New-York tribune., 1890-05-31
JCEBERGS IN HER PAlh'
THE NoRMANNIA CRASHES INTO ONE
ryv CAPTAINS PRESENCE OF MIND SAVES
HIS STEAMER FROM msNsIf|-
ruOUS,ND LIVES IN PERIL.

,,, MORT Yesterday from southampton, WIN
81. =, nerils of the that will pass into history
ono Of the most thrilling escapes from al
-, and one of the most brilliant cNhW'"hs
" oan,ainship on record Plunglng through d
-. ,og A. the rate of seventeen ana ohe-hai'
80 an hour. Captain Charles liehlch sie"'c' u
..,,oring iceberg a ships length ahe'u' III nan
oinute after seeing the mountain oil ice zap
- uehich swung his steamer around III one
,.,o,h only humping her stern against the
c.earcd the wall of ice and saved over l'ooo
-. and one of the finest, If not the peSt' steamer
a., Al the same time lie gave the twin-screw
.rn AN everlasting boom, and himself
n,a,ion for GOODNESS and prompt action that
..ss % few men. This was the Normannla
~,aiden trim. and had her path been clear OF Ice
-. ,robably would have eclipsed all previous
,.co,ds between southampton and TINS port Dnt
!, vas she WAS here IN sN days, twentN-one
hours and fifty minutes from the Necdles' or ohiS
,vantv- two minutes behind the best maiden "Trip
between those p0Tls. that OF her meet sist'r' 'ie
Columbia And even then the new queen was
DELAYED some five hours by the accident IL was
a memorable voyage. and every detail Is interest
Ing. $500
The Normannia is the latest additlon 10 the
Hamburg American Packet Company'S fleet She
was especially designed 10 lead the way across
the ocean, and gave great promise on her tr"l
trip. so she steamed past the Needles on May
% y, 315 D. m. with the expectation that she
would MAKE a remarkably fast trip. The weather
,,o. fair and the twin screws were soon churning
nath of foam az the rate OF eighty-two revolu-
t,ons n minute. As she rlidcd the waves
,b. passengcrs hardly noted the fact that tic
tno,s were slipping away at tho rate of eighteen
Io worked a
perfecton. and Captain lIebich once ran his pet
I'D to nineteen and a half knots an hour without
ppsbing her Three hundred tons OF coal day
was all she wanted. but with little coaNing
she might spin of twenty knots But Captain
Hehich was content TO average eighteen and a
half an hour. and the log rolled of 4o3 miles the
first day, 43i the next. 4j2 the third and 46'
The fourth. when the collision occurred.
The day opened cold on May p, and there
was good reason for it. The shivering passengers
mt on their warmcst wraps and clung 10 the
rail when they went on deck to see the field of
ice they were speeding through, with stif
northeast wind blowing Those who got on their
sea legs and braved the drcnching spray which
the big steamer threw up as She bounded along
were rewarded. A veritable procession Of ice
bcrcs lined the steamers route. from those al
most hidden from view 10 those that lowered
mountain high and reflected all colors Of the
rainbow in the sun when lie consented 10 smile.
Twenty three bercs had been passed when late
in the afternoon all the passengers except Mrs
Morris and her daughter Lucy had gone down
stairs 10 wait for dinner, because binding.
cinging fog had set in about AS p. IN. A few
men had gathered in the smoking room and were
discussing music Captain lIebich had climbed
70 the bridge with the second officer, Meyer, and
the third officer, Bahts. Miss Morris was NOT
feeling well, and stewardess had Just paceh
bowl Of soup in her hands The captain and his
men were peering through the fog. when NJ 8 Is
p IN. exactly riffs of fog were seen ahead, and
the two lookouts and the captain and his two
officers saw a white sheet of ice glittering way
up in the air ships length from the bow, and
the steamer was flying over the waves seventeen
and a half knots an hour. lee" shouted the
alarmed lookouts bur Captain IIehich had jumped
20 the speaking-tube and thundered 10 the wheel
man 10 port his helm. and as the wheel came
around he signaled 10 the engineer 10 stop the
starboard screw and reverse II The Normannia
changed her course as quickly aS If she were
human being, realizing the pcrils ahead She
swung around as il on pivot under the enor-
nous mountain of ice that doomed up threaten
ingv overhead The swash Of waves sappins
against the steamers hull, the dull roar they
broke up against the wall Of ice were al the
anxious men heard. The steamer was right in
tie laws Of the iceberg, and II rose mp $50 feet,
looking down over the forcmast and reaching
away 600 feet. But the Normanna had swept
around in a quarter Of a minute, and She was not
going into the ice bow on. Yet in trice the cold
breath Of the giant iceberg was on the steamer,
and the rushing waves beat al the steamers hull
as II they would hammer her against the wall OF
ice. But the Normannia still swung, and would
have cleared had not heavy wave struck her
under the starboard quarter and carried her up
against the iceberg.
The captain has confused recollection OF
seeing vast eNpanse of ice that reared ITSELF 50
near the steamer that II seemed that he could
have touched il with his hand from the bridge,
Of hearing a crash, and then seeing his steamer
dart of into the veil OF fog, which in a second
shut the iceberg out Of sight. Miss Morris
dropped her bowl Of soup in wild excitement. as
She looked up and the ice jammed up against
the steamers side as Unexpectedly as the bear
stuck his head i'm the cooks window, frightening
Tie cook into dropping her frying pans But Miss
Moriss more romantic mother rushed 10 the
steamers side and tried 10 touch the ice. She
does not know whether she did or not.
The passengers at dinner heard a crash but
WI not appear 10 he alarmed over II. Some arose
hom their seats and went on deck, but there
Was no panic and dinner was soon resumed. One
oi the "a9s says that the men who were in the
smoking room discussing Wagner's music were 50
interested In their conversation that they did not
hesr 'he crash. About twenty tons of icc bow
ever ieil with laundering sound on the hos
il'"i ana rolled into the stecrage, scattering some
women VINO had been standing in it's path In
Aer night one woman lost slipper
Inc cry went up that there was a woman
uhuer the pondcrOus blocks Of ice. 4 of
neh quickly cleared the ice away and restored
u'e supper to It's owner \ couple OF children
;" iNs hospital were slightly injured, but that
was all. The injury tO the Nornannia was. III
.""' hOthlhg OF serious nature An eNamina-
Won was made and il was found that the plaicS Ina
% VIC Port ireight-gangway had been knocked I'm, ami
ss sV De uehl ha1 been punched in the steamers
fne aIt ie gahgway, perhaps twenty feet long
80 81 hduuca terms, Tie Noimanna was struck
az upl"f chd "l tlr port side, near the pangway,
sDONe the Wdter-llnc, the uiafes nf tho ,,,u.,w.v