Morning journal and courier., 1888-08-18
News by Telegraph
FROM ALL QUARTERS.
THE CAPTAINS STORY.
He, Says The Geiser Was
At Fault.
She TURNED The WRONG WAY.
General Harrison Addresses
A Big Delegation.
THE REPUBLICAN TARIFF BILL.
Are Blaine And Carlisle To
Stump The COuntry2
THE REPUBLICAN TARIFF BILL.
sroRIEs or rHm COLLISION.

STORIES OF THE COLLISION.
The ThIngvaIla Safe fn Halifax and
Her Captain Makes q Statement
Ii was Raining But Not Fogey.
HALIFAX, Aug. 1.-THE Danish steamer
ThingvalIa, which dealt her sister steamer,
the Geiser, her death blow, arrived safely in
| the harbor this morning. The huge hole in
her bow prevented her moving faster than
two miles an hour. As soon as the Thing
valla was docked her commander, Captain
Laub, was intervied and made the following
statement of the collision:
1t was Just about O'Clock on the morning
of Tuesday, the 14th, few minutes before
the watch had been changed, my second Off
Ger, who was on deck, came down, and
asked him how the weather was. He said it
was raining, but not foggy. He retired a
few minutes later and heard the telegraph
signal for the engines TO reverse. This was
the first intimation had of any trouble.
Leaping from my berth ran for the deck, and
as I was hurryiDg up the stairs the
collision occurred. It was terrible shock,
the steamers coming together with frightful
crash. Rushing forward found the Thing
valla to be locked with another steamer
which did not then know. As I approach
ed saw a man whom I afterwards found to
be the Geiser's second officer jump on the
deck. Ny steamer had cut through his
room, where he was asleep, and he lesped
out of his bunk on to the Thingvalla's deck.
It may have been two, or it may have been
four minutes before the engines were revers-
ed, and we backed off without delaying a
moment. I went to quiet my excited pas
sengers, who were crowded on, deck and
shouting and crying with fear. At the
same time looked after the safety of my
ship, not having any knowledge as to what
was the extent of our damage. The officers
were already engaged cutting away and
launching the lifeboats. One of the Thing
valla's boats had just been lowered when the
other steamer went down stern first. The
scene was frightful one. I cannot attempt
to describe it. Some of her passengers were
rushing madly about the deck, while others
were crowded into several boats on the
water. believe many of the passengers
must have been killed in their hunks by the
force of the collision and never knew what
happened"
As the steamer plunged beneath the wa
ter, carrying down those on board, she cap
sized some boats that had got away. The
air was rent with agonizing shrieks and pray
ers Most of the people probably went
down with the Geiser. They were followed
soon after by the Inflated souls in the boats
who must have been sucked under as the
ship went down. The cries Of the dying are
still ringing in my ears. Three of our boats
were already launched and trying to save as
many az they could from the doomed vessel,
but it was slow work, as comparatively few
managed to keep ahoat after the steamers
disappearance. Three boats were all could
get out in the time we had and I did not
know but what we might want the remain
ing ones. The vessels were not more than
100 or $50 feet apart when the Geiser
went down. The screams of the drowning
lasted two minutes and then all became quiet.
Our three boats returned loaded with the
saved who had been picked up in the water
or from the bottoms of their boats. sent
them back to continue the search for surviv-
ors but they returned with only the corpse
of q woman. We provided the survivors
with dry clothes, hot coffee and wine and
made them as comfortable as possible while
attending to the injury to ourselves. Day was
beginning to break.
RAINING BUT NOT FoGGY.
When the collision occurred 1t was rain
ing, as the second officer told me. 1t was
not foggy. 1 heard men around me say 1t
was eight or ten minutes between the coils
ion and the sinking of the Geiser, but could
not pay attention to the time. The assistant
engineer, who was in life boat with the
first and second engineers, was saved with
broken arm, while his two companions were
lost. Captain Moller told most wonderful
story Of his escape. He was standing on the
Geiser's bridge as the steamer settled and he
jumped He felt that he was being sucked
under, and while struggling to keep ahoat
got both legs entangled in piece of wreck
age. This turned him around in the water
three or four times. For some minutes he
was helpless, but succeeded in disengaging
himself and managed to reach the surface
breathless and almost exhausted.
He then got on top of boat and held on nm
til rescued by men from the Thingvalls. In
my opinion nearly all the people on the Gey-
ser's deck and in the boats sank with the
steamer Everything that We could do to
save them was done. After the Geiser dis
appeared we began to jettison our cargo to
keep afioat What was jettisoned consisted
solely of wood pulp and provisions. There
was not much wind but heavy swell. Be-
tween 9 and 10 o'clock we reached the for
ward bulkhead, then stopped throwing the
compartments. We were leaking badly in
the forehold and kept the pumps going all
the time so that the water had not time to
gain on us. At II o'clock the Wieland for
New York hove in sight and we transferred
all the rescued passengers aud our 450 pas
sengers to her. The Wieland proceeded
about O'Clock in the afternoon steering for
New York.
We continued the work of snoring up the
compartment, but after awhile on account OF
the wind and sea increasing we found 1t i'm
possible to keep on for New York and de-
l cided to head for Halifax. At this time 1t
still looked as if We might sink and some OF
1 the crew had refused to work, wanting to be
1 transferred to the Wieland before she left
| MS. We went as slow as two knots an hour
| and sometimes found that too much. We
1 Just had to crawl-that was all. On Wednes-
day afternoon fishing vessel hove in sight
1 and we bore down. She proved to be the
| schooner Capis of La Have, Captain Clener-
1 81, and engaged her to stand by and &C.
l company 0s to Halifax, so as to be able to
| help up in case she should go down.
| RUNNING STERN FOREMOST.
Last night the sea was SO heavy I had tic
i turn her around, running stern foremost
and steering by the schooner, which was con.
nected by q hawser. We ran against the
wind this way all night. Captain Mollel
| was still in his underolo thing when taken of
| the eapsized boat. He was also in his berth
when the collision occurred and ran on deck
without dressing himself. / did not have
time to ask him for any particulars before
| the Wieland came along and took him off
We did not know what steamer we struck
till the second officer of the Geyser jumped
on our deck. When I reached the deck aftel
the shock the lights on both steamers wer'
burning all right. OF that am certain.
Tho 0ayser had been seen by our first off