The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-10-13
Life on the Briny Deep Attended
With Great Peril and Much
Discomfort
Wonderful Seamanship Displayed
by the Captain of the
Augusta Victoria.
The Doyonshire Abandoned and Her Crew
Rescucd-Thc u. S. :. Despatch a
Total Wreck.

ClO tAlN tkC NAASA1 !" "'
peril and much physical discomfort. The
Alaska, a day overdue, has not yet been
heard from, and the Augusta Victoria was
not sighted till early this morning. The
Umbria, one of the best storm defiers OF the
Cunard line, due yesterday morning, was
not sighted off Sandy Hook until last night.
Two steamers report having met a number
OF cyclones. The Augusta Victoria arrived
at her dock shortly before noon. Her oti-
GERS reported that from Oct. 4 to Oct. 8
she experienced heavy westerly gales.
accompanied with tremendously high
seas. The steamer has sustained
no great damage, but several passengers
we're thrown down and a number of them
had arms or legs broken. Eight or more
were severely cut about the head. The
Umbria also reported bad weather. The
steamer sustained no damages, but a few
of her passengers were injured. During
the greater part Of the trip of the Augusta
Victoria not a passenger was allowed on
deck. During the whole voyage her COM
mander never slept. He was OF the bridge
day and night, and it was the unanimous
verdict of all on board that to his wonder
full senmanship and skill in handling the
great vessel is due the safety of the ship
and the passengers. During four days her
decks were under water most of the time.
The seas we're like mountains, and the big
vessel pitched and plunged violently with
every shock.
On the 7th inst. a series Of accidents hap
pened that crippled many passengers. DIR.
Lenburn and August Iruelson, cabin pas
eeupers, both had arms broken. In the
steerage the misery was great. The in
mates we're not allowed on deck and were
packed in a dense mass. At every lurch OF
the ship they were thrown to the floor and
frequently in trying to rise as the vessel
righted were thrown back, and not = few
received painful injuries. There we're
eichteen members of the Eppe family, and
not one of them escaped without bruises.
On the 9Th the storm was at its worst and
during tho entire day the main deck was
under water. Many more accidents oc-
Cured. A Mrs. White and her
daughter were thrown across the
cabin by Il lurch of the ship
and both had their right arm broken. Ma
than Soloman, Franz Rudolph aud John
Shreiner, the latter of this oity, also suffered
fractured limbs. In the storage, those who
had escaped the day before came in for
their share, and fully thirty-fve suffered
painful bruises and cuts, II one or two
had arms dls!oeated. All were attended to
ON board and were able to move to-day.
The officers and passengers of the Umbria
also report a terrible voyage. Oct. z Mrs.
@. p. Norman, of Louisville. dice of apo
plexy. One of the passengers said that
struck a breeze, which by noon on Monday
had become a hurricane. This weather
continued throughout Tuesday, but on
Wednesday it moderated during the
day, and passengers were able
to 60 on deck for the first
Ai-oo ripna Crn1ov Wednesday, nvaninO
however, another hurricane came on, and
the ship was speedily in the thick of it
again. At 10 O'Clock, with wind and sea
laundering upon the ship, a pin in the
machinery was discovered loose and the
engines had to be stopped, this incident
reply to anxious passengers query, an
''only q bug in the snifter." After four
hours Of heavy rolling the machinery was
repaired and the voyage resumed. During
the whole of Thursday 1t continued to blow
with severity, the ocean resembling rolling
hills. The weather moderated slightly
Friday, but continued very nasty until they
got in. Throughout the voyage the Umbria
shipped immense quantities of water. Two
saloon passengers were painfully injured
and a number of seamen badly knocked
about, two sustaining fractured bones.
A dispatch from London says the steam
ship Devonshire, from Barrow for New
York, has been passed at sea abandoned.
Nothing has been heard from her captain
or Grew. Never has the loss of a steam
ship at sea caused 80 much excitement
since the time of the great Denmark disas-
ter. No particulars of the disaster have
been received in this cisy. No one knows
what has become of the captain and crew.
They may now be safe on board some other
vessel, but the maritime men think this
hardly probable. The chances are the cap
tain and his thirty-si1 men are lost. They
undoubtedly took to the boats when it was
seen the vessel had no chance. In the sea
and storm that had been raging for the
last week the boats could have hardly lived.
A later dispatch to this city from Lloyds in
London says the Devonshire was abandoned
about $50 miles west of Barrow. Up to the
time Of cabling nothing had been heard
from the captain and crew. The Devon.
shire sailed from Barrow, Sept. 81. She
was in ali respects true in ballast. The
Devonshire generally made the passage to
this city in about fifteen days, SO no IN
e%asiness has been felt about her non
appearance. She is a twin screw steamship
1856 feet long, 1856 feet broad, and 25.6
feet deep. She was worth at least 500, 600.
The Crew Heard From.
NEW YORK, Oct. ia dispatch from
London tonight says the British steamer
Norwegian, which has arrived at Glasgow
from Montreal, has on board the crew OF