The Saline County journal., 1892-12-29
PERILS OF THE DEEP.
Thrilling Experience Of Passengers
on the Steamship Nordland.
Aim oct Loaf


town harbor by the steamship Ohio at
o'clock last evening. All the passen.
gers were on deck, waving hats and
bandkerchiefs and cheering. Anchor
was dropped and the passengers were
removed to shore by a 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 werc
landed Frank Shea, first cabin pas
senger, now stopping at 4 Queenstown
hotel, told his experience.
The first two days out of New York
were fairish. although a part Of the
time a heavy sea WAS running. The
weather then grew rapidly worse. On
the night of the accident we were max
ing about twelve knots an hour. The
ship was rolling heavily and most of
the cabin passengers were below sick
Five or six of US were In the smoking
room, talking about how we should
pass Christmas in Antwerp, when there
was terrific crash and we were thrown
from the seats into a heap on the
floor. The vibration Of the ship al
most shook us from our feet as we
started for the door. II seemed rs
II gigantic hammer was pounding the
ships bottom When we got outside
we saw the captain coming from the
engine room The passengers came
running on deck. half dressed and
white from fear. We surrounded the
captain and he told Us that the main
shaft was broken, but that there was
no immediate reason for alarm. The
other officers who were not busy below
walked about among the passengers
and encouraged all to believe that there
was no danger In few minutes we
learned that the engineers at a great
risk of their lives had found that the two
stay plates and the plummer blocks had
smashed the gland Of the engine. The
bulkhead, however, had been kept
tight The vessel pitched and rolled
terribly, so that we saw we could not
trust to the boats In case the worst
came.
I'VE were just becoming calmer when
we saw the crew rushing through the
steerage carrying beddings, 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 situa-
ton We all were badly frightened.
The vessel rolled terribly and with
every roll came a tremendous thump
as IL piece Of the shaft was
loose and smashing things In the
hold The sails had been spread,
but they did not steady the
ship, noticeably. We knew we were
far from the track OF transatlantic
steamships and most of US on that night
would not have guessed that our
chances of life were more than two In
Eve. The crew worked heroically at
the pumps for the twenty y-four hours
after the accident and at the same time
the engineers were busy at the shaft
fixing plugs and trying to prevent Ne
further influx OF water. Eventually |
word was sent out that the flow 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 for |
some time.
Friday was unevcntful The tables |
were laid as usual, but few cared Ia eat
At 2 o'clock on Saturday morning, the
lookout yelled: Light ahead Every
body turned out and listened eagerly |
for the next word. shes steamer
was the next call We all shook hands
and cheered and many ran about shout
ing for JOY. We all remained ON deck /
the rest Of the night, watching the
Ohio's lights At daylight she stood by
and passed hawser. At that time, as
] learned subsequently. our after peak
was full Of water and despite their ex-
pressions Of confidence, the officers of
the ship were intensely anxious
THE Ohio began towing us very
slowly The strain caused by the heavy
seas was too great, however, and after
five minutes the hawser broke. before
another could be passed nine hours
elapsed The second hawser broke as
did also the third. On SUNDAY morning
other hawsers were fixed and as the
weather had improved meantime they
held until we reached harbur. We pro-
cecdcd about seven knots an hour. At
Daunt's Rock the hawscrs were short
ened of"
The steamship Ohio proceeded to
Liverpool this morning. Most Of the
passengers who went ashore
were taken back later and will live
aboard the Nordland until final orders
are received from London as regards
their transport % Antwerp Probably
the Nordlani will be prepared tcmpor-
arily here and then will proceed 10
where she will be completely