St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-12-31
SIGHTED The UMDRlA,
The Overdue Cunard Steamer
Seen Off Fire Island at
Midnight.
She Arrived at Quarantine
Within a Few Hours
AfterWard.
Spoken the Day After Christ
mas by the Steamer Man
hanSett.
She Was Rep airing a Br oxen
Shaft, But Needed No AS
Sistance.

New York, Dec. 30.-The Umbria
was sighted off Fire Island at II mid
night. She is expected to arrive at
Quarantine at O'clock. but it will prob
ably be o'clock before news can be
obtained directly from the vessel.
New YORK. Dec. 3O.-Capt. Duck, of
the steamship Manhansett, which ar
rived from Bristol today, reports that on
Dec. 26, at 80 O'Clock p. M, in latitude
42. so, longitude 57.45, he spoke the
Cunarder Umbria, lying to with
three sea anchors OUT repairing
her shaft. She expected to finish the
repairs the next day and wished to
be reported all well. When seen by the
Calico OH Dec. 25 the Umbria was in
latitude 1852. longitude 5S.25, position
further west from where she was seen
by the Nah ansett.
1t was about o'clock in the afternoon
of Dec. 26. the day after Christmas, that
the steamship Manhansett, out eleven
days from Swansea, with a general
cargo. bound for New York, and pound
ing along in heavy gale, with the wind
kicking up mean sea,
First Sighted
the disabled steamship Umbria labor
ing in the trough of the sea. rising and
falling, plOughIng under walls of foam,
drifting before the heavy gale. The
first mate was in charge of the Man
hansett at the time, and the seanan's
e.used to all sorts Of weather, hardened
to the scenes OF disaster and privatlon
OF the sea, made out that all was not
we'll with the black ship laying over
silently against the Garkencd sky. She
lay TO the north of the Manhansett
about five miles out of her course, bat
in moment it was call all hands,
and the bells in the rooms OF all
the other officers jingled in
moment. Capt. Duck and Second Mate
Ellis were on deck Immediately. Their
eyes were at the glass, and they, too,
decided that all was not we'll with the
vessel, which began to grow larger and
come nearer as the helm of the Manhan
Sett was put down and the steamship
swung her nose around to the south.
The vessel in the distance lay black
and lonely. No friendly long banner OF
smoke came rushing from her smoke
stacks. All looked forlorn and bleak,
Deserted and Disabled.
The Manhansett,in in spite of the north
west gale that was at the time blowing
for all it was worth. went hurrying over
the five-mile course at break-neek
speed, Soon the ManhanSett came near
enough to her to take out her lamp
and see those on board of her. The
men on the Manhansett saw that
she was the Umbria, and that
she was undoubtedly under the
weather. She did not look badly
hurt, however. She had no holes i'll her
sides, no mast gone, no Tapping sails
hanging in shreds, no jury rudder.
There was no list to her, and she looked
Just as it Was afterward learned to
be true. merely laying to to make
repairs. The Cunarder had no
carried no sail. She had three sea an
chors out over her bow, and she was
doing her best to keep her nose up to
the wind. She was straight up and
dow in the water, and, all things con-
sidered, she was doing well. The sea
anchors, which are great. heavy affairs
tied to many hundred yards of rope,
dragged along in the water and kept heI
nose up.
She DrIfted a Little
with the gale, but not much. She did
not look badly off when the Manhansett
came up close to her. She had some ice
on her. and there were salt crystals on
her smokeStacks, but that seemed but
natural, for it had been blowing and the
storm had been very bad for some days.
The captain and the second mate got
out The signal bunk and, with the gale
blowing nastily, the two steamships,
the big Cunarder which could easily
have placed the little Manhansett after
her smokeStacks, began to talk to each
other.
"Who are you?" asked the little fell
low.
The big one told him, and said he was
out from Liverpool for New York.
The biz one, before he could tell any
thing further, insisted on knowing who
he was and what his busi-
ness was. Then the Cunarder
hoisted the signal which, according
to the book, meant .shaft." The Man.
hanSett showed an answering pennant
to let him know he was understood, and
then he hoisted undergoing" The
Manhansett Signaled that she under
stood. and the Umbria remarked ''re-
pairs" Then the Cunarder signaled,
"Ready tomorrow" The Manhansett
asked if any assistance was required,
and the Cunarder replied:
mo. Report ME to my owners" :.
Left the Umbria. -
Then the ManhanSett bade farewell
to the disabled giant; the passengers
waved their handkerchiefs gloomily,
and the smaller steamship left the Gu
harder tolling with the wind and sea.
At that time the Cunarder was about 765
miles east of Sandy Hook, so that she
had drifted considerably before the
northwest gale that was blowing.
Hardly had the Manhansett left the
Cunarder before a steamship with
red with black top, came along, bound
east. Mates Ellis and Breen, of the
Manhansett, said they thought this yes
sci to be q Cunarder bound from Boston
to Liverpool. She looked very much
like Cunarder, but it is thought
she might have been one of Sat
urday'S vessels from this port. Capt.
Duck thinks she was Cunarder,
The vessel talked with the disabled
steamship for little time and then went
on. 1t has, therefore, from this, been
concluded that the Umbria was not
badly damaged, and that she did not
break her mainShaft, because had she
done so she could Hardly have ASSURED
the Manhansett that she would be ready
to proceed In day. ay...ss;4ze.sss:ss5sss
Capt Bucks story.
Capt. Duck came directly from the
dock in Jersey City, after the Manhan-
sett tied up. to the New York Shipping
company's offices, IN the Produce EX-
change building. After telling the story