New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-12-18
BEATEN BACK BY STORMS.
OIL ON TIE WATERS SAVED TIE HEKLA
TIE BIG srEAMsn1p CAME INTO PORT BAT
TERED BY HEAVY SEAS AND WITH
U-PHTHERIA or BOARD


With vcntilntors gone, smohestacl awry and white
with a salty crust decks damaged and rails orohe''
the Danish steamship lIclla came into the Narro"s
vesterdav looking rs II she had been through some
thing worth telling about. And Captain Thomson
standing on the bridge, wasn't sorry to see water
before him that not likely to fnddehiS w"Ne "
fury and bang hl, ship about likc piece vi "o"'
Tho lIckla's appearance fully accounted lor Dy
the story Of her trip, during which she was dnN'"
200 miles ont Of her course, and escaped lounu'r'"S
only by hanging bags OF oil over her Do"S'
Tho uotIo sailed from swlncmunde on November
on Conenhoren November 90 Chhstian'a Decembc'
l. ard Chris,.ansand December .. she had c's"S
four cabin passengers and 538 steeragc passengers
on board She had been ont at sea tss ina" ."e''S
four hours when the North Sea became r)heh anu
before long f,Irious southwest gale was pio"i"s
On the afternoon Of Decembe" 3 his sea was r''"
ming and washing over the ship. That afternoon
Danish senman John c. Jacobson. was lost by pHinS
corriod overheard bv a wave, which submerged the
steamships how boat lowered but the man
was not seen again. The gale continued all hsh.
but the wind shifted ard on December a. Dy ""'o"
time the steamship had fought her way nolth Vi .,i'
Orkney Islands. terrific ga,e was striking 'ne snip
from the northwest. For sixty hours 1t blew WIN
ndescrihablc fury and in that rock lined sea raised
enormous waves.
on the morning Of December the rolling vessel was
boarded by a sea mghtler than that had pre-
ceded It. II struck the ship on her starboaM bow
and rolling completely Over her, smothereh her
for few moments. The TWO sUrDfr'
boats were smashed entirely and one was carried
awov Three vcntilators were torn from the deck
and disappeared over the port rail- and one v'nt-
lator was twisted Ike piece Of cardboard The m9
funnel was dcnted and bent to one side. ana
Yt,lc doluge ran down II into the engine
room The ship which had been working along NJ
the rne Of about six knots nm hour, reduced her
speed 10 three knots. but even at that $40" tn"
Of progress she could hardly live In the seaway.
So she turned stern to the gale and Kept OH
So that the wind struck her about AFT. Tins she
ran for fourteen hours. until she was 200 miles out
OF her course. Then the gale having moderated
shc picked up her course again and worked hef way
into port During the gale from December TO
December Captain Thomson caused bags OF OIL 70
BE- hung over the bows Of the ship with good results
the seas becoming smoothcd and rolling BY instead
Of breaking heavily ne before
After the steamship out Of the big storm In the
north she still had bad weather bat II was hothihg
compared TO what she lad t0ied through. 80 the
passengers Yesterday made Hight Of the stormy westerly
winds heavy seas rain and hail which followed
them till they reached port
BESIDES being stOrnbcaten. the ship was afilicted
with sickness there being slight epidemic Of diphtLeria
on board on December 10 "A Swedish child three
=, ars Cd. died. and IN December Is five year-0d
Danish arl died. when tho ship examined at
Quarantine II found that I'm her steeraGe there
were eleven cases Of dphthena. They were removed
from the ship and transferred to the Reception Hos
pit on Swinhurne Island. Then inc snip was fuhh
gated and dsinfeced. after which she went to her