The sun., 1901-03-01
|HIT BY A GIANT wave.
The feutonic Encounters Huge Sea
and Is Badly Damaged.
TWO PASSENGERS INJURED.
Captain Thinks Wave Was of Vol
cnnic Origin, and, Whatever Its
Cause, the big Liner Had a
Narrow Escape.

1
Captain E. r. McKinstry thinks was
Of volcanic origin, nearly destroyed the
White Star line steamship Teutonic
last Sunday morning. The Teutonic
has just reached her pier in the North
river with her forward turtle back
deck badly damaged, rails carried
! away, bridge injured and one lifeboat
smashed.
Two passengers were injured by the
sea, one. an emigrant, so severely that
Dr. Il. u. Dobie, surgeon Of the ship,
had to amputate the mans right leg Mt
the calf Two lookout men, who We're
in the crows nest, We're knocked down
by the deluge of water which swept
over the crows nest, 52 feet above sea
level. One of the men had his back
severely injured and was lowered to
the deck by three sailors who went
aloft to get him down.
Stanley G. Wilson, n first cabin pas
senger, although not struck by the sea,
was knocked down by the violent
lurching of the steamship which the
wave occasioned and had his jaw
broken. The 26S cabin passengers OF
the ship raised fund of f125 for the
steerage passenger whose leg was am
putated.
There is difference Of opinion as to
the formation of the wave, the wealth
er being perfectly clear ut the time and
the sea of only ordinary strength. Cap
tain McKlnstry is quite satisfied that
the wave had Its origin in submarine
eruption, but Chief Officer Tmmins
and several others think that a mon
ster iceberg must have toppled over
outside the range of vision of those in
the ship and made sea OF gigantic
proportions that was not observed by
the officer OF the bridge. The Teutonic
was in latitude 4506 longitude 42.12,
or just to the eastward OF the New
foundland banks, when the wave came
aboard.
Came without Warming.
Captain McKinstry in his official re
port TO John Lee, the American and
| Canadian agent of the vessel, says that
the Teutonic was steaming along as
swiftly rs the fine weather demanded
when without the slightest warning
the PROV of the craft dropped into an
abysslike cavity Of sea water, and be-
fore the ship could recover herself the
tidal wave rose over her bow and drop
| ped down into the well between the
forward turtle back and the forward
end of the promenade deck.
| The report says that the sea broke
Oh board at 9:20, while the majority of
the passengers We're finishing their
| Sunday morning breakfast.
The regulation two men were OH the
lookout aloft." says the report, and
the wave was SO high as TO completely
! engulf them. Both were thrown down,
and one Of them was hurt. The wave
came in over the starboard bow and
was simply indescribable IN it's vio-
lence.
"Iohn Michaelson, 25 years old, na-
\ tive of Denmark, was caught by d por-
/ tion Of the sea and had his right foot
( wrenched off, the flesh above the ankle
hanging by a mere shred. DR.. Dobie
found II necessary to amputate the
| lower section OF the leg.
STANLEY G. Wilson, n saloon passen.
ger, was walking on the port, or lee.
ward. side Of the promenade deck. and
when the ship rolled over on the port
side with the avalanche OF water lie
was thrown down, striking the rails OF
the promenade deck and breaking his
jaw. have him in the hospital on ,ht
ship.
Il can make no explanation Of the
sudden appearance Of the wave other
than that 1t was OF volcanic origin
The wind had been west-nortbwest al
morning, the reading of the Beufort
scale being 4.6, and an ordinary winter
sea prevailed. First Officer Bartlett
was in charge Of the bridge at til,
time"