Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-04-13


the Denmark, of the Thingvalls: line,
abandoned in mid ocean. The ship was in
q sinking condition, and all of her boats
were gone. The Denmark left Copenhagen
with over 700 persons on board, including
passengers and crew. The officials of the
company cling to the hope that these have
been rescued. The passengers were mainly
immigrants.
NEW YORK, April 1.-THE ne ws of the
discovery Of the steamer Denmark, aban-
doned in midOcean, caused the greatest ex-
citement in shipping circles here. The
matter is as yet truly a mystery of the sea,
and it is impossible to say whether hun
dreds Of persons have found watery graves
or whether single soul has been lost.
The Inman line steamer City of Chester
arrived at Queenstown yesterday, and her
Captain reported that on April s, in lati-
tude 46 north, longitude 81 west, she passed
the Danish steamer Denmark, from Chris
tiansand, Copenhagen, etc., for New York.
The Denmark had been abandoned by her
crew. Her stern was level with the sea and
her bow stood high out Of the water. She
was apparently sinking. All Of the boats
were gone from the davits and the aban-
doned vessel had q most melancholy ap-
pearance After watching the wreck for
some hours and observing no sign of life
the City of Chester resumed her course.
The Denmark was a vessel of :, ,260 tons
and belonged to the Thingvalla Line. She
was commanded by Captain Knudson. The
Denmark was formerly the Belgian
steamer Jan Breydel. She was bark
rigged vessel and was $40 feet long, 40 feet
in breadth and 26 feet deep. She was built
at Newcastle, England, in 1880.
ANXIOUS FRIENDS.
Funch, Edye & Co. are the New York
agents of the ThingTalla Line, to which the
abandoned steamer belongs. They refused
at first to believe the reports, but full ad-
vices showed conclusivelv that it was the
Denmark which the City of Chester had
seen. The Office of the company was soon
thronged with people anxiously inquiring
for news. One of the firm said:
We have a cable dispatch to the effect that
the Denmark left Christiansand on March 26
on her first voyage under her new flag and
name. She had been completely overhauled,
and it was thought by all that she was the best
Of our neeL There were on board OF neT at me ne
these $50 were passengers. To manage and
to look after the comforts of this large number
Of passengers there must have been at least 20
in the crew. and probably the number may
have reached 100, or perhaps LIS. There are
therefore to be accounted for the lives of from
40 to 775 people.
No list of the passengers on board the
ill-fortuned steamship is to be had in this
city. Among the first callers at the Office
of Funch, Edye & Co. was Morris Slower,
Young farmer from somewhere in Massa-
chutts, who got there last night to await the
arrival of the steamer upon which his
brother and sweetheart had taken passage.
His grief was uncomfortable.
DELUsIvE HOPE.
1t was hoped the steamship Elder might
bring in the passengers or at least some
news of them. The Elder reached her dock
after o'clock this afternoon. She did not
see anything of the Denmark, and her Off
GERS were greatly surprised,whe told the
particulars.
The steamship Iceland, of the Thingvalla
line, which LETT Copenhagen four days later
than the Denmark and is due here now,
will probably bring some intelligence of the
disaster.
The Denmark was formerly the freight
steamer Jan Brydei, of the White Cross
line. Last fall Messrs. Funch, Edye & Co.,
who are also agents of the latter line, had
the vessel put in condition for passenger
traffic, rechristened her Denmark and trans
ferred her to the Thingvalia fleet. This was
the vessels first trip from the other side
under her new colors. The reported dis.
aster vividly recalls the collision of the
steamship Thingvalla, of the same line, last
summer, by which many lives were lost.
THE CodPANY'S IDEA.
The agents of the steamship line this even
ing issued the following, which indicates
that they still hope for the best:
As some of the comments on the reported
loss of the Danish steamer Denmark express
the apprehension that this disaster may have
been accompanied by heavy loss of life, we beg
leave to state, for the benefit of all persons who
have friends on board the Inflated boat, our be.
lief 70 the contrary. When sighted by the City
Chester on Monday last in latitude 45.55 north
longitude 37.l6 west the decks aft and the sails
were in pieces, but the vessel was floating and,
although the reporting steamer expressed the
belief that she would shortly founder, this did
not occur during all the time that elapsed from
the hour she was first sighted.
The Denmark was floating directly in the
track of the transatlantic steamers, and we
believe beyond peradyenture that the passen'
gers and crew were taken off some time, posi-
bly, as far back as couple of days before the
City of Chester sighted the wreck, since the
Denmark, having left Christansand on the
18th of March, should, under ordinary circum
stances. have advanced considerably beyond
the position found in. II the wrecked passen
gers and crew had not been picked up they
BOATS AND ON RATS,
have remained in the neighbOrhood of the
wreck, the presence of which would be much
more likely to attract the passing steamer;
than small boats or RATS would. The City OF
Chester evidently did not find the slightes
wreckage near the vessel, such as might be at
tributable to smashed or otherwise incapaci
tated boats while the steamer bore sign
whatever of human life. We confidently be
neve therefore, that, with the possible excep
tion of single casualties, such as may occul
during the transfer of SO many people from ont
vessel to another, the passengers and crew Of
the Denmark are safe, and will long bt
heard of as on board of one of the transatlantic
steamers. Very respectfully,
FUNCH. EDYE Co.,
General Agents Thingvalla Steamship Co.
The business of the Thingvalla company
is confined largely to immigrant traffic, an;
il is almost certain that the great proportion
of her passengers belonged to that class
The general opinion in shipping circles i
that the passengers and crew were trans
ferred to some other steamers. If they haS
only their boats to depend on, there coult
scarcely fail to be great loss of life.