New-York tribune., 1903-01-17
ST. LOUIS, SAFE, COMING TO PORT
DELAYED AMERICAN LINER. MOYING SLOWLY.
SIGN4L,S NANTUCKET
Not Expected to Reach Here Before Io"ghtfnrions Friends Of
Passengers Learn Ne7os Offices and Pier.

Nantucket Lightship, $40 p. m: Steamer
st. Louis passed westward. proceeding slowly.
Apparently disabled."
This was the substance OF a dispatch sent by
wireless telegraphy to the island of Nantucket,
forty miles away. and from thence sent by tele-
graph to this city just before o'clock last
evening. 1t was a dispatch full of relief for
many people on both sides of the Atlantic
1t meant to the friends of passengers and crew
and to the agents and owners that the American
Line steamer for which tidings have been
sought since Monday was safe. Notwithstand-
ing the general belief that steamer like the st.
Louis would ultimately pull through, there was
a great deal of anxiety on the part of all who
had any interest in her arrival. The officers of
the American Line, while making optimistic an
nouncements, were doubtless more anxious than
they were willing to acknowledge. Yesterday
they did significant thing. They made public
the addresses of the officers of the ship. This
was done without any comment.
According to the dispatch received from Nan
tucket the st. Louis was going dead slow"
She made signals to the 1ightship, but owing to
the heavy gale which blowing they were
uninteIlfgible. The slow rate of speed at which
the st. Louis travelling indicated that un-
less she was assisted she would not reach New
York until tonight. According TO the dispatch
her speed indicated that the st. Louis short
of steam power and the signals were thought to
imply that she had experienced trouble with
her boilers.
Had the st. Louis not been reported before
the steamer Finland. of the Red Star Line.
sailed for Antwerp to-day. Captain Albrecht.
her commander, would have been instructed to
go ninety miles west of the southbound track.
and the captain of the Kroonland. of the same
line, would have been instructed by a cable
message to make his course sixty miles south
of the westbound track of transatlantic liners
on his way from Antwerp to this port
The widespread interest in the arrival of the
steamer indicated by the many requests
at reliable sources for information. The tele-
phone wires of the steamship company and the
ship news office hummed all day with inquiries.
The manager of the Harlem telephone central
asked the ship news office to let him know
when the ST. Louis was sighted, that he
could answer the numerous inquiries which
from agents of the line were also received at
the office of the company. Evidently they were
being asked by interested persons for definite
information. The number of those who made
personal calls at the offices of the American
Line small
The trip of the ST Louis. which will probably
terminate to-day. was begun Sunday morn
ing January t. She passed Hurst Castle. which
is the point at which steamers entering and
leaving the harbor of Southampton are timed,
at 1880 a. m. that day. She was therefore
several hours late in leaving port This was
due to her late arrival at southampton from
this port on her eastward trip. She had
reached Southampton Friday morning, Janu-
ary . at a. m. She left Cherbourg at $50 a.
m on January 4. Until she reported from
the Nantucket Lightship last night twelve and
one-half days after leaving Cherbourg, nothing
was known as to her wherea bouts.
From the reports of steamers arriving here
yesterday, she undoubtedly encountered tumult-
uous seas which, taken in connection with the
reduced power of her boilers, prevented anything
like her ordinary speed The steamer Mani
tou of the Atlantic Transport Line, which left
London on January l. arriving here yesterday.
three days late, reported rough weather. Her
commander, Captain Gannons, reported that af-
ter the first two days out his ship was obilged