Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1893-01-05

Umbrla was approaching from the south
The observer made out the vessel from
| her lights, but she was too far away I,
determine how rapidly she was proceed
ing, although by the movement of hei
lights the observer believed she wa
coming under her own steam and wa
not in tow.
| As soon as the announcement reached
quarantine and this city tugs started 70,
the outside To meet the overdue steamer
The tug +. w. Vosburg, having OF
board three Sun reporters, met the UNI
orla OIL the Scotland lightship at 3. Il
O'CLOCK THIS morning and received from
FRANK Marshall White, formerly Lon
don correspondent of the Sun, who wa.
one of the Umbria's passengers, the fol
lowing account of the accident to the
snip and her experiences since il
occurred:
The Cunard steamer Umbria, Captain
Horatio Mckay, arrived of Sandy Hook
at 10 o'clock this morning, seven days
behind time. A fracture was dis.
covered in her shaft and her machinery
was stopped south of the banks of New
roundland at $50 O'Clock on the after.
noon OF Friday, the 23d instant.
DRlFTED THREE DAYS.
After drifting for 10 hours in a storm
she was lowed as miles by the Bohemia
of the Hamburg-America line, but the
cable that connected the two steamers
was broken in heavy gale Saturday
night and they lost track of each other
Alter drifting for three days to the
southeast she started again with heI
own machinery, which had been re
paired under great difficulty by Chief
Engineer Tomlinson, and came on in
fine weather at half speed to her desti.
nation.
The Umbria left Liverpool about 8
O'Clock on the afternoon of Saturday
December 18th, carrying III first-class
passengers, 12S in the second-class and
III in the steerage, besides crew OF
ga men, comprising 81 in the sailing
department, III in the engineers and
lO2 in the stewards, and 295 sacks Of
mail. She arrived at Queenstown about
o'clock Sunday morning, and waited
for the Irish mail, which had left Lon.
don at $50 o'clock the evening before
and which brought 10 additional first.
class passengers and l,049 sacks of let.
tiers, total of ,344 sacks, making one
OF the largest mails that was ever car
ried across the Atlantic, a condition due
to the circumstance that the Umbria
was expected to arrive in New York
the day before Christmas.
Two tenders were required TO brine
the mails from the wharf at Queens.
town to the umbria, so that she did not
get away until 2 o'clock, Sunday after.
noon: That nj ght a gale sprang up
winch increased IN velocity until Thurs.
day, it being impossible for the passen.
gers who were able to leave their state
rooms TO go up on the decks, and the
violent pitching and rolling of the
steamer almost preventing sleep al
night. The unbria's usual average per
day is something like 500 miles. At
Monday noon she was 4OJ miles from
Queenstown; in the next "a hours She
made APO miles, but the next days run
was but 800, the day after 402, and the
day after that 800 again, SO that the oil
GERS of the ship said on Friday that she
could not in all probability land her pas,
scngers before Christmas morning.
THE FIRST INTIMATIoS
the passengers had that there had been
an accident was after dinner Friday.
although the engineer had been watch
ing the shaft with anxiety for Az hours.
and the machinery had twice been
stopped during the previous night for
an inspection Of the flaw in the great
steel casting. During dinner Friday the
steamer came 10 Il standstll, which
caused some speculation among the pas,
sengers, though as the weather was
rough II was not at once perceived that
the machinery was not in motion.
About 40 O'Clock in the evening, as
| the men in the smoking room were light.
ing their cigars, sitting over their coffee
or drawing mp their chairs to the poker
tables, Capt Mckay came in. gentle
men, he said, calmly, addressing the
entire room, 81 ain very sorry to inform
/ you that We have broken our shaft and
shall be unable TO proceed ut present. |
/ shall, however, accept Il towing offer
I from any vessel large enough that comes
! within mailing distance. .
There was mUmentary silence as the
| situation dawned upon the room and
1 then 4 plaintiye voice inquired,
WHY Don't YOU SEND UP ROCKETS? -
There will be time enough fol
1 rockets" replied the captain, ttwhen
/ vessel comes near enough to see them. y
I The conditions that confronted the
4 company on the Umbria were not en-.
ttrely glcefu, In the first place, tho
Idea of reaching home by Christmas
\ daN, which 50 many cherished, was ON
I ot the question, and then there was Tic
4 possibility Of drifting out of the ocean,
way and the track Of other vessels. "a
that it might be even weeks before d
<. port was reached. The big steamship
lay disabled in latitude 43, 4s and lonri.
tudc 81, II. about 200 miles from Hail.