The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1905-10-17

are known to have been lost and more
than thirty persons injured, some of
them seriously, on the Cunard Line
steamer Campania last Wednesday,
when Il gigantic wave rolled over the
steamer and swept acrOs sa deck thick
with steerage passengers.
John Graham, of Milwaukee, was
one of the passengers washed over
board, and lost lie was travelling In
the SteeraGe. In addition to the name
of John Graham, the Cunard line Off
Gals today gave out the following
names of steerage passengers who
were washed overheard:
Margaret c. Leary, Mary Cosgrowe,
Neils Ikeberg, and Elizabeth Guna-
dOtter. The Campania was going un-
der full headway. Wednesday after
noon. A heavy Quartering sea was
running but the weather conditions
were far from unpleasant and the big
boats decks were crowded with pas
Sengers. The steerage deck was cov-
cred with merrymakels, and there was
nothing to Indicate the approaching
disaster when suddenly the big steanl-
er lurched to port and scooped up an
enormous sea. The wave boarded the
steamer about midships on the port
side and swept clear across the steer
az deck, completely filling the space
between the deck above and carrying
everything with it. The steamers
side was buried so deep that the pas
SengerS on deck above the Steerage
were submerged to their waists, as the
immense volume of water rolled aft
and then surged forward. All the
cabin passengers on the upper deck
succeeded in clinging to supports,
While the water Surged around them
and were saved, but the unfOrtunates
On the steerage deck found themselves
utterly helpless.
The irresistible rush Of waters
sweeping toward the forward part of
the ship carried everything before it.
Nettings, heavy ratings and other OBJ
structions which had been arranged
near the ratings to prevent passengers
being washed overheard, served their
purpose only in part. SO great was the
volume and force of the rushing waters
that Il door in the rail was smashed,
and through this opening five OF the
helpless ones who had been caught by
the wave were swept to their death.
Others dashed against the rails and
other like distractions escaped death,
but many of them received severe ln-
juries One young woman had both
LEGS broken at the thigh, and several
persons suffered broken arms and ribs
while more than score were bruised
and battered
When the wave cleared the vessel,
the forward part of the deck was
strewn with injured and for hours DIR.
Verden, the ships surgeon, aided by
q number of physicians, was busy at
tending to their hurts. In the mean
time an inspection of the steerage was
made by the ships officers and IL was
learned that five Of the passengers
were missing.
From one of the steerage passengers
ii was learned that the lives of several
children We're saved by steWaroess'
Miss Cotes. and deckhand. The lit
tie ones were playing about the deck
when they were caught in the swirl oI
water and carried aft with the others.
On the return rush Of the wave tne
children were being carried drectly
toward the open door through when
the five who lost their lives had been
carried, when Miss Cotes and the stew
ard rushed to their rescue and dragged
them back to safety. Wednesdays
disaster marks the first time in the
Cunard Lines history of more than
sixty years that a passenger has been
lost from one Of the steamers by acci-
dent.
Although some of the passengers
thought that the Campania should
have stopped in an attempt to save
those who were washed overheard, the
officers say that this was practically
an impossibility. Both passengers
and officers say that the waves IN
Wednesday afternoons gale were the
highest they have ever seen. AT tunes
they broke as high as the top OF tne