Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-12-28
Sixteen Vessels Due at New York
Still Battling the Waves.
THE NOORDLAND IN GREAT PERIL.
Towed Into Queenstowns HarbOr Disabled
by 3 Broken Shaft.
MANY HOURS OF FRIGHT AND ANXIETY

and intense cold experienced With ven-
tilators demolished or twisted out of shape,
Iifeboats smashed and everything about
deck in demoralized condition, it is grati-
flying to find that nothing serious happened
to the passengers and crew OF any of the
incoming steamers. Each vessel was COM
pletely coated with ice, and so far as ap-
pearance went was entitled to be classed as
member of the "White Squdron.
The Umbria is considerably overdue.
Such delay for her would seem to indicate
that she has fallen in with some vessel in
distress and was slowly towing her to port
A close watch is being kept of the detained
vessel.
A cable dispatch from London says:
There is anxiety at Lloyd's over the nor
arrival in New York of the Umbria, which
sailed from Liverpool December II
and from Queenstown for New York De-
cember Is.
Reinsuring Already Commenced.
The great storms on the Atlantic may, it
is thought, have detained the vessel with
out involving any accident, but the appre-
hension felt is so serious that reinsuring has
already commenced.
The officials of the Cunard line say they
have no doubt that the Umbria's delay is
due to the breaking down of her engines.
The rate of reinsurance paid on the Um-
bria's cargo is 10 guineas premium.
The steamship Noordland was towed into
Queenstown by the steamship Ohio at
o'clock this evening. All the passengers
were on deck, waving hats and handker-
chiefs, and cheering. Anchor was dropped
and the passengers were removed to shore
by tender All showed signs of the
anxiety which they had suffered. Some of
the elderly steerage passengers were hardly
able to walk. Several women fell on their
knees and cried the moment they were
landed.
The voyage of the Noordland was tenn
pestuous, almost from the hour of leaving
Sandy Hook. The winds blew almost
hurricane, and the ship had much difficulty
in making headway through the waves
Looking for the Critical Moment.
Some of the passengers were SO appre-
hensive OF danger that they could not be in
duced TO retire at night, and sat about the
saloon, doing at intervals, and ready, with
their clothes on, to take to the boats in the
event of an accident, although boats could
have lived only by miracle in the terrible
seas The waves tossed their icy foam on
the decks until the lower rigging was
covered with CONCEALED coating, and the
deck itself was like skating pond.
The only comfort or security was in the
cabins, and they remained under cover
throughout nearly all the voyage; but Cap
tain Nickels, his officers and crew spared
no pains to secure the safety of the ship,
and the hardy sailors never shirked an
order, however perilous and painful
The Noordland labored along successfully
until Tuesday evening. 1t was a bitter cold
night, and the passengers were congratulate
ing themselves on gradually nearing the end
of their stormy voyage. At 9:20 in the
evening a tremendous crash was heard and
the vessel quivered from end to end. The
passengers who were sitting up were tossed
about like ninepins, several of them being
thrown to the floor.
Beaten by the Broken Shaft.
Three terrific blows resounded one after
the other, as if the vessel was being struck
by gigantic hammer, which, indeed, was
the fact. The fright of some OF the people
was pitiful to behold They rushed hither
and thither, delaying the officers in their
efforts to get at the cause and extent of the
disaster. Captain Nickels knew we'll enough
what the sound meant, and with reassuring
word to the passengers he hastened to in
vestigate personally. The engines raced
furiously, while the broken shaft, for that
proved to be the danger, seemed about to
crush the ship at every conclusion. Water
rushed into the tube, menacing the stoke
hold and the engine rooms, and the panic
stricken passengers thought Tor awhile that
the vessel was about to sink.
Several minutes elapsed before word was
given to the engines to STOP The Noordland
lay helpless, tossed by the gale, and as the
water rushed in there seemed imminent
don Ot ali
manned and put to work, every man of the
crew being summoned to duty. For "a
hours continuously the pumps were kept at
work and the water prevented from gaining
on the vessel The excited passengers,
finding that they were not in instant peril
of being swallowed up by the waves, re-
gained courage and patiently waited for q
steamer to tow them into port
Relief Comes in Sight at Last.
At the time of the accident the Noordland
was 400 miles west of Queenstown. The
crippled steamer was sighted by the steam
ship Ohio, which left Philadelphia on the
same day that the Noordland left NewYork,
and needed assistance was at once extended.
The voyage to Queenstown With the Noord-
land in tow was attended by much diff
Guilty, and the continuous stormy weather
made it necessary to navigate with caution,
but the Noordland arrived without further
accident. An examination showed that the
fracture of the shaft was six feet inside the
stern.
Fred Kotz, first cabin passenger, told
his experience tonight:
Wewere just becoming calmer after the
accident happened, when we saw the crew
rushing through the steerage, carrying bed
ding, mats and carpets, to be stuffed into
the tunnel box. We all knew then that
water was coming in. Nobody slept that
night. The women sat crying in the cabins
and the men crowded the smoking room to
play cards and talk over the situation. We
all were badly frightened. The vessel rolled
terribly, and with every roll came tremen-
dous thump, as ii piece of the shaft wns
loose and smashing things IN the hold. The
sails had bcen spread, Dut they did not
steady the ship notfceably. We knew we
were far from the track of the trans-Atlan-
tic steamships, and most of us on that night
would not have guessed that our chances of
life were more than two in i've.
Hours of Intense Anxiety.
The crew worked heroically at the pumps
for the "a hours after the accident,
and at the same time the engineers were
busy at the shaft, fixing plugsand trying to
prevent further influx of water. Eventually
word was sent out that the fiow OF water had
been checked.
We had plenty of food and water and,
therefore, with fairly favorable weather
would have been able to hold our own Tor
some time. As the sea was still too rough
for any lifeboat, we were gloomy lot.
Friday was uneventful. The tables were
laid as usual, but few cared to eat. At
O'Clock Saturday morning the lookout
yelled, Light ahead" Everybody turned
ont and listened eagerly for the next word.
all shook hands and cheered, and many ran
about shouting for joy. We all remained
on deck the rest of the night, watcning the