The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-03-08
DISASTER WV
Two Of the Waesland's Passengers
Lost Their Lives.
KILLED IN LOWERING A LIFE BOAT
One Of the Waesland's Crew Slept During All
the Uproar and Narrowly Escaped
Being Left on ihe Sinking
Vessel.
(By the Associated Press.) }


Liverpool, March Further details re-
garding the collision of the steamer Har
monides with the Waesland in which the
latter was sunk have been learned When
the disaster occurred Wednesday night.
the two vessels were steaming slowly
off the coast of the island of Anglesey
The Harmonides crashed head on into
the Waesland and backed away but once
again struck the then sinking ship, max
ing great gap in her side. Though the
sea was perfectly smooth, the denseness
of the fog added to the terrors of the
passengers of the Waesland The women
rushed on deck screaming, but were soon
treasured by the officers.
The boats were quickly lowered but
the operation resulted in two fatalities
The end of one of the life boats slipped
from its davit and precipitated the oc-
cupants of the boat into the sea- A
steerage passenger, Edward Dangerfeld
of Kansas, struck his head against the
boats fittings and was instantly killed
and Elsie Emmett, twelve years old, the
daughter of Rev. A. Emmett, was
drowned. The other persons who were
in the boat were picked up.
AS the last boats were leaving the
fast sinking ship, whose decks were al
ready awash, an explosion announced that
her boilers had burst, and forty min
utes after the first impact the Waesland
gave mighty lurch and disappeared
beneath the waves, sinking about midway
between Holy Head and Tuskar Light
Nothing was saved except what the pas
sengers and crew wore. The boats con-
tanning the passengers were for time
separated, owing to the fog but, event.
ually, they all reached the sides of the
Harmonidcs and the survivors were taken
on board that vessel, where everything
possible was done for their comfort. They
will proceed to Philadelphia Wednesday
on board the Red Star Line steamer
Nordland
An officer of the Waesland gave a
graphic description of the loss of the
steamer He said:
Il was taking last look at the weather
and in SO doing peered over the ships
side when, without the slightest warning,
there came fearful crash, which made
the Waesland stagger from stem to stern.
My God, we are struck / shouted.
Then there loomed right over our
ships bow the steamer which had run
into us. 1t was terrifying, of course. We
instantly recognized the peril. The dark
ness at that time was impenetrable. The
nose of the Harmonides appeared to have
eaten right into our side We were going
very slowly, with no more speed than was
necessary to keep headway. We were
struck at right angles, a tremendous hole
was made and, for a moment, the stem
of the HarmonideS was literally inside
our ship.
"A rush of excited people from all parts
of the ship immediately ensued The pas
sengers tumbled up just as they had re-
tired for the night The men, women
and children were in their night dresses
In a few instances the passengers had
thrown shawl or a blanket over their
shoulders. Terror and bewilderment
reigned for few moments, but the pas
sengers gradually ranged themselves in
groups about the decks, where they were
best sheltered, and the crew worked like
clock-work in getting out the boats.''
As the last boat was leaving the ships
side cries for help were heard on board
of her and the boat returned and found
that two of the Waesland's crew had
been left behind. One of these men had
slept throughout the time of the i'm
pact to the last boat leaving the sinking
steamer and only discovered his perious
position when the sea water flooded his
bunk through the port holes.