The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-08-28
BIG WAVE SWEEPS THE UMBRIA
CAME IN FAIR WEATHER-ONE
or THE CREW BADLY HURT.
sir Michael Hicks.Besch. who's on His Way
Around the world. started . Purse
for the Injured Seaman, who's In
HOSPITAL Here and Il Likely to Die.


A bolt from the blue could not have
startled passengers aboard the Cunarder
Umbria, In yesterday, more than did the
great comber that roared over. the bow
Of the ship when she was one day out from
Queenstown, under q fawless sky stream
ing sunshine. 1t was 2 o'clock on Sunday
afternoon, eight days ago, and many cabin
passengers were grouped forward on the
promenade deck. Sir Michael Hicks
Beach. father OF the House Of Commons was
among those who saw the unexpected
grayback rise above the liners bow.
She was going full speed and she dipped
a bit as the wave curved. This may have
exaggerated it's height to the onlookers.
But not even the shellbacks on duty for
ward were expecting anything, as they
were loafing and enjoying their pipes.
Able Seaman Joseph Breen was on look
out. He saw the wave impend fraction
Of a second, more than ten feet above his
head, and started to run aft. He was
caught carried along and slammed against
a bulkhead. He was not much hurt
Patrick Murphy and Robert Slade, both
A. BIS, were sitting on the forehatch smok-
ing. The ship glided easily down into the
trough and they kept on placidly putting.
Then they heard cry from the lookout and
turned to find themselves gazing into
towering flood OF mingled white and green.
slade grabbed ventilator and held on
until the crest struck him. He has not
remembered anything since. When he was
picked up unconscious he was lying against
q rail over which he just missed being
hurled into the sea. Murphy was swept aft
twenty feet or more and, not meeting any
thing solid In his course. suffered chiefly
from the effects OF his sudden drop on deck.
His head was slightly cut and he was bruised.
slade was hurried by his shipmates to
the hospital and the ships surgeon, DR..
Macras. attended him. The doctor found
no bones broken and wondered why Slade
did not respond to treatment to revive
him. 1t was decided that he was suffering
from shock. He was transferred from the
ship to St. vincent's Hospital yesterday
morning, still unconscious and with little
chance apparently, OF recovery. The pas
sengers forward had little more time to
get to shelter than the men on the deck
below, but the speed Of the comber and the
forward motion OF the. ship made hustling
even 90 far from the bow necessary to
escape a wetting. A dozen or more pas
sengers were caught in the spoondrift and
got feet and dresses and trousers wet.
The ship slowed down for a few minutes
and then proceeded at her usual speed, but
picked up no moro combers. Sir Michael
Hicks Beach, who was among those whose
feet were wet, got up q purse OF SIPS for
Sade.
Sir Michael IL accompanied by Lady
Hicks Beach and their two daughters. Sir
Michael is on his way to Singapore to act
a. arbitrator in a dispute that has arisen
there. He went from the liner directly
to the Grand Central Station. He will
Gail by way OF Vancouver for China and
20 thence to India. Incidental to his duty
as an arbitrator he will make a trip around
the world.
Sir Michael is called Tory OF the old
school. He entered Parliament more than
forty years ago. He is tall. thin, straight
Is an arrow and very gray. He does not
like Joseph Chamberlain, and does not
believe in women's rights, entertaining the
old fashioned notion that woman should
find vent for her ambition and activity
in making her husbands home happy.
Lady Hicks Beach, it is said. can do any
thing with the needle. and her daughters
are expert cooks
Other passengers by the Umbria were:
Prof. P. w. waldenstroem, leader Of the
free church movement in Sweden. and
member Of the Swedish Parliament; Clar-
ence Gordon Barber. j. E. Douglass, w. H.
Farquharson, Mr.. and Mrs. Charles L.
Edey, Mr.. and Mrs. w. l.. Mclaughlin,
Prof Charles V. Parsell, Capt. w. G. Paken-
ham, Mr.. and Mrs. Charles Thursby and
Mr.. and Mrs. A. B. Woodward.
Arrivals by the White Star liner Celtic,
from Liverpool and Queenstown: Judge
and Mrs. Charles Andrews. Sir Edward
Boyle. MIR. and Mrs. Paul Butler. mir. and
Mrs A. B. Clafiin, Mr.. and Mrs. r. B. Coy
kendall, Mr.. and Mrs. Thomas Calvin,
Mr., and Mrs. Edwin Gould, Miss Annie
Irish, Mr.. and Mrs. Walter Laidlaw. Jr.,
wv, Minturn, the Hon. James T. McCleary,
Mr.. and Mrs. j. H. Mccullough, Mr.. and
Mrs William r. Riddell Mr.. and Mrs. Rufus
6ewall, the Hon. H. G. Pitney, Mr.. and
Mrs. Alexander E. Orr Theodore B. Starr
and Dr. Henry F. Walker