The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-02-12
Captain and Two Other Officers, Four of the
Crew and Five Cabin Passengers Killed
or Drawn Into The Sea and Drowned.
Though Nearly in Midocean the Vessel
Was Forced to Pat Back to Glasgow.
Charts and Compass Carried Away and the
Steering Apparatus Disabled-The Cap
tain Buried in the Angry Waters.
DISASTER AT SEA.


The Steamer Pomeranisn Swept by q Big
Wave and Twelve Lives Lost.
LONDON. Feb. 1.-THE Allen line steam
ship Pomeraulan, from Glasgow. Jan. 27,
via Neville for New York. has returned to
Grenock in distress. after having met with
one of the most fatal accidents that has
occurred to transatlantic steamer for
many years, an accident that resulted in
the loss of twelve lives. Following is the
list of dead:
W. DALZIEL. master of the vessel. both legs
broken and internal injuries resulting IN death.
JOHN COOK, second officer. swept overheard.
JOHN HAMILTON, fourth officer, swept oves-
JOHN STEWART. OF Glasgow. first cabin pas
senger. both legs broken and internal injuries
resulting in death in q few hours.
JAMES GIBSON. OF -)alkeith. first cabin pas
LILLIAN GIBSON. of Dalkeith. first cabin
passenger. swept overheard.
JANE CAFFREY, OF Londonderry, first cabin
passenger, swept overheard.
DAVID FORBES, OF Dundee, second cabin
passenger, washed overheard.
JAMES PRITCHARD, steward, swept over
board.
FRED wEsTBURY. steward. swept over
board.
PETER MCLEAN, seaman. swept overheard.
WILLIAM URQUHART, seaman, swept over
board.
outside the harbor at Greenock. A strong
northwest gale is blowing and this renders
it dangerous for small boats to approach
her. 1t has been learned, however. the dis
asser occurred when the steamer
was about 1,150 miles out. The
Pomeranian encountered boisteroul
weather Immediately after leaving
port. 1t was thought that the wind would
soon blow itself out and with everything
shipshape no fears for the safety OF the
steamer were entertained. Instead of abat.
ing. however. the gale increased in severity
until the day of the disaster. The 4th of
February dawned with q frlghtful
gale raging and q tremenc ously high
sea running. The matches were battened
down and covered with tarpaulins; venti-
lators were turned to leeward, and every
precaution dictated by good seam anship had
been taken to prevent water getting below.
This appeared to the officers to be the great
est danger. as they had no doubt as to tho
steamers ability to ride out the storm.
TONS OF GREEN WATER SHIPPED.
Several seas had been shipped, but they
did no damage Suddenly q tremendous
sea reared It's crest q short distance ahead
of the steamer as she plunged down q
wave. Before she could rise the sea came
over the starboard bow, and tons Of green
water rushed aft. Almost at the same
time q falling wave astern popped the
steamer. The result almost defies descrip-
tion. The deck saloon, chsrthouse. the
bridge and the boats were Smashed to
pieces and partly washed overheard. The
xvith a.
tricable mass of wreckage and the utmost
confusion reigned.
At fret the full extent of the disaster was
not known. The steamer began TO pay
at once seen that the quarter
masters had been carried away. Two
sailors sprang to the wheo, and
soon put the steamer on her course Then
ir was found that Captain Dalziel, the
master of the steamer, was missing. He
had been last seen standing on the lee side
of the steamer, abaft the saloon, in conver-
sation with saloon passenger named John
TSsy bad boss is'dfns Sesn osushs by
the sea that came over the
stern and dashed against the deck
house. They were then carried with ter
steam winches. Captain DalziePs leg:
were broken and be had received internal
injuries. lie was carefully removed
to his room and everything pos
sible was done for him. but he
died the next morning. MIR. Stewards
legs were also broken and he received
other injuries, from the effects of which he
died in few hours. At the time OF the ac-
cident the second officer. John Cook, had
the watch. He was on the bridge with
John Hamilton, the fourth officer. and
both were carried overheard and drowned.
In the deckhouse, when the sea broke
over the steamer. were James Gibson and
Lillian Gibson, of Dalkeith, and Jane Cat
of q m n
gers They were carried over the side and
not after ard seen. David Forbes, of Dun
dee, q second-cabin passenger, and james
Pritchard and Fred Westbury, stewards,
were also lost In the same manner.
1t is supposed that Pritchard and West
bury were engaged in attending to the
wants of the passen gers In the saloon deck
house when the structure was washed
away. This made the number of those
carried overheard ten, with ths two others
fatally injured.
CAME WITHOUT WARNING.
When the sea boarded the steamer every
man about deck who saw il coming grabbed
hold of stancblons or anything else con-
venient. and 10 was due to this that the
loss of life was not much larger. For
time the utmost CONSERVATION prevailed.
but this gave way to q feeling of sadness
when it was found that so many lives had
Dttu lOeL no Qledobck oCCuficu oO euu-
denly and the sea did its fatal
work with such rapdity that the survivors
did not at first realize the extent of the
misfortune. Amid the bowling Of the wind
and the roaring of the sea the cries OF
those who carried overheard could
not have been heard even had they time
to utter them. Without q word of warm
ing they were swept TO their doom and not
a person on the steamer knew what had
happened to them until some little time
after the accident.
With Captain Dalziel fatally injured and
unconscious in his cabin. the command or
the steamer devolved on the first officer.
The steamer was about in mid-ocean. and
the question arose in his mind what course
TO pursue-whether TO hold the steamer on
her course or to put about and make for
Greenock. When the ehart-room was car
ried away the charts. sextants and
quadrants. in fact every thing abso-
lutely essential to the navigation
of the ship. went with IL. The
binnnclc box and its compass on the bridge
had also gone overheard, and had it not
been that the after compass renamed il is
doubtful If the steamer would have reached
port for many days yet. The situation OF
affairs on the steamer 10 ~ almost needless
To say. was terrible The first officer called
the remaining officers of the steamer 20 q
consultation and it was decid ed TO put about
and return Co Greenock. This was &C
once done. anu without any instruments
with which TO take observ aticns. the voy-
n n. 4. A. IL. a