Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-03-08
THEY'RE THANKFUL.
Passengers Of Lost Steamer
Waesland Relate Stories
reigI
Of Hardships and Narrow Escapes
from the Sinking Vessel.
The Harmonicies' Stem and Bow Plates
Battered and Stove in.

| Liverpool, March THE British
! steamer Harmonides from brazilian
! ports, which was in collision with and
sank the Red Star Line steamer Waes-
i land Wednesday night, about 40 miles
southwest of Hoiyhead, ana which was
towed to this port, early Friday morn
/ ing. blythe tugs sent in search of her,
| has a great hole in her bows.
one of the rescued passengers of the
| Waesland, who was on board the Har-
monides, said the Waesland was run
into amidships in fog at night ana
sank half an hour afterwards, her
| boilers bursting as she went down.
| The report that only to passengers
of the Waesland, a man and child, lost
| their lives, appears to be confirmed. In
addition one woman was injured. Some
| of the Waesland's boats were in the
water a couple of hours, but owing to
the fog they could not get alongside
| the HarmonideS.
When the HarmonideS\ arrived here
her decks We're crowded with half-clad
passengers of the Waesland, whose pale
| and haggard faces told the story of
| their trying experiences. So hurried
was the departure of the passengers
from the sinking ship that in some
| cases they We're covered only by blan-
kets and handkerchief were their only
| headgear.
| When the disaster occurred Con
| Wednesday night, the two vessels were
| steaminS slowly off the coast of the
| island of Angesly. The Harmonides
| crashed head on into the Waesland and
| backed away, but once again struck the
| then sinking ship, making great gap
in her sidet Though the sea was per-
fectly smooth, the denseness of the fog
| added to the terrorS of the passengers
of the Waesland. The women rushed
on deck screaming. but We're soon re-
assured by the officers.
| The boats were quickly lowered, but
| the operation resulted in two fatalities.
| The end of one of the lifeboats slipped
| from it's david and precipitated the oc-
cupants into the sea. The Steerage
| passenger, Edward Dangerfield of Kan
sas, struck his head against the boats
fittings, and was instantly killed, and
Elsie Emmett. II years old, the daugh-
| ter of the Rev. A. f. Emmett, was
| drowned.
| The other persons who were in the
boat were picked up. The behavior of
the passengers, many of whom were
! Scandinavian emigrants, was eXem-
| plary. Precedence was given to the
women and children.
] AS the last boats We're leaving the
fast sinking ship whose decks We're al
ready awash, an explosion announced
that her boilers had burst and 40 min
utes after the first impact the Waes-
| land gave a mighty lurch and disap-
al h he Gin a hnlIt
midway between the Holyhead and
Tuskar light. Nothing was saved ex-
cept what the passengers and crew
| Wore. The boats containing the pas
sengers were for a time separated, ow-
| ing to the fog.
Eventually the life-boatS all reached
| the sides of the Harmonides\ and the
survivors We're taken on board that
vessel where everything possible was
| done for their comfort. A pilot boat
met the Harmonides off the island of
AngelSy and communicated the news of
! the disaster to persons ashore with the
result that tugs We're despatched to
search for the Harmonides and accom-
| panied the steamer to this port Hhere
! the passengers We're landed and com
| fortably housed. They will proceed to
Philadelphia, Wednesday, on board the
Red Star liner Noordland.
NThe HarmOnides' stem and bow plates
We're so torn and twisted that it APP
| peared marvellous that she escaped
sinking. She also has n deep rent in
| her port side.
p. Il. Ferguson, a saloon passenger,
| who curiously enough was on board the
| Waesland when she collided with Ia
schooner not far from Philadelphia
says the principal excitement took the
form of rushing for life belts. He saw
| a man who had seven life belts attach
ed to various parts of his body. Mr.
Ferguson also found many passengers
wearing life belts upside down so that
if they had fallen into the water their
feet would have been uppermost.
AS the last boat in which Mr.. Fergu-
son was seated was leaving the ships
side cries for help were heard on board
of her and the boat returned to the
Waesland and found that two of her
crew had been left behind. One Of these
men had slept throughout the time
from the first impact to the last boat
leaving the sinking steamer, and only
discovered his perilous position when
the port holes.
An officer Of the Waesland in an in
terview gave a graphic description OF
the loss of the steamer. He said:
Practically all the passengers had
retired. l was taking last look at the
weather and in so doing reached over
the ships side, when, without the
slightest warning. there came a fearful
crash which made the Waesland stag
ger from stem to stern.
My God. We are struck l shouted.
Then doomed right over our ships bow
the steamer which had run into us. The
darkness at that time was inpenetra-
BILE. The nose of the Harmonides APP
peared to have eaten right into our
side. We Were going very slowly, with
no more speed than was necessary to
keep Roadway. We were struck at
right angles and for a moment the
stem of the Harmonides was literally !
inside our ship.
Immediately there was rush of ex- |
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