The evening world., 1894-02-05
BATTERED IN A GALE.
The TaOrmina'S Boom Broke Loose
and Swept Her Decks,
IMMIGRANTS on BOARD THOUGHT
THEIR END HAD CONE
REACHES PORT ALMOST A WRECK.

Far to the southwark OF Sable Island,
on Jan. 30, the steamship Taormina was
toiling along in the west-bound liners
track. Almost from the moment she
passed out Of Hamburg, Jan. IL, bound
for New York, high headwinds and con
fused seas had followed her. and as the
days passed the gales grew worse.
on the morning of Jan. 30 there was n
hurricane. Huge seas. half as high as
the steamships malntop. made her trem-
BILE fore and aft. At night there came Il
scant lull, but before the next dawn the
hurricane had taken a fresh twist around
the compass. Heavy lightning played all
around the horizon-something unusual
In midwinter-and this. with the antics
Of the barometer. showed that the gale
had not done its worst.
Before long the seas were tumblins
over her decks n broadside of cataracts.
The forward deckhouse was struck by
the first one, and the thick sheet iron.
backed by heavy Orders, bent In like
cardboard. A lifeboat went over the side
next, and a life raft was wrecked. Then
another sea struck the iron capstan,
boltcd to the deck. The heavy metal
base was cracked across and canted over
to one side. Then the seas raced up
against the foundation OF he bridge,
formed OF heavy iron posts. They were
twisted from their sockets. The stern
plates went next. From the stern the
seas played forward again, ripping out
a bit here and there until the ship looked
like a junk yard.
BY this time dawn was breaking. The
first light showed the force and fury Of
the waters that had a~ssailed the Taor-
nina all night The ,aa nassenpers
nonnsd IN ,e,ew neerad o~t occas,nnsmv
to see what was going on aloft. And
whom thew saw manv NJ them thought
.sa,r ,as. son h.d oouo Thav nraSad
n beseeched the officers to tell whether
the shin was sinking. But the worst had
not come
Just after 6 A. NJ. a hillock OF heaving
water rose far n I'd and bore
80, ~ ~. r.a IN ga. -
the bridge saw 1t coming He yelled to
III. creu, IN hang IN for ufe ard with
=. Wv WV
they watched 1t come roaring down on the
steamship. The seamen scamnered for
,ha,r muas To- ,ha go ~ y hra.th
the giant sea poised over the steamship.
Then it broke. with the thunders of a
cataract. mi, over tbe rails
!, The decks were still deep with water:
5 when there came another crash and tbe
heavv .teel NOON axsd n tho ma,nnas,
! at one end. and lashed to the deck a,
E the other swung with a roll Of the ship
!, t ira the broker Ssa,a IashinSs with nd It, A. a
c seas, tSe Doom ae E%aiin,n ps's spe enief as 'n i
$ travelled; swung X a pendulum, i
$ mpvea thn o over She vessel : siae, an n,
Is a fiddle string SSH; e d%estroyins arm n
from rom side to side aat WIN tTlghtfnl spes a,s
for tbe wessel !" rsst 3 momsnt tbe
Epmey m,'sms eddPp tn q me sund ~ tpn,
y watched Spd dm and u, Wai re- expecting wrecf
ahu isaster win i.s eGsry ,ho's,
AS II raced 10 one SIDE, .ne sweep,n,
steei arm s,ruGK an rannn orannoi
, ssross so ths sN bSaek bIok eng in ed haif and dv viii
me boom, went Grashihs r from sbde n ~
!, SIDE across Ihe aeeKs' .'fnt eart
nssine ,ba Taorm h roiied re- leewar I'd
x Inc steel arm raced arouhu TO tnat s, a.
. 1t struck the shTonds Just above Tn.
e rails an and the battered flgging sSye wbiY
p Inc wire ROBES Went nylns aIoi., VIII
g the mast swayed from deck 70 maintop
: For a brief instant # tottered: 4.
q linen .ae sea- ro.ea the arnin am a.
e leaped from its base. Then, like a fall
ing tree. me huge steel fnast .oIp,e g.
over INTO the ocean; bi.s 81 ",eehas
g new a,oms the tsr All hut one es
capped. George Hubenet, a steWaru' VA
d a BIT too late; The tati mast; IN h.s ta,
9 tangleu mn III tne TSn aaSs mh 70,
dragged him with u; me steel tupe tsi
q at right angles to the mn FIJI.
feet OF rail on the companion wen
A In the wreck, and eighty teet OF s.at
board rail- ioiioWeu IL. nolss anu uens
a were punched In the steer puikheau
4 amidships. In the midSt OF tne tshsis
n wreckage they tounu the steWaru. n
WAS r.,s aim nS,m o seiow. eo Willie capt. Koc
4 set about saving the ship: .,,
u The mast, with the steel poom stI
FASTENED 70 IL, was nansins oser, ~
If slde 10 nuwar hun,s hiigs TIE i'm