The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-02-23
Steamship Bulgaria Certainly Went
to the Bottom.
CREWS DESPERATE FIGHT
DAYS AND NIGHTS OF PERIL
AND DISTRESS.
Rudder Wac Disabled In a Terrible
Gale and the Vessel Sprung a
Leak-Stampede of Horses-Wom-
en- and Children Were Saved, But
101 Men Were Drowned.


Baltimore. Md, Feb. 22.-The British
steamship Vittoria, Captain Wetherell,
arrived today from Hull, via Hampton
Roads, with four of the crew from the
missing Hamburg American liner Bull
saria- The rescued mariners are: Sec
ond Mate c. Scharges, Quartermaster
Carl Ludtke and John Schulz and Sea-
man William Starke.
These were picked up by the Vito
ria from an open boat from the Bulga-
ria three and d half hours after they
had been cast adrift, in latitude 40
north, longitude IS west, on Feb. ;.
These, with the twenty-five women and
children who were picked up by the
steamer Weehawken and landed in
Ponta del Gada, Azores Islands. a week
ago, are all that have been heard from
of the crew of eighty-nine men and for
ty-one passengers which the Bulgaria
had on board when she sailed from New
Yock for Bremen, Jan. 2S.
Captain Wetherell said that ne sight
ed the Bulgaria in a disabled condition
at a m, Feb. ;. flags flying and the
WeehaWken standing by and cOmmuni-
eating with her. There was a heavy
sea on, and his vessel drifted away
from the disabled craft, but ne again
located her He saw the men aboard
the crippled ship attempt TO lower
boat, and just as four OF them got into
I, 1t broke loose from the steamer and |
arifted away. The four men made an
effort TO row back to the Bulgaria, but !
could not reach her on account of the |
high seas.
The story of the experience of the /
Bulgaria, as told by Second Officer /
Scharges. is a thrilling one:
"On Feb. !, at about p. NJ said !
he, "a hurricane of such a severe nature /
was encountered that it was found i'm
possible to make any Roadway, and at
2 a m. the following day We We're
forced to heave to. The flying bridges,
both fore and aft, We're carried away
and seamen and passengers were afraid
to venture on deck for fear of being
swept into the sea About : a. m. the
spring in the rudder which is used to
break the strain of heavy seas. col
1apsed. and soon afterward the entire
steering gear was washed away. The
steamer then fell in the trough and was
left at the mercy of the wind and
waves.
HORSES STAMPEDED.
Sea after sea swept over US" con-
tinued Scharges. smashing in the doors
of the chain and deck houses, flooding
the main deck. washing in the awning
deck, and creating havoc all over the
ship To make matters worse. one
hundred horses that were stabbed on
the upper forward deck stampeded and,
in their fright, made a wild dash,
trampling each other to death. This
state of affairs lasted until all but
twenty had been killed or drowned in
the wash Of the waves Then the
butcher of the vessel. with number OF !
seamen, went into the pen and tried to
quiet the beasts that remained. 1nis
as did also the attempt to force
the frenZied animals overheard. their j
were cut. Before the madden /
ed animals were dispatched. however,
the butcher had both his legs broken,
and one of the seamen was badly in
jured.
ANY idea that our troubles were
over was soon disDelled. when it was I
found that the vessel was leaking. All
the hatch covering had blown off, and
before they could be replaced four Of !
the seven holds filed and all had con-
siderable water in them. The cargo :
next shifted, listing the steamer heaV- J
lily TO port. In addition, the ca-casses
of the dead horses washed apoTt added {
to the heavy list [
WORKED LIKE SLAVES.
For seventy-two hours" added Mr. a
Scharges, passengers and crew work :
I'd like slaves. throwing cargo over :
coard to tighten the ship. but it was :
If little avail. Inch by inch, foot by .
loot, the ship settled, and as she sank
deeper the waves washed with greater
'orce and freedom over her. one wave
carried away eight of the liteboats
rom the low-lying port side, and with ,
hese went much OF the hope from the 1
hearts Of the passengers and crew.
AT 4 o'clock on the morning OF the
til the order Has given TO call ali II
lands on deck 20 prepare TO take to the
"a Hon1eI !
he engine room, and four pumps could n
lot keep il down. 1t was then up to I
he CRATE bars. but the fiTemen still n
managed TO keep the fires burning.
each passenge: and seaman was given r.
life-preserVer. and the remaining =
,oats were gotten ready and provision 81
d. Shortly after daylight the three is
teamers (the WeehaWkeu, Vittoria Il
nd Koordistan). one after another I
ove in sight The Weehawken was a
ne first to be Of service. as she sent q,
wo boats in which the twenty-five -
roHnen and children were placed. These
-ere landed safely on the Weehawken
ut after thai the storm increased in
io:ence. One of our boats was smash n
d, and il became almost impossible to Z
over another or account Of the vessel
eing so far down on the port side, and
high on the starboard, .
here the remaining boats were made -
asst Another attempt was made. ana nC
ne Was successfully gotten into the bs
ca. I and the three men who were +
3ved with me. jumped into her 10 :
AXE the oars. when, by some unfortu- I'
ate accident. we were cut loose. The VI
len on the vessel were seen after that
} try repeatedly TO lower another Ht
oat. but without success. 81
The second officer stated that al
lroughout the conduct Of the crew Gu
nd passengers was excellent The al
omen were especially brave lie ~
links there Is little likelihood that the ia
ulgaria weaIhered the storm that
isht, as she was sinking when he left
81.
The Koordistan, the third vessel that pr
IVY the distress Of the Bulgaria with -
1t being able to be of assistance be- ~
luse OF the temDestuous seas. arrived W
Bremen ON the 18th inst. and re- g.
Jrte6 that The Bulgaria had founder 90 90
/ Second officer Scharges is reason
by positive that none were rescued ID
ON the Inflated vessel after he left ~.
n. and it is feared that 1Ol persons ~
ent down with her. ~
The Bulgaria had no accommodations III
r hrst-class passengers. and all the
lssengers on board We're in the steer
Re. They were mostly Germans from
nerent parts of the United States. WI
le was not a regular liner and had IN
en- in the service Of the Hamburg