The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1888-08-24
THE OCEAN HORROR.

The OCEAN HORROR.
trophe Now Placed at I1S-The Thing
valla Reaches Halifax In Safety Her
Captains Story.
NEW YORK, Aug. 1&-The collision OF the
steamers Thingvilla and Geiser was dis
cussed everywhere in maritime circles
The main question was as to who was to
blame for the disaster. 1t is now certain
that lis persons persisted when the Geiser
went down. Here is the corrected list:
Total number OF adult passengers
passengers lost 70
Crew lost.... $3.50. 80
Total lost 80 1lS
The estimated loss on the vessel is $3.50,
600 and the loss on cargo about S120, 600
The insurance is not yet fully known. The
company, it is said, will, as far as in its
power, indemnify the survivors
Very few of those lost belonged in
this city or vicinity; nearly all the
passengers were from the West. Forty
two tickets were issued by A.
Mortensen & Co, agents at Chicago,
and the holders of ak of these were saved.
Fifteen tickets were issued by A E. John
SON & Co., agents at St Paul, Mimi, of
whom three were saved. Two were issued
by Sven A. Hansa, agent at Worcester,
Mass, both of whom were lost. One was
issued by E. Wennstrom, agent at Phila-
delphia, and he was saved. Thirty three
tickets were issued at the New York Of
flee, of whom three were saved
THE THINGvALLA ARRIVES.
HALIFAX, N. s., Aug. 18-The steamer
Thingvalla, which collided with and sunk
the steamer Geiser with such an appalling
loss of life, arrived here yesterday.
She presents strange spectacle with
nearly the whole of her bow torn away,
leaving an immense hole exposed to
view No persons were allowed on board.
Captain Lamb, of the Thingvalla, has i'm
posed silence apon his seamen as to the
disaster, but has himself prepared state
ment of the details of the collision as he
knew and saw. This is the captains
story:
II was in bed on the morning OF the 18th.
The second officer relieved the first officer on
the bridge at o'clock in the morning. At 4:30
Twas awakened by hearing the second officer
shout out: Port helmr A moment later the
telegraph bell rang to reverse engines.
jumped out Of bed and rushed on deck in my
night-clothes. Just as arrived on deck there
was a tremendous crash. We had collided with
alarge steamer and struck her amidships just
below the mainmast. For moment all was
confusion and there were loud shrieks from
the people Gu both ships. 1 Immediately
ran aft and ordered my crew to pre-.
pare boats for launching. By the time
I returned to the bridge we had olsen
tangled ourselves from the strange ship.
found on the bridge the second officer of the
vessel we had collided with From him
learned that she was our sister ship, the Gel
ser, Captain Moller. The Thngvalla had cut
into the Geser clean to the mates state-room.
That officer was asleep at the time. He rolled
out of his bunk and grasped the chains of our
anchor. My first duty was to look after my
ship and quiet my passengers. This I did.
Daylight was just breaking, and there was no
fog, but it was haZy and there was slight
shower of rain
= Il went forward to see what damage we had
sustained and set the pumps working. Very
shortly after the collision the Geiser sank.
can tell how long after but it was within ten
minutes. One OF our boats was afioat
when she went down. The Geiser
had three boats out. She seemed to break
into two and went down stern first with fearful
suction. Her boats were doubtless ali capsized
by the suction. The scenes at that moment
were indescribable. I have read thrilling ro-
mances OF great disasters at sea. but nothing
FEVER read can compare for o moment with
the reolity. Above the gurglng noise of the
suction rose the shrieks of 153 drown
ing men and women. Oh, it was terriblel
lean hear their dying shouts at this moment
and shall never forget the scene to my dying
day, but it only lasted two minutes. The wild
est cries for life began as the Geiser COM
menced to sink. Her living freight were drawn
down by her and the last cries died away as
she disappeared from view. The final scene
only lasted TWO minutes, then the carnival of
death was succeeded by an appalling silence.
By this time our four boats were launched.
The passengers and crew Of the Inflated ship
came to the surfaces we picked them up until
fifteen OF them were rescued and taken aboard
the Thingvalla. We provided them with
clothes and hot drinks. They were
mostly all In their night-clothes, and
many OF them were exhausted. Meanwhile
our boats were still cruising among the
wreckage in the hope of saving even one more
human life, but the rest had oil been drowned.
We only found the floating corpse Of one
woman. Our own passengers and Grew behaved
WELL Some OF the survivors had thrilling
escapes. The first second and third engineers
were all together on a fe raft. The third en-.
gineer had his arm broken during the collision,
yet the first two men were lost and the dis
abied man saved.
AFTER the Geiser disappeared we began jet.
tisoning the cargo to keep the Thingvalla
side by SIDE throwing overheard what was
brought out of the hold. What was
jettisoned consisted solely of wood.
pulp and provisions There was not
much WIND, but a heavy SWELL Between
9 and 10 o'clock we reached the forward bulk
head. Then we stopped throwing the cargo
over and got to work snoring up the conpart-
ment. We were leaking badly in the fore hold,
and kept the pumrs going steadily, so that the
m ut f6rron 10 in f~tn oalx
the steamer Wieland for New York hove in
sight and we transferred all the rescued pas.
sengers, as well as our own 40 passengers. to
her
Captain Lamb does not express an opin-
ion ON the cause of the disaster, but saws
he will leave that to be found out by the
official investigation. From b statement,
however, it would appear that the fault
lay with the officers of the Geiser who put
her to starboard instead of port. The Gel
ser's officer who was on the watch at the
time of the disaster was among the lost
The Thngvalla, after discharg;ng her
cargo, will go on slip for REPAIRS which
will probably require two months She
will then reload her cargo and proceed to
New York
NORTHWESTERN PEOPLE LOST
ELGIN, ILL.,, Aug. 1S.-Among the passen-
gerslost off Sable Island were Mrs. John H.
johnson and infant, of this city.
MILWAUKEE, Wis, Aug. Isl. Gustav.
serand child, of Grantsburg, Wis, were
lost with the Geiser. An Eau Claire pas
senger was in the sunken steamer
CHICAGO, Aug 18 1t is definitely known
that among the lost passengers the follow
ing came from Chicago: Miss Hilda Sol
berg, Mrs. Ellen Seehus, wife If the book
keeper of the Chicago Skdnd;naucn. Mrs.
Seehus was on her way to visit her old
home in Christiania, Norway; Mrs. A.