Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1892-12-05
THR SPREE SAFE.
She Broke 3 Shaft In Mid-ocean. Blu
Was Towed Safely to Liverpool.

LONDON, December 4.-The overdue
steamer Spree passed Kinsale this morn
ing in tow Of the British steamer Lake
Huron, from Montreal. for Liverpool. The
signals displayed read: ''Shaft broken
The Queenstown tugs went TO assist the
Spree, which arrived at Queenstown this
afternoon. The Spree's main shaft broke
down on November 70. Part Of the ma
chinery went through her bottom under
the second cabin. The compartment i'm
mediately filed with water. The passen-
gers thought the vessel was going to the
bottom, and rushed on deck. For time q
veritable panic prevailed, and the officers
were helpless to calm the fears prevailing.
The water could be heard rushing
through the hole in the bottom, and In q
short time the vessel began 10 settle. The
passengers ran hither and thither in the
widest confusion, but when they saw that
the vessel was not Immediately going 70 the
bottom, the counsels of the officers and the
more cool-headed among their own number
prevailed, and a semblance Of order was
restored. Life preservers were in great
request. and many Of the passengers kept
them close at hand even when IL became
known that there was no immediate dan
ger.
AS soon as the accident occurred the
boats crews were piped to their stations,
and everything was placed in readiness for
the abandonment Of the vessel, should such
a course be deemed necessary.
The stewards busted themselves in get
tine provisions to the boats, and everything
that prudent seamanship would dictate
was done. 1t was shortly seen that the
water-tight bulkheads were answering the
purpose for which they were constructed,
and that, though the water was pouring
into the compartment beneath the second
cabin, very little was getting into the other
compartments. With only one compart-
ment filled the steamer lost little OF her
buoyancy, and when it was stated by the
officers that all danger Of sinking was past
the passengers became calm, and joked
with each other about the fears they had so
shortly before entertained.
When the incident occurred the Spree
was about ZOO miles from Queenstown.
The Lake Huron towed her the entire dis
tance back The Spree leaked so badly
that it was impossible for the pumps TO
gain on the water, which Is still thirty feet
deep in the after compartment. The Spree
had on board 2S3 passengers, among whom
are General o. o. Howard, U. $. Army;
Mrs. Adelheid Howard and child; Mrs.
Marle Ambrosius, of Cleveland, o.; Henry
Branch and family, of Milwaukee, Wis;
J. Blumenthal, Of El Paso, Tex; C. p.
Davidson, Mrs. Maria Davidson and
children, of San Antonio, Tex; e. A.
Fidler, Dr. Sidney Kuh, of Chicago; Carl
Kleimscbmidt and Mrs E. Kleimschmidt,
of Cleveland, o.; Mrs. Marie Mangels and
children Of San Francisco; II. T. Taylor,
Cincinnati, o.; Count Keyserling, of
Vienna; Countess Cuelebrock, OF Paris
The shaft broke at half Past 0 o'clock in
the morning
The passengers were thrown Into a state
of great alarm. Many of them rushed on
deck in their night clothes, mothers clasp
ing their babes in their arms, and husbands
half carrying their wives. The scene is
described as being one that the passengers
will never forget A second class passen-
ger named Paul Kelson was so terribly
frightened that he Jumped overheard and
was drowned. The other passengers are
all well. A dispatch received this evening
from Queenstown says the leak IN the
Spree was caused by the broken shaft
pounding out a portion Of the stern before
the engine could be stopped The Lake
Huron took the disab,ed steamer in tow on
November %.
Some of tho Spree's saloon passengers
and 1877 sacks Of her mails will be for
warded on the Cunard Line steamer Etru-
ria, which sails from Queenstown, for
New York, tomorrow. The steamer Ha-
vel will sail tomorrow from Bremen,
Queenstown, where she will take on board
the remainder of the Spree's passengers
and mails and convey them TO New YORK.