The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-01-17
ST. LOUIS IS SAFE
She Arrived at Her Pier With
All Well on Board.
She Left CherbOurg January 4,
at :O6 A. N.
WAS 13 DAYS COMING.
Average Speed Was Only 9.74
Knots an Hour.
Trouble Due to Bad Weather
and Leaky Boilers.
ANGRY PASSENGERS
Held Indignation Meeting and
Passed Resolutions.
Some Have Instituted Suits
Against the Company.

New York, Jan 1.-THE steamship St.
Louis arrived at her pier here today [
after an extremely slow trip owing to
leal<y boilers. Her time from Cherbourg /
to the lightship was 13 days hours and |
20 minutes, 6 days 10 hours and 25 min
utes behind the ships best record. There
was no accident of any kind at any
time, and although heavy weather was /
encountered, practically all of the delay /
was caused by the inability to get up !
good steam in the defective boilers.
The passengers became very indignant /
when they learned of the poor progress /
/ the vessel was making and an indigna-
ton meeting was held at which the line
was severely censured for permitting
passengers to embark on a steamer in
the condition the st. Louis showed. A
statement was drawn up and given to
the public on arrival here today by a
committee chosen to set forth the griev-
ances of those on board.
After she was sighted off Nantucket
last night the st. Louis made good time
| to New York and reached her pier some
hours ahead of the time set last night.
h A large crowd gathered at the American
! line pier and cheered as the ship came
! in with her load of human beings for
| whose safety grave fears had been felt
/ for several days.
The tugs having gathered around the
St. Louis, she was slowly brought to the
| dock and when she came within speak
ing distance the excitement on the pier
| grew. 1t did not take long for the first
and second class cabin passengers to
cross the gang planks, once the lines
were fast and as they got within the
roped enclosure they were gathered to
the arms of their waiting relatives. Each
little group provided a scene, the women
I in most cases weeping in their joy.
While this was going on on the upper
deck of the pier, where the first and
second cabin passengers landed, similar
scenes were being enacted among the
steerage passengers on the lower deck
of the dock, but in this case the pas
sengers had again to part from their
friends to go to Ellis island for examl-
nation by the immigration officers
Many of the first class passengers de-
clared their intention to enter suit
against the company and their cases
were placed in the hands of lawyers on
board.
The Hamburg-American line steam
ship Pennsylvania, from Ham burg,
which arrived in this port this morn
ing, reported that on January Is, in
latitude 1875, longitude 1920, she fell
in with the st. Louis proceeding very
slowly. The Pennsylvania steamed
close to her and asked the difficulty.
The officers of the St. Louis replied
that her boilers were leaking and sent
a boat alongside the Pennsylvania in
The first officer reported that the St.
Louis boilers were leaking so badly
that the ship could only steam five
knots per hour in fine weather. They
had on board eight days provisions
and water and all were in good health.
The steamer required no assistance
The St Louis made slow progress
coming into port Although she was
sighted off Fire Island at 8 o'clock, it
was not until 8 o'clock that she passed
Sandy Hook. She reached the quaran-
tine station at 9:47- From quarantine,
where she will be kept for time for
the port doctors examination, the
| steamship will come up to her pier, al
the foot of Fulton street. North river
The marine station at Sandy Hook dis
played signal flags for the word wei
come as the overdue steamship came
in and the St. Louis replied Thank
you" No other signals were displayed
by the ship as she passed Sandy Hook
A large crowd gathered a the Ameri-
can line pier to welcome the delayed
The ST. Louis left Cherbourg January
T. at 1:06 a. m and arrived at Sandy
Hook Ightship at 6.34 this morning,
making the passage in Is days, five
hours and 20 minutes. an average speed
of 9.74 knots Her days runs were 34l,
2S9, 1928, 312 200. 1863. 125, $50, 1S3, 1913,
225. 1865, and 279-5, total distance 3,O4S
. knots.
The first three days the St Louis
made fairly good progress for her abil-
ity in the prevailing weather which
was rough and squally with high cross
seas The speed then became so slow
; that the passengers began to discuss
, it and between the rough stormy
weather and the ships inability to
make speed they became so indignant
that meetings were held. Resolutions
were adopted condemning the steam
ship company for permitting the pas
sengers to embark. It was decided that
the resolutions should be typewriter
on arrival on shore and given to the
press for publication Many of the pas
sengers expressed great INDIGNATION.
BEGINNING OF TROUBLE
on January the steamships boiler
commenced to leak badly and continued
to do so until yesterday The st. Louis
encountered unusually stormy weather
+f7r0ughout On January II and Is Il
ilIe1v a gale from west northwest t1
: northwest accomoanied by violent
/ squalls and snow storms On these two
: days the ship logged only 125 and 13O
, knots. On Ianuar@f 10, when the saloon
passengers learned of the exact conds-
ton of the steamers boilers and en-
gines. they held an Indignation meeting
in the smoking room and ADOPTED reso
lutions censuring the International
Navigation company for sending the 81
Louis to sea in her dangerous condition
7 A copy Of these resolutions was hand
= ed to Captain Passow. demanding that
. the ships course be headed for Halifax
so that her passengers could be trans
ferred to some passing fast west bound