New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-01-01

stop short for an instant like frightened horse.
The next second there was loud report ahead.
the Umbra shivered al over ard the cable
slackened and tracd into the SCI. Tho awful
strain had broken il.
Tho Umbria at once blew distress Signals, and
| they were answered by the Bohemia But she was
not heard from again that night. and Christmas
morning dawned on a deserted and lonely sea
| with 10 craft on it except the Umbria, drifting
| Lack rapidly the course over which she had
been towel the day before. What became of the
Bohemia no ore knew. She probably lost track
OF the Umbria In the storm and the night, and
steamed on her course The Bohemia had towc'l
the Cunarder scventv-two miles toward New-iorli
when the cable parted, and the big ship was
drifting back fast. 1t not the jollicst KIND
Of Christmas that could be desired, but every
body decided TO make the best Of il, and the
only unhappy ones aboard were the men who
wanted 10 give the captain advice which he
wouldn't accept
so while all on shore " were making merry with
the white and scarlet berry; while the people
on shore had not even begun to entertain fears
for their friends on the Umbria. there was some
Christmas iolity there, too, on the crippled
steamer hundreds of miles at sea in gale and sea
and snow and ice The little children received
gifts, ard tie grcwn-up people wished each other
Merry Christmas with blinking glasses. while
on the icy deck anxious officers watched through
the night, and down in the bowels OF the snip
busy hands toiled hard to bring life into the
mOtionless monster Of steel.
THEN CAME TUE CALLED
At o'clock hat night the lookout reported
a steamships lights oil the port how, and sig
mails were fred, while the passengers came OH
deck hoping that help was near. The steamship
proved 10 be tho freight steamship Calico oil 'he
Wilson Line. She bore down on the um.iia, a ,..
they exchanged signals. After a little WINE .ne
Calico bore away on her course. Ana tie quc,
ton 70 what signals were sent up ny tne cWo
ships that Christmas Day Will prooaply p oeGs
an interesting one tcfoIc long. Captain AicNF
OF the Unbria said that the Calico slgnae1 thn'
she was short Of coal and couldnt asslst tle
Cnnarder. But Captain Jones OF INC oa ilea,
the Umbria ssrallcd TO him that she did not re-
quirc assistance, and he said nothing about being
shor of coal. He felt. sorry to lose the chance
for the big salvage, for his ship wos supplied WIN
towing apparatus, having towed two otbcr SHIPS
to port during he last year.
Through Sunday night tho ship continued TO
drift before the great gale, and on Monday morn
ing she had driled almost forty miles southeast
heavy fall OF sn W had covered the decks during
the night, and TINT morning the passengers on
themselves and hal upToarious Water sport oy
shovelling snow OF the decks And Will" they
Were laughing and joking the waves fOrWaru
were laundering on the iccbc1g-lik" bow. AZ
noon - steamship appeared hui! down on The
horizon, too far away TO be signalled Ii was
the tank steamship Ocean, and she reported ne
afterward the Manhansct care in sight. and be-
gan 20 make s.nals One Of the passengers on
TIE Umbria was James McCadn part owner Of
The Manhansot, ana lie thought fcI = Will. that
his slip would capture the prize. Bat Will" the
signal laes working Cunar'! Line steam
ship hove in sight. 1t was the Galla, and the
Manhanspt bore OIL.
THE CALAIS STRANGE ACTION.
Then began performance which il Yet to be
explained The Gallia came up abreast of the
Umbra and lay TO. The UmbTa began raising
signals. The Gallia answered And after lay
ing to for while she suddenly got under way
and steamed of, 10 the chagrin and disgust oil
the passengers. Captain Mckay caspcd his
hands and. looking at the departing ship, eN-
claimed: What do you think OF that The
passengers became wild with anger, and the TACT
of their being near help and then being so
cruelty disappointed made some OF them ietl
panicky and frightened When they landed yes
tcrday they were all as indignant a. they could
They said that the Urnbria signalled Disabled.
stand BY" and that the Gallia signallcd back
Cant stand by Carrying ni mall .noo. Lhs I'm IN
ensign in n farcwcll salute and steamed on. The
officers of the Umbtia refused to discuss the
Tribune reporter tlet he understood that the
Umbria asked the Gallia 10 stand by till she
could try her engines, which, 1t was expected,
deserted her. Captain Mckay declined to dis
cuss the question Yesterday, but made the sig
nifcant remark that he felt very. much sur
The passengers snd that Captain Mckay had
told some Of them that he considered the action
of Captain Fer r'a'n Of The tiallia a grave error
Of judgment. Bat {. tain Mckay. after the first
shock of surprise over, kept extremely
quiet and refused 10 talk about The affair with
the passengers because the ship belonged 10
his line. The Gallia sailed from this port on
Saturday, December 81; Mt 80 n. m.
While the broken down STEAMSHIP, was s,,s-
mailing, furious gnle was coming out OF the
devils She driftod fifty miles desDite the fact
that she had her soa-anchor ont. When the I'm
bria was rep"red with sea-anchors ont IT was SIP,
letter than that for she had spccial sea,ancnor,
known cornucopia' anchor. on board. This
great iron ring. about twenty-five feet in diane
ter Tile ring was fastened TO n birdie" cor
sstinG OF three hawscrs running 10 the bows OF
the ship. When il WAS put overheard the bag
filled and held the ship almost as firmly as if
she were anchored. so that she made only little
lccway dcsritc tie fierce wind
While all this going on above. from Friday
till Monday, there was some magnificent work
going on deep down In the depths Of the grca;
ship. II was giants work that had to be
done, and not even u fair amount OF mans usna'
tools TO do il with. The engineers Of the Umbria
lacked "a baciSsmi,h-shop. steam drill, a steam
hammer. and a dozen other things They were
cralnpcd cvcn for room 20 work in. and the toss
ing ana rolling Of the tjl hull did not add 10 the
comfort Of the men who were trying to patch up
the great Shaft. Soon altor the accident to the
rmbrias thrust shaft it was found that the
fracture was in a bad place 1t between tho
two collars nearest the engines, and dlagonaly
across the shaft. extending along and inside OF
cmmf,rencr of the shaft, then running crossways
ncyt 20 the after collar. Then the fracture ran
to the forward collar. Thus the
thrust shaft was practically, If not theoretically
And now how did Chief Engineer Lawrence
Tom hnson repair that big smashup. 80 that the
lip could Dc driven to port nj last under her own
Nv stnvinr awake for fOrty-cight hours after the