The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-01-24
WHELMED BY A SEA.
THE NoRMANNIA Is B1c, BUT Old
OCEAN rs As MIGB7Y As LIVER.

The Great Steamship Comes Back 60 ror,
HnIr wrech, with Seven Men Hurt
The 500 People Aboard All Drenchea
| with Coid Salt water In the NIght-Thir-
" Tons or Water Pumped Ont OF Her.
II has been said by fearless six day shippers
| that the highest waves ever observed would
break impotenty against the lofty bows OF the
| twin screw leviathans
| Capt Charles Hebich. the bluff Commodore
OF the Hamburg Am erican line. who brought
] back into port yesterday the battered Norman
! MIA, knows better He thinks there 10 no GER
tain immunity even for the most colossal liners
in tumultuous winter seas like the extrnor-
| binary one that nearly overwhelmed the Nor
mannia last sunday morning.
| II 10 easy now for the nautical theorists to
explain some OF the disappearances OF big
ships. The ocean in angry mood 10 powerful
| enough to smash the stanchest liners. Just as
| IL probably did smash tho high sided, twin
screw freighter Naronlc and the National liner
| Erin.
| Tho Normannia steamed out through the
| misty Narrows last Thursday afternoon with
| 40 saloon passengers. 145 steerage passen-
gers. and crew, including those In the en-
| Rlneers department OF 1926 persons. Her des-
| tination was Alalers. Thence she was to have
| ports.
After passing Sandy Hook she headed al
most duo east as do all the liners bound for
| tho Mediterranean. She had good weather 90
! that is. good for wnter-until Friday after
| noon. when q gale from northeast set In. It
! had increased By Saturday morning. and be-
fore night was blowing with hurricane force
from oast-northeast. Tho Normanpia was run
at half speed. under steam from three OF her
ID LAt1 NI... -
| and nearly all her passengers were seasick.
After midnight on Saturday the gale had de-
| creased to merely q stiff breeze. Capt Heblch
| decided at o'clock on Sunday morning that
ths NGrnSnn1 could sst along ss,sy without
| with all his clothes on. turned in to take u nap
| In his cabin on he upper deck. Just abaft the
| saloon companonway. on the starboard side.
| Junior Second Offlcer LANCE was left in charge
OF the bridge with Quartemaster Westphat
morning, the Normannia was in the middle Of
| the Gulf stream. about n q miles east Of Sandy
| force estimated to DO about four miles an
hour flows to east orth east at this point. The
| gale had been blowing directly against the
To this opposition OF gale and current is at
| tri6uted the creation OF the rhenomenhl wave
| which mnde tho stout heart OF the auburn
bearded second officer stand still for an in
| slant
| either asleep or sensick. when the Normannia
| going at hree-luarters speed. rose on tho
u.
stern lust as she slid down the green decllvity,
| and II lifted the stern up 80 that she plunged
almost at an angle OF forty-tve degrees into
Just then mighter sen than the frs.
| curled above the ships bow. LanRe saw that
| IL was going to break inboard. IL rose 40 sud
denly that the big ship had not time to recover
from her plunge down the easterly incline OF
Mr.. Lange had his hand on one OF the levers
! Of the bridge telegraph, ready to send an cleo
lever when he saw the great wave rise. and the
massive machines OF the ship went to sleen
aboard. Mr. Lsnss's perch on, the, bridge 10
hfty- nine feet above the water level when the
is his hs sn hs cn
the foremost He says the crest of the huge
wave touched the crows nest and some Of its
driving him against the Sims forward funnel
guy to which he chung until the ship drifted
The headway OF the ship In ordinary weather
would have been only slightly checked SO
the wave struck her she came TO q stop as
suddenly and almost as violently as II she had
berths were tumbled out by the shock.
moment later the cabin PASSENGERS a .s and
waists. or Knees in cold salt water. There was,
naturally rush b, i9r the deck; The general t
women ran forward in their nightgowns and
implored Fourth Offieer Charles Lsngning to
She appeared to be then, for the flood mad
around In, his night clothes with two lie pre-
servers rshontinlg; that the ship was going
Nobody knew exactly the extent OF the ships
wounds until she had drited around into the
trough 81 the se That BE T. ths iehst dan
way Then the power OF the invading wave
tion, o. the shin, and tumblsd on his sofa Into
from his brain, He Jumped up, and in an In
slant his door was crushed In by the Hood.
the top OF the saloon com Mon way and then
the door opening on the deck. sofa from the
ladies' parlor swept past him Iust before he
lie ran up to the bridge and assumed COM
mand. sending the second ofiiesr below TO
The upper and lower saloons, the ladies par
Tor. the music room and the library. the finest
wrecked. The wave toppled over the port how
aud spent its greatest force on the forward
the deck house. which is made Of iron three
eighths Of an inch thick
the thunderous trip, hammer blow OF the wave.
which broke clean through the port halt OF the
acted as fender to the starboaid half Of 9th" the
deck house. Every object that the wave hit
except the foremost was smashed or twisted.
One was fiattened as II 1t had been run through
just back Of the port half Of the forward Ton
wall Of the LIGHTHOUSE was he berth OF Second
officer Ernst Kading;t The wave tore his
berth 10 spltnters and swept him through
partition diagopAlly across the ladies' room,
on the extreme forward part Of the promenade
deck, through door into passaRewAy over
looking the light we'll He was Unconscious
when his shipmAtes pickle him up. His breast
was lacerated and his skull fractured He Is
now In the German Hospital In this city. The
ship surgeon, DR. Israel. says he has a good
chance Of pulling through.
steward William PompeAu was on watch In
the ladies' room when the wave came through
He was swept into the light well through two
decks, and landed n a mass OF broken lurni-
tuTs and wood and iron work In the lower
saloon. He was only bruised.
Theodore koeltschau. who was scrubbing
the steps Oi the saloon eOmpanionway was
washed down light OF stairs and badly
bruised. Henry Wecke. Fritz schildt. Carl
Kobe aud Franz RRennieks were bruised
and cut Kobe was swept through two
rooms; Raennicke was carried half the
length Of the ship through a passage
way and thrown against the entrance OF the |
engine room. Weeke took a flight with the
piano and a lounGe from the music room.
tsFlNr b.aNa