The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1893-01-07
THE UMBRIAS SAFE IN HARBOR;
Arrival of the Long-Delayed Ship
at New York.
Story Of the Drifting on the Deep..No suf.
ferng and All Well..As Previously Re.
ported'a Broken Shaft the
Trouble.

we're reported well on board. She ar
rived off the bar in company with the
Britannia, of the White Star line, and
an oil tank steamer. Both her escorts
,el her at the outer lightship and went
up the bay at rapid pace compared to
the speed of the Umbria. She was
steaming nine miles an hour. The slow
rate was maintained as precau-
ton against further damage to
the shaft. The Umbria proceeded
slowly up the bay blythe main chan
mel, burning her signals ut Sandy Hook
and blowing her whistle in response to
the glad salntes of tug in the lower
bay. Captain Mckay declined to per,
init anyone to come on board or to
furnish details of the accident and the
voyage until after he haa reached
quarantine and had been passed by the
health officers. Frank Marshall White,
formerly London correspondent of the
Nery York Sun, who was one of the
Umbria's passengers, gave the follow
ing account of the accident to the ship
and her experience since it occurred:
A fracture was discovered in her
shaft and her machinery was stopped
south of the banks of Newfoundland at
$50 O'clock on the afternoon of Friday,
the 23d inst. After drifting for twelve
hours in a storm she was towed Sven
ty-five miles by the Bohemia, of the
Hamburg American line. but the cable
that connected the two steamships was
broken in heavy gale on Saturday
night md they lost all track of each
other. After drifting for three days to
the southward she started again with
her own machinery, which had been
repaired under great difficulties by
Chief Engineer Tomlinson, and came
on in fine weather and ut half
speed to her destination. The first in
timation the passengers had that there
had been an accident was after dinner
on Friday abont 7:a0 in the evening.
Captain Mckay came into the smoking
room. "Gentlemen, he said, 81 am
very sorry to tell you that we have
broken our shaft and shall be unable to
proceed at present. shall, however,
accept towing offer from any vessel
large enough that comes within hailiEg
distance"
The conditions that confronted the
company on the Umbria were not en-
tire,y gleeful. The big steamer lay
disabled in latitude 43.45 and longitude
57.17, about 200 miles from Halifax,
and 500 miles from New York with q
heavy gale blowing. Nevertheless
there was no actual danger and almost
every passenger on board accepted the
situation cheerfully.
There was very little commotion
when the ladies were informed of their
situation. They took it as calmly as
the men. Very few of the passengers
remained up. much later
day night. although they fully
realized that they were drifting help
lessly 10 mid-ocean in a storm. 0ilwas
poured upon the Water through the
drainage pipes of the ship and she was
quicter than while the machinery was
in motion. Just utter daylight those
who were asleep were awakened by
several reports from the Umbria,s gun
and the sound OF her whistle. In ten
minutes almost every one was on deck
to ascertain what was the matter. a
ship was in sight just on the edge of
the horizon. She proved to be tho Bohc-
mia, bound from New York to Hamburg.
She at once responded to tho Umbrias
request for tow and before noon she
was connected to the big steamship by
a steel ha,vser aud WAS steaming slowly
westward. The storm grew heavier i'll
the afternoon and it was all that the
Bohemia could do to drag her big bur-
den in the teeth of a head wind. About
midnight the steel lawser broke in o
violent gale and on Christmas morning
the passengers of the Umbria found
that she was adrift again in the midst
of u raging storm with naught in sight
but the sky and sea. What bee, ,me of
the Bohemia no one knew. She prob
ably lost track of the Umbria in the
snow storm after the hawser parted
and if she searched for her after
daybrealk she did not find
her. From the hour her time was
taken at noon Friday until she broke
down that evening the Umbria had
made la4 miles. She had drifted twelve
miles to the southeast during the night
ard the Bohemia towed her seventy
five miles toward New York on Sunday.
At noon Monday she had drifted forty
two miles and the gale was still blow
ing. just after luncheon on Monday /.
steamer was sighted proceeding west
ward. In answer to the Umbria's sig
nails she came alongside and proved to
be the Malihansett bound from Swan
sea to New York.
The Manhansett had scarcely come
to standstill when the Gallia, of the
Cunard line, hove in sight EN- route
from Boston to Liverpool, The Officers
of the Manhansett recognized the Gal
liza and steamed off homeward, discon-
solate, done out of the prize money.
The Gallia, however, to the consterna-
ton of the captain, officers, crew and
passengers in response to The Umbr as
signal, Disabled, stand by,. returned
Cant stand by; carrying mails" The
Urnbria signalled back, .'We hold yon
responsible" upon which the Gallia
simply dipped her ensign, signifying
Good. .by'' and disappeared to the east
ward as the M:lnhansett passed out of
sight to the west.
The passengers now became alarmed.
They did not place much faith in En-
gineer Tomlinson's promise to mend
the broken shaft and as many believed
that Captain Mckay had deliberately
sent the Gallia away, much discomfort
was expressed. The ships company
divided into two parties, known
as the kickers and the anti-kick.
ers, and it WAS noted that all
the more intelligent men on
board were on the captains side, while
all the rpugher element was on the
other. That evening the kiclxers called
a meeting in the smoking room to pass
a vote of 5ansure on the ships officers,
but the anti-kickers came in and put i.
quietus on this project by forcing what
was called an amusement committee
with j. Henry Harper as chairman,
its object being to- have d
Representative To obtain in.
formation from the captain, and, as it
was not knowp how long the Umbria
would drift, to get up entertainments
in the saloon Tor the evenings.
She came 10 a standstill In latitude
sS.45, longitude 57.l0 on Friday morn
ing. When her machinery was started
on the next Tuesday night she had
come back talatitude 4s.39 and lonTi-
tude so. On Wednesday noon she had
made l59 miles; on Thursday noon her
record was 224 miles for the previous
twenty -four hours, and from tlaat time
until yesterday moon she had covered
255 tnilea