Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-04-11
Old Ocean in a Rage.
Neptune's Compliments to a
Couple of Steamships
CAUGHT IN THE ATLANTIC STORM

on Cape Hatteras In a Tremendous Sea-
Both saloons Deluged and the Passen-
gers Reconsideration One Lady Dis
| tinguished Herseif-Wnd Scenes of Ter
ror-The Death Roll Increased by Three
Ships Crews-Great Damage to Crops.
NEW YORK, April il.-With twelve feet of
the starboard side of the social hall smashed
in, and with l9l passengers-sorne OF them
injured-on board, the Clyde line steamship
lroquois, two days overdue from Charleston,
passed quarantine at fifteen minutes past II
o'clock Tuesday night. The Iroquois left
Charleston on Friday last at o'clock in the
morning. The vessel had good weather until
Saturday noon, when she was off Cape Hat
teras, then the wind began to blow from the
south, veering to the eastward. When forty
five miles southeast of Bodies Island gale
from the east-uortheast swept down upon
the vessel, and at 4 o'clock that afternoon the
| wind and seas were furious that it was
necessary that the steamer should be hove-to.
The wind had whipped around to the north
northeast and was blowing at the rate of
| fifty five miles an hour
All night the gale continued and through
out Sunday. At noon of that day tre-
mendous sea came on board on the starboard
| side, smashing in the joiner work of the so
| cial hall on that side and scattering the frag-
| ments and splinters The water rushed down
into the saloon below and flooded it, Two of
the staterooms in the opening of the social
hall, which is on the promenade or upper
deck, were destroyed, and in the saloon below
| the water was knee deep. The passengers
| were greatly alarmed, but were soon reas-
sured and the saloon was cleared of water.
The gale did not abate until Monday noon,
when the vessel proceeded.
MIR. Harry Whiting, of Webster, Mass
who was on board, said that when the wave
struck the vessel on Sunday the tables were
| set for breakfast, it was about O'Clock.
| The shock knocked several passengers down,
and about eight were more or less injured
| Mr.. Keogh, of the Charleston Academy of
| Music, was badly cut on the head and
| an elderly gentleman also received Il bad
cash on the temple. There was almost a
panic for little while Many of the ladies
| rushed from their state-rooms, and not IA few
donned life-preservers. One lady came out
| wearing blanket, a hustle and life-pre-
server. She was shrieking at the top of her
| voice. The chief mate had his hand cut, and
| one of the stewards arms was bruised None
of the passengers were seriously injured,
| though all were badly frightened.
The steamer Chattahoochee, three DAYS
overdue from Savannah, arrived yesterday
| morning. She was badly battered and some
| of the passengers aver that they never ex-
pected to see land again. While off Bodies
island Saturday morning, twenty-four hours
out, the vessel encountered the heavy gale,
| the tidings OF whose havoc m.Chesapeake bay
and along the southern coast have already
| been received. The gale was accompanied by
| a violent hail storm and covered the deck of
| the Chattahoochee with ice to the depth of
two feet The gale ragged all day with in
| creasing violence but on Sunday morning
the crisis came At $50, while all the pas
sengers We're in their berths a giant wave
broke over the vessel, carrying away a big
section of the bulwark and smashing the side
of the saloon. Several other monster waves
followed, flooding the saloon and the long
tier of sleeping berths.
The passengers awoke panic-stricken to
find themselves in several feet of water with
more pouring in. Women and men in all
stages of dress rushed hither and thither
shouting that they were lost and calling on
God to save them. Some tore their hair and
acted more like insane than sane persons
The captain and mate endeavored to soothe
the passengers by assuring them that there
was no danger, but with little or no avail
The passengers alternately prayed and cried
| all day Sunday and throughout the night
The ship was meantime hove to. All the oil on
board was used IN an effort to cain the sea
and break the force of the waves.
At 10 a. IN. Monday the storm had abated
and the engines were again started. By that
time the vessel had drifted 200 miles out of
her course. Capt Daggett says it was the
worst gale he ever encountered. One lady
whose name was refused, was carried down
the gang way unconscious and taken away in
cab. Nearly all the passengers are in an
exhausted condition, and many had been
thrown down and bruised SO badly as to be
unable to walk