Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-08-18

valla-TAe Blanss.
TIE Danish consul ct New Yort has concluded
that the Investigation OF the disaster NJ sea by
which the steamship Geiser and los lives were
lost, will Be held By the courts In Copenhagen and
mot here, - q nrst determined
The Thingvalla, - announced In dispatches "a
TIE srAn. arrived at HALIFAX yesterday.
CAPT. LAuBs STORY.
Cart Laub made the following statement: 81
was In bed on the morning OF the 18th The 500
ond ofcer relieved the rst oncer on the bridge al
SSlSSk IN tns morning About go was os, s .n1
helm A moment later the telegraph bell rang z
reverse engineA jumped out OF bed and rushed
Ssc S there X Was ut srsn S crash. ~ -
I've had collided with large steamer AND
struck her amidships just before the mainmast
loud shrieks from the people on both ships I'm
medtately ran at and ordered my crew 10 pre-
pare boats for launching. BY the time returned
the strange ship. I found on the bridge the SEQ
ono omcer OF the vessel We had coliided with
From him learned that she was our sistership
clean TO the mates state-room. The officer was
asleep at the time. He rolled out OF bis bunk and
grasped the chains OF our anchor. Ny nrst dut,
TSs as snR snt
tnere WAS no fog, out it Was hay and Their
was slight shower Of rain. The assistant engi
second engineers. was saved with o broken arm
while his two companions were lost
III may have been two or II may have been foui
minutes before the engines were reversed aud We
backed on without delaying q moment went &C
quiet my excited passengers who were crowded on
the same time looked af1sr the SAFETY c Of nv ship
not having any knowledge as TO the extent OF ouI
damage. The orncers were already engaged In
OF the Thingvallas boats had Just been lowered
when the other steamer went down stern INST.
ERI0HrFuL scKNE
This scene was q frightful one I cannot at
tempt TO describe IT. Some OF her passengers were
rushing madly about her deck, while others were
crowded in several boats in the water. believe
many 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 water carving down those On board she cap,
rent with agonizing shr1eks and prayers. Most OF
the people probably went down with the Geiser.
souls In the boats, who must have been sucked
under rs the ship sank.
"The cries Of the dying stu ring in my ears.
Inree Of our ooats were already launched and Try;
few managed TO keep anoat after tie steamers
out In the time we had, and i did not know bur
what We might want the remaining ones Tor our
selves The Two vessels were not more than 100
or $50 feet apart when the Geser went down.
"The screams OF the drowning lasted perhaps
two 'minutes and then suddenly all became quiet
Our three boats returned loaded with the saved
who had been picked up In the water or from on
the bottoms OF the capsized boats sent them
back 70 continue the search for survivors, but
they returned with only the corpse OF a woman.
We provided the survivors with dry clothes, hot
conee and wine, and made them as comfortable as
possible, while attending TO the injury 10 our
selves Day was Just beginning 70 break when
the collision occurred. IL was raining as the
second oincer tod me just before. IL was not
foggy. heard men around me say Il was eight or
ten minutes between the collision and the sinking
OF the Geiser, but could not pay any attention "
the time"
Capt Laub does not express an opinion on the
the cause OF the disaster. He says he viii leave
that to be found out by the or1ical investigation.
The Thingyalla, which will go on dock Tor re-
pairs at Harfax, presents a strange spectacle
with nearly the whole OF her bow torn away,
leaving an immense hole exposed 10 view. A long
piece OF the bow hangs over the hole, which
reaches back into the sides OF the ship over IL
feet A projecting piece hangs over the water
Ike an outstretched arm, and shows where the
powerful iron plates were broken through and
Capt Laub's statement Of the disaster it would
appear that the fault lay with those on board
the Geser, who put her TO starboard instead Of "
port The Geiser's onicer who was on watch al the
time OF the collision was among those who per-
ished
Captain Aoller, OF the Geiser, called at the
DANISH consulate, In New York, yesterday morn.
ing. and said that he believed Mate Brum, OF the
Geiser, was the man who was really TO blame, be
cause he executed the wrong maneuvers when the
steamers caught sight OF each other at that closs
and fatal distance. What was further developed
IN the conversation between these gentlemen was
the fact that the Geiser had seen the Thingvalla
her lights for about Two hours before the collision
but how the boats kept steering for each other 81
as 70 meet IN collision Is one OF those mysterie.
that can only be cleared up by thorough invesu
CATION