Evening journal., 1900-03-22

The HEl.GOLAND.
The all-absorbing topic in shipping
circles is the unusually large number Of
steamers lost this year. Although
hardly two months and a half have
elapsed since the beginning of the year,
no less than fifteen large steamers have
been wrecked or reported missing In
every case the unfortunate craft has
been well equipped with machinery of
the latest pattern and manned by a
large crew, but although navigation
has reached such a high state OF oe-
velOpment, it cannot successfully cope
with the mighty power of the elements.
The terrible storms arising in the West
Indies are, strangely enough coming
farther north every year, and these,
their violence little abated by the long
distance traversed, are greatly feared
by sailors. Fogs and hidden rocks are
the other causes of this enormous de-
struction of steamers. which from pres
ent indications will be greater this year
than ever.
The most tragic case in the history Of
the years disasters at sea is that of the
German tank steamer HelgOland. She
left Philadelphia on the morning of
January 5, says the Inquirer. bound for
Bergen, with a cargo Of 100000 gall
Ions of refined petroleum in bulk, val
ued at $4,000, under the command Of
Captain f. Won Rittern, and carried a
crew Of thirty-fve men. Her course
lay northward in a part of the Atlantic
dangerous at all times on account of
the rocks, but particularly so at this
time Of the year on account of the
L.. 4
met her fate will never be known, but
it is probable she struck a rock On
January II a dispatch was received
from st. Johns. Newfoundland. stating
that a large steamer, believed to be a
passenger ship, whose name could not
be ascertained, had been wrecked on a
reef in st. Marys bay, about five miles
from the shore Her head lay low in
the water while great clouds of smoke,
tinged here and there with murky
flames, rose from her after part. The
Philadelphia agent for the Helgoland,
George ID. Ali, at first entertained no
fears for the safety of his ship, as the
voyage to Bergen requires fifteen days.
II was therefore with great surprise
that he heard of the Highlands dis
aster
A diver who had been sent down to
discover the identity of the ship in st.
Mary's bay, found the name Helgoland
on the bow. The sight that met his
eyes was a terrible one. The Helgoland
lay there, her upper decks blackened
by the fire-a shapeless mass of iron.
sails and cOrdage Her mizzen and
mainmasts hung over the side and her
funnel was gone.
Another terrible disaster was the col
lision between the steamers Ardandhu
and the Herman Winter. in Vineyard
Sound, January 23, resulting in the to-
tai loss of the former. The Ardandhu
was a fine steel screw steamer, with a
registered tonnage of 2169. She left
New London, Connecticut, January 90
for Halifax, under command of Can
tain G. Dundas. and carried cargo of
$40 bales of hay. The story of her
collision is thrilling in the extreme and
gives some idea of the dangers en-
countered by sailors even in the best
equipped steamers. Early on the morn
ing of January 23 the Ardandhu was
suddenly envelOped in a dense fog. She
proceeded slowly. her siren blowing al
short intervals, when suddenly out OF
the gloom there reared up the enor-
nous hull of a steamer. The signal 10
i reverse engines was given. but too late
There was a dull. grinding sound and
the next instant the water came pour
ing into the ill-fated steamer. The sec
end officer and the engineer, who were
below when the collision occurred, were
jammed in by the rush Of waters and
drowned. The rest of the crew were
III