New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-11-23
LIMPS IN AND GROUNDS.
THE KAISER WILHELM DER
CROSSES UNLUCKY TRIP.
ENCOUNTERS ROUGHEST OF WEATHER,
BREAKS PROPELLER BLADE, LOSES
AND IS FIFTY-FIVE HOURS LATE

As passenger expressed it, the fast steamer
Kaiser Wilhelm der Crosse of the North Ger
man Lloyd Line. which arrived here yesterday
afternoon from Bremen Southampton and
Cherbourg, two days, seven hours and forty
three minutes behind her best westbound
record, experienced everything that a steam
snip could experience in brief voyage.
10 enumerate. she lost propeller blade.
a man jumped overheard and was lost
she narrowly escaped a collision with an
oil tank steamer in fog, and she grounded on
the Southwest Spit she was entering the
Lower Bay yesterday afternoon, entangling one
OF her propelers with the chains of a spar buoy
and requiring wrecking outfit with divers.
Add to all this gales which the veteran transat-
lantic travellers on board described as the rough
est they ever experienced with waves as high
as the smokestacks'' which smashed the rails,
and little idea of the voyage and the reason
why the big steamer more than two days
behind her record may be had
ILL LUCK FROM THE START
This trip is by many hours the slowest west
ward voyage the Kaiser Wilhelm der Crosse
has ever made. Her average speed was 1922
knots an hour. The difference between this voy-
age and the previous ones is shown by compar-
ing this average with the average for eleven
successive previous voyages to the west, which
is 81. .S4 knots
The Kaiser Wilhelm der Crosse left Cherbourg
late She was delayed some hours in taking on
her passengers at this port. and did pass
the Cherbourg breakwater until IL 80 p. m, No
vember IA From the moment she cleared the
breakwater she encountered gales and high seas.
On the mex. day she had westerly winds, with
rain squalls high and westerly swes. On
November 16 the wind which blew from the
northwest, became hurricane. 1t was whole
gale" The vessel labored heavily. and the waves
broke over the high sides of the steamer,
ing damage TO the rails. 1t was necessary to
duce the engines speed to nine knots. The
distance covered on that day was but 1S1 knots.
That evening" at 1855 o'clock. while the pas
sengers at dinner. there was a sudden vio
lent vibration felt throughout the ship. 1t con-
tinued for about minute and then ceased.
The next day it posted on the bulletin that
a blade of the port propeller had disappeared in
the depths Of the sea.
The remainder of the voyage was made at
speed Of about sixteen knots hour, it being
necessary to reduce the speed Of the starboard
engine in order to equalize the power Of the two
propelers and prevent the racking of the vessel
| by an unequal strain.
COAL TRIMMER LOST OVERHEARD.
The heavy weather continued the remainder
which passed over this city on that day swept
down on the Kaiser Wilhelm. On that day
noon. when about six hundred miles east of
Sandy Hook. she into fog and passed so
close to a oiltank steamer that her passengers
could look down upon the decks and see the
crew. On this day also coal trimmer named
Knick, German. seventeen years old. jumped
overheard and lost
The steamer was sighted off Fire Island yes
terday noon.
There was a feeling of relief among people
who had friends on board when the sighting of
the steamer was reported. They expected to
have their friends take dinner with them. But
they counted their chickens before they were
hatched. A pilot. Dennis Reardon, boarded the
vessel outside the bar. and was bringing her
around the sharp turn in the Main Ship Chan
mel the Southwest Spit when the big steamer
ran her nose into the mud the far side OF the
angle The sharpness of the turn makes 1t a
very difficult for such large steamer as the
Kaiser Wilhelm der Crosse to swing around
AS the ti6e rose she backed off and in doing so
probably came into contact with several buoys,
for her propeliers refused to work. 1t was be
ieved that the chains of the buoys had become
twisted about them.
WRECKERS TO THE RESCUE.
The steamer anchored and the Merritt Chap
Wreckng Company was communicated
with. The big wrecking tugs Merritt and Cham
pion went the assistance of the Kaiser with
a complement of divers
It is expected that the passengers. who Chafed
because they were unable TO land last night. will
be able TO come ashore this morning. The ma
rine observer at Sandy Hook reported at 1O:4o
o'clock last night that the steamer was coming
up the Bay at that hour. She anchored at
Quarantine. Dr. E. H. sanborn. the Deputy
Health Officer went down the revenue cutter
Calumet boarded the steamer at the Spit, and
granted pratique so that there will be no delay
in coming to her pier this morning. On board
were 325 saloon 32s second cabin and 67S
steerage passengers
]. Heincks the second officer said last night
on board the steamer that the delay was due en-
tirely to the loss of the propeller blade and the
head seas and headwinds. We don't know
what caused the breaking of the propeller blade
The engines were stopped, and when they were
started again they were run at half speed to re-
duce the vibration.
A PASSENGERS STORY.
Charles E Tripler a passenger, in describing
the voyage said: I'VE had everything you can
think of on the way over. The seas were high
as the smokestack on the first day out and
broke some of the rails. We made only lSl
miles on that day. When the propeller broke
were at dinner The ship shook from side 10
side for about a minute. and then stopped 1t
posted on the bulletin board that we had
lost blade from our port propeller
Another incident of the voyage was the pass
ing of a steamer, I think 1t was an oil tank
steamer. yesterday in a fog. so close that We
could the people on her deck. She came