New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-04-23
rBY TELEGRAPH TO THE TkmuxE.l

ing on board 3G5 passengers and eight OF the
crew Of the steamship Danmarlz, OF the Thingvalla
Line, which wrecked in mld-ocean April a..
The story Of the disaster as told by tho officers
of the Missouri and the passengers OF the Dana
mark is most remarkable and thrilling one.
The DanmarlI when in sinking condition IN
mid-ocean transferred every person on board to
the Missouri without a single mishap. 1he
purser, c. A. lIcupel, of the Danmark, tells a
story of absorbing interest. The Danmark lefo
Christiansand Norway on March &c, at :25 p nj
with Sos passengers and crew OF siXty-nlhc' a
total of 73i or these twenty y-ninc were in tho
ca bin and the rest in the stecrage The weather
was nasty and thick, with head winds until
April 4. when heavy gale was blowing from tho
southwest Shortly after 3 o'clock in the afteril
noon the passengers were startled by hearing q,
h,avv humping noise in the afterparSi
Of the ship which trembled as If she mad
struck on iceberg or some heavy obstrucion
in the water. There was great aErm
among the steerage passengers, but there vas
nothing like a panic. After the passengers hi"
been assured by the officers that the snip was
in no immediate danger of sinking, an lnVesti'
gation showed that the shaft of the steamer had
been broken al the coupling, about thirty 1eeb
from the propeller The forward part OF tho
broken end of the shaft had slipped from lts
socket, and was thrashlng around among nee
tlmbers. until the ship was spintcred through ~
her keel She at once began TO leak freely, ana
an attempt WAS made to keep her irce oy IN"
pumps. but the water came in faster than 10
could be pumped out, and the ship gracuaiiy
settled at the stern: 1t became apparent to every-
body that the ship was doomed, anu the sltua>
ton became terrible.
THE VESSEL AT TIE MERCY OF WIND AND WAVE
loI, in, f,o OH
Of the sea for several hours, rolling and pitching
VIOLENTLY 1t was impossible TO stop the leak, and
it became merely question how long it would
be possible TO keep the vessel aioat. Finally, by
the use OF sails it was found possible to keep tho
ships head up to the wind, and she rode moro
easily AZ night came The people, howevera
suffered untold agones OF suspense
Gould she be kept afoat till mOrning?" waS
asked by everybody, with bated breath. Ino
passengers came on deck and eagerly peered out
into the dark night in the hope of seeing the
lights of some passing steamer, which TO them
would mean salvation. In the meantime the gale
was increasing and the decks of the ship were
constantly washed. The Officers attempted 10
persuade the frightened passengers to 60 below.
but they preferred remaining on deck ready 10
escape by the boats should it be finally decided
to abandon the ship.
ANXIOUsLY LOOKING FOR A. FRIENDLY BEACON
The vessel sank lower and lower into the water!
and the big waves pounded on her decks WIN
cver-increasing fury. Most of the passengers
were finally forced to remain in the forward
part of the ship, which rose high out OF the
water as her stern gradually sank lower. Inc
constant settling Of the vessel, which was apparenu
to everybody, increased the fears or the pas
sengers, but strange to say, they became calmer
as the seas grew more angry and as the danger
increased Gathered in the stecrage forward
were several hundred men, women and children.
who divided their time between praying, sing-
iug and talking 10 each other in subdued tones.
About half of the passengers, however, insisted
on remaining on deck till far into the night.
They were drenched by the spray from the waves
that constantly broke over the ship, but they
needed it not in their anxious search OF tho
dark waters for a friendly beacon The strain
was intense at times, and the women broke down
and sobb ,d and cried. The men, including the
officers Of the vessel, did everything to cheer
the passe agers, assuring them that the ship
would remain afoat until morning, but it
was evident that they themselves placed littlc
hope in what they said
A LONG NIGHT OF PAINFUL ANXIETY!
The seven beats of the ship were got in rcadf.
ness so that the vessel could he abandoned at any
moment. but as the sea ran higher and higher, 1T
became evident tlGt the danger of embarliing in
the small boats was quite great as that which
confronted the people or board. II WAS night
of intense anxiety and the break of day was never
hailed with greater JOY than by the almost despalr~
ing PEOPLE on the Danmark. Now at least theY
could scan the ocean for considerable distance.
and there was horc in the very light OF day. Dur"
ing the morning hours the storm abated some-
what but the water continued to rise In the hods
and the fate of tho Danmark was steadily ap~
preaching
Shortly after noon a black streak of smoke on
the horizon indicated the approach OF another
steamer ard hope again filled every heart. Hearty
cheers went up from the men, and the women
actually cried for JOY. Signals of distress had been
set at daylight and every soul on board hoped
they would he by the steamer IN the distance.
THE MISSOURI HAILED WITH CHEERS OF JoYl
When it became apparent that they had been
seen and that steamer was coming TO thclr
assistance, the passengers hugged each other in
their ioy The coming steamer proved TO be tho
Missouri ard her captain agreed TO take the Dan,
marks PASSENGERS if it became necessary. In the
meantime. rs he had accommodation for nothing
but freight he thought'it would be better to take
the Danmark in tow, which he did.
THE next day. continued the purser, " it was
found necessary to ab@ndon the ship, and we were
all transferred to the Missouri in the two small
boats which She had ard in our own seven beats.
All this was done without single mshap although
a heavy was running and the wind blowing
hard We were treated with the utmost kindness
by Captain Murrell of the Missouri, who
proved himself to be not only one of the finest
sailors that trod deck, but the kindest.
hearted gentleman who ever extended aid to d
shpwreced company
AT 3 o'clock on the morning after the acci-
| dent TO the shaft of the Danmarle
II mysterious tragedy was discovered ON
board. IL is customary al that hour