New-York tribune., 1901-02-09
SHAFT SNAPS IN BIG SEAS.
THE FUERST BISMARCK, A DAY LATE,
MAKES PORT WITH ONE SCREW
WORKING.
ACCIDENT OCCURRED ABOUT EIGHT HUN
DRED MILES OFF SANDY HOOK-PAs-
sENGERS ONLY KNEW OF 1T
WHEN TOLD.

With her crank shaft under her low pressure
cylinder broken. the steamship First Bismarck,
OF the Hamburg-American Line. yesterday came
into port She left Naples on January ~ and
reached here about. twenty-four hours Iates
owing 10 the accident.
The broken shaft was connected with the star
board engine. The accident occurred at Q p m.
on February 4. Ii caused no excitement among
the passengers. as none OF them knew at the time
that anything unusual had taken place When
the break in the shaft was detected the steam
ship was eight hundred miles off Sandy Hook.
Soon afterward she encountered heavy seas. and
these. with the wind Iessened considerably the
speed she would have made under ordinary con-
ditions with propeller working. The broken
shaft piece weighed fourteen tons.
The First Bismarck met with an almost sim
liar accident November s. 1896. on that
day she came into port with a break in the
after end OF the starboard crank shaft. Another
peculiar coincidence is that the first mishaP oc-
CURED at nearly the same place at sea.
soon after the ship moOred 10 her pier at
Hoboken last night Tribune reporter boarded
her and had talk with Chief Engineer J.
Korte about the accident. In speaking TO the
reporter the chief engineer said:
Third Engineer zinius was on duty at p. m
on February 4. The weather was stormy and
becoming worse. He heard a noise and dis
covered that the crank shaft of the starboard
engine was fractured and was moving for
v,ard q little The starboaTd engine
stopped at once but the port engine kept
on working OF course, the shutting down
of one engine reduced the speed of the vessel.
The break was of such nature that 1t kept the
broken parts In place. IL FORMED n support
What caused il | do not know. IL was probably
due 10 wear and tear. The engine did not run
wild after the accident After the break we en-
countered very rough weather. In spite or run
ming since p p. m on frluay Win y only one
nTllN a "a
screNy we were able to make in smooth seas be-
tween thirteen and fourteen knots an hour The
day before the accident we made ~" knots, ana
the day of the accident DeioIe tne break
was discovered we had made 3S3 knots
The largest part of the break in the shaft is
hidden inside OF a web. The broken piece Is
n feet by 20 inches I'm diameter. Everything
was made ready on shipboard for putting In a
new crank shaft on our ARRIVAL mere we carry
snare parts of shafts. To-day we VIII begin the
task of removing the webs about the broken
shaft and with the aid Of derrick we Will
put the new crank shaft In place
one Of the first persons to set foot on land
after the First Bismarck reached her pier was
Levi H. Letter. He was accompanied by his
daughter Miss Nancy c. Letter Joseph Letter
was at the pier to welcome his father and Sis
ter Levi r. Letter was asked by a Tribune
reporter If he had anything TO say about his
trip abroad.
The accident did not cause any excitement on
board. No one knew that the shaft was broken
until told about IT."
Among othe- passengers on the vessel were
Bishop r. j. McQuaid, of Rochester; Bishop
Monaghan Of Wilmington; the Revs p III.
Ienaghan w A. Mcdonald and William @.
Murphy Miss Helen Condit. Colonel Robert
NJ Thompson. d. T. Tinayenis, Grecian Consul
at Boston. an1 Baron d'Haupick
Bishop McQuaid said he was glad to be home
again He declined TO say anything about his
visit 10 Pope Leo XIII.
Notice was sent out from the office of the
Hamburg American Line last night that the
First Bismarck would not sail on Tuesday.
February IL as previously scheduled but that
repairs would be fully effected. and she would
sail at II a. m. Thursday. February Ia. for
Gibraltar Naples and Genoa.