70 the wielsnd before she left
US. We went as slow as two knots sn hour.
aid sometimes found that too much. We
Just had 20 crawl. that was all.
"Un Wednesday afternoon a fishing YES
sci hove in sight aud we bore down for
her She proved 20 be the schooner Capis. I
of iahaVe, Capt. Cleyersy. aud ! engaged
her to stand by and accompany the steam
er 10 Halifax. 50 as 10 BE- able 20 help Us In
case the rhingvalls should 90 down
Last night was 50 heavy that had 10
tHrn steamer around. running stern fore
most and steering By the schooner. which
wss connected by hOwSer with The steam
efs b0w. We ran against the wind this
way all night.
I'VE did not know or the Thingvalk
what steamer we stfack till the second
officer Of the tseiseF jumped on our deck.
When I reached the deck. Immediately
after the shock. the lights on beth steam
ers were burning all night 0f that | am
certain. The Geiser had been seen by our
first officer several minutes before the col
lisi0u She was nearly straight ahead but
a little hit oa she port bow she StaFhodrd-
ed to get out Of ttc way. and We parted.
She. should have parted likewise.
TERRIBLE aIsTAKR.
FFota Capt Lambs statement Of the dis,
aster Il would appear that the fanlt lay
with those on board the Gesser. who pat
her to sfafb0arti instead Of 10 port The
deiser's first officer, who Wes On watch AT
the time Of the collision. was among those
" ho perished CAPT Lamb himself does
not express an opinion On The cause of the
disaster