The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1901-03-01

.I INJURED.
The TeutOntic Encounters
Huge Sea and Is Bad.
-, ly Damaged.

New York, Feb. 2s.--A wave, which
Captain Il. II. McKinstry thinks was
of volcanic origin, nearly destroyed the
White Star line steamship Tcutonlc
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 liieboat
smashed.
Two passengers We're injured by the
sea, one. an emigrant, so severely that
Dr. X. ID. Dobie, surgeon of the ship,
had to amputate the mans right leg at
the calf. Two lookout men. who were
In the crows nest, We're knocked down
by the deluge of water which swept
over the crows nest, So 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, Il first cabin pas.
senger although not struck by the sea,
was knocked down by the violent
lulCilIuS VI lHC tll'
wave Occasioncd and had his jaw
broken. The 2GS 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 at the time and
the sea of only ordinary strength. Cap
tain McKinstry is quite satisfied that
the wave had its origin in submarine
eruption, but Chief Officer Timmins
and several others think that Il 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 Tentonic
was in latitude 1896 longitude 42.l2.
or Just to the eastward of the New
foundland banks, when the wave came
aboard.
Came without Warning.
Captain McKinstry in his official re.
port to John Lee, the American and
the Teutonic was steaming along as
swiftly as 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
on board at 9:20, while the majority OF
the passengers were finishing their
Sunday morning breakfast.
"Thc regulation two men were on the
lookout aloft," says the report, ''and
the wave was so high Us TO completely
enguf them. Both were thrown down,
and one of them was hurt. The wave
came in over the starboard bow and
was simply indcScriLablc in its vio-
lcncc.
".IOhn Michaelson. % years old, ma
tive of Denmark, was caught by por-
ton OF the SEA and had his right foot
hanging by mere shred DR.. Dobie
found it necessary to amputatc the
lower section Of the leg.
STANLEY G. Wilson, a saloon passcn.
ger, was walking ON the port, or lee.
ward, side Of til" promenade deck, and
when the ship rolled over on the port
side with the avalanche of water he
was thrown down, striking the rails Of
the promenade deck and breaking his
jaw. l have him in The hospital on the
ship.
Il can make no explanation of the
sudden appearance Of the wave other
than that it was of volcanic origin.
The wind had been west-northwest all
morning, the reading Of the Bcufort
scale being 4.G and an ordinary winter
sea prevailed. First officer Bartlett
was in charge of the bridge at the
time"