New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-02-18
BIG LINER AGROUND.
THE GRAF WALDERSEE RUNS
INTO A .SANDBAR.
SHE COULD NOT BE SEEN AT MIDNIGHT
GOT OFF AND ANCHORED

GOT OFF AND ANCHORED
The big new 12.OOO-ton steamer Graf Walder-
see, Of the neutrality-suspicious. Line. ploughed
into sandbar early yesterday afternoon near
Buoy No. !. of Sandy Hook in the binding
snowstorm prevailing at the time She had left
her pier in Hoboken at about 10:30 o'clock and
her agents in this city supposed that her big
cargo was safely its way TO Plymouth, Cher
bourg and Hamburg. They were startled at
being informed at 3 o'clock that the waldersee
was aground the Southwest Spit and that
a heavy running
The news Of the steamer grounding was first
reported by Captain Sullivan, Of the Govern
ment steamer Ordnance on his arrival at Sandy
HOOK from New-York. The Ordnance was pick
ing her way carefully down to the Hook when
she suddenly ran close up to the tall Hamburg
liner. hard and fast in the sand
At midnight the marine observer at Sandy
Hook telegraphed TO Emil Boas, the agent OF the
line in this city that the Waldersee which had
been during the early part Of the night
from time TO time as the wind and storm slack
ened. longer visible and that she had
either got off the high tide between and
10 O'Clock. and gone on her voyage. or had
anchored further up the Bay TO await better
weather.
The news Of the accident TO the steamer Gre
Broadway, but as the steamer was going slow
Mr.. Boas said she could not have struck any
thing hard and he had no doubt that as soon
as the tide was right she would drift OF the bar
Three Of the Hamburg company's tugs were
made ready for trip down the Bay as
the weather cleared. They were the MilIard.
the Pulver ans the America The night settled
down with the tugs still at the pier in Hoboken.
and they stayed with their crews ready 10 cast
of the lines all night long. with the weather
thick midnight as ii at O'Clock. II
was said at the wharf in Hoboken at go a. m
that the tugs were still there and that they
would go down the Bay Till the storm
abated as it would be Of 10 try to get
the Waldersee of a sand bar during a gale.
The gale seemed TO be at its height OF Sandy
Hook at 1870 o'clock with the wind blowing
more than fifty miles hour from the north
east, and with the snow falling thckIy- A high
running.
The officers of the company expressed the
opinion that there was not the slightest cause
for worriment. They argued that Captain Kopf,
who is said to be careful skipper must have
been feeling his way past the Hook IN the blind
ing storm when he got slightly out of his course,
and that the big boat could not have run hard
aground They insisted that as soon the tide
was at it's height the Waldersee would float of
without any assistance from tugs. They assert
&c that as the vessel is new and stanch,
there danger OF the straining her.
The Graf Waldersee Is one Of the largest and
finest boats of the Hamburg Line She Is
twin screw vessel Of Il 500 TONS and her en-
gines furnish about 10000 horse power Her
length is $50 feet her beam 60 feet, her depth
II feet. and she has four decks and twelve
watertight bulkheads She built in Ham
burg last year, and received good deal OF
IL
last spring Captain Kopf is in charge OF the
Graf Waldersee, and the first officer is Won
Hon. She left her pier in Hoboken yesterday
forenoon between 1870 and II o'clock. with
hundred cabin and about one hundred steerage
passengers. and general cargo. Among other
things IN her cargo were 1O5 horses Her stop
ping places between this port and Hamburg are
Plymouth, England, and Cherbourg France.
She has two perpendicular quadruple expaA-
sion engines of about $500 indicated horse
power which give her a speed OF 141a knots an
hour. There four double ended boilers, each
having six furnaces to furnish the necessary
steam. Besides these. there is a donkey boiler.
with three furnaces to work the auxiliary en-
gines steam winches steam ventilatOrs, an
chors. steam steering gear. boat hosting appara-
tus and electric lighting dynamOs She has
bige keels. which give her marked steadiness
in heavy seas.
The Graf Waldersee is provided with fourteen
steel hfeboats each thirty-six feet long and
eight so-calIed coIIapsible boats. all placed
the boat deck. These by means OF two boat
hoisting engines erected on either side OF the
ship. be easily and quickly launched. even
in the heaviest weather
She is a sister ship TO the Patricia. the Penn
sylvania and the Pretoria She was the last Of
the quartet to appear, and built by BIohn
& Voss Of Hamburg being launched in the fall
OF 1898
She has accommodating for 200 first cabin
and 125 second cabin passengers.