Huntsville gazette., 1892-12-10
ApreadfnI Exnerience.

QUEENSTOWN, Dec 5.-The Queens
hotel is filed with the passengers OF
the steamship Spree and many have
been obliged to go to Kilmurrays, the
European and other small hotels or
lodging houses. Most of the passen-
gers have thrilling stories to tell. Not
a few, however, acknowledge that
they had no conception of their peril
until they had been landed. Twice, at
least. the officers gave up hope of saw
ing the ship, yet each time they be-
lieved it would be impossible for the
boats to live in the tremendous seas. On
Sunday night all the officers were con-
vinced that to abandon the ship for the
boats would be certain death.
Every ybody is eloquent in praise OF
Dwight l.. Moody. His services did
more than anything else, all say, to-
ward steadying the courage of the pas
sengers. In every group of foreigners
during the preaching sat somebody who
translated the evangelists words as
they came from his lips.
Mrs. J. w. Robinson, of Chicago, to-
day told the correspondent of the In
ternational Telegram the story of her
experience on the drifting steamship
She said: ''When the shaft broke | was
sleeping in my stateroom. ] was
aroused by crash, then felt heavy
shock which almost threw me from my
berth. | knew that something serious
had happened. / got up Immediately
dressed as fast as I could, and ran into
the corridor, where / found the rest
of the passengers frightened and hud-
died together. When we learned the
cause of the trouble, none Of US rea-
lized the danger we were in. When
we got on deck, however, we saw a
frightful scene. Hundreds were strug-
Cling for life-preservers, shouting or
groaning, or running about as if crazy.
Prepare tions to lower the boats in
creased their terror. For two days and
nights We We're tossed and drifted away
from our course. We did not go to bed.
The sea was terrific. The ship rolled
SO that we had to cling to the tables or
chairs to prevent our being dashed to
the floor or against the partitions.
A German lady who tried to leave the
cabin when the sea was at its worst,
was thrown against a pillar 50 vio-
lently that she broke her arm. The
surgeon set it with great difficulty, as
it was almost impossible to remain
quiet, even in ones berth. The suicide
Of young man from Vienna de-
pressed us all. He was wealthy and
was engaged to marry a Vienese
young lady. Four women in the sec
ond cabin became temporarily in sane
from anxiety and lack of sleep"
Miss M. L. Merriman, of Boston. was
i'll in bed at the time of the accident;
in fact too i'll to realize her danger.
She was nearly thrown to the floor by
the shock. She dressed herself slowly
and was one of the last to get on deck.
81 never before saw such a scene"
she said. 'The ship was at the mercy
of the sea and the waves were dashing
upon the decks. The passengers We're
huddled together in the passageways or
on the stairs, or were running about as
best they could on deck Most of them
had been calmed by the time got up
stairs, but the faces Of all were white
with terror We had terrible Sunday
morning. The sea was worse than I
had ever seen it. We feared the bulk
heads would not hold out and at night
had become SO frightened that we
would not go to bed, but laid down in
the companionway."
The captain of the Lake Huron says
that when the Spree made her first
signals of distress he thought that she
was on fire
Seventeen of the Sprees passengers
have started for America on the steam
ship Etruria. The rest will wait until
this evening for the Havel, which
was Immediately dispatched by the
steamship company to take the place of
the Spree. In transferring the mails it
was found that $50 bags had been so
thoroughly soaked that their contents
were worthless.