The morning call., 1892-12-28
AN ATLANTIC GALE.
How the NOOrdland Fought
Her Way.
TOSSED BY WILD WAVES.
Her Shaft Broke, but the Ship Was
Saved, Though 1t Was
Narrow Escape.
Special TO THE MORNING CALL

QUEENSTOWN, Dec. 27.-The steamer
Noordland arrived here to-day with a
broken shaft. The voyage of the Noordland
was tempestuous almost from the hour of
leaving Sandy Hook. The wind blew a.
most hurricane and the ship had much
difficulty in making headway through the
waves. Some of the passengers were so ap-
prehenslve Of danger that they could not be
induced to retire at night, and sat about
the saloon. doing at intervals, and ready,
with their clothes Oh, to take to the boats
in the event of an accident.
The waves tossed their icy foam on the
decks until the lower rigging itself was like
a skating pond. Captain Nickels and his
officers and crew spared no pains to secure
the safety of the ship. the saiIo.s never
shirking an order however perlous and
painful
The Noordland labored along success
fully until Thursday evening. 1t was a
bitterly cold night and the passengers were
congratulating themselves on gradually
nearing the end of their stormy voyage
The steamer was in latitude Is deg. 81 min.
west and longitude 80 deg. 10 min. when, at
9:20 o'clock in the evening, tremendous
crash was heard and the vessel quivered
from end to end aud the passengers who
were sitting up were tossed about like nine
pins, several of them being thrown to the
floor. Then three terrific blows resounded
one after another, as il the vessel was being
struck by gigantic hammer. which, in
deed. was the fact.
The fright of some of the people was pitt
full to behold. They rushed hither and
thither. delaying the officers in their efforts
to get at the cause and extent of the disas-
tor Con ntaip oil
what the sound meant, and with reassur-
ing word to the passengers he hastened to
investigate the matter personally. The
engines raced furiously. while the broken
shaft seemed to crush the ship at every
c0ncussion. Water came pouring into the
tubes. menacing the stokeholes and the
engine-r0oms, and the passengers thought
for awhile that the vessel was about to
sink.
Several minutes elapsed before word was
given for the engines TO stop. Then the
Noordland lay helpless, tossed by the gale,
and, as the water still rushed in, there
seemed Imminent danger of her sinking
The pumps were manned and put to work
every man of the crew being summoned to
duty, and for tweDty-four hours continu-
ously the pumps were kept at work and the
water was prevented from gaining on the
vessel.
The excited passengers, finding that they
were not In instant peril of being swallowed
up by the waves, regained their courage
and patiently waited for steamer to tow
them into port.
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 New York,
and the needed assistance was at once ex-
tended. The voyage TO Queenstown in tow
was attended by much difficulty, and the
continuous stormy weather made it neces-
sary to navigate With caution, but the
Noordland arrived without further accident.