Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-02-06
IN Great PERIL.
Two Steamers Near to
Breakers and Helpless.
Lives Of Many People on Board
In Grave Danger.
Disabled Vessels at ketch narbor
May Be Doomed.

Halifax, n. s., Feb. 1.-Two unknown
ocean steamships, one and possibly
| both disabled, are anchored in a dam
gerous position at Ketch Harbor q few
miles west of Halifax and the lives
Of many persons OH board are in peril.
! The ships are less than Il hundred
yards from the breakers and less than
| Il quarter Of Il mile from shore. They
are lying midway between Sandy cove
and Stapleton shoals. These shoals
are not over 200 yards apart. One of
the disabled steamers is lying in four
| fathomS OF water.
A tremendous sea is running and
spray from the surf has been dashing
over both ships for hours and freez-
ing. The steamers are burning signals
of distress. Two tugboats We're
dispatched from Halifax before dark
but could render no aid and We're
obliged to return. The Dominion gov
eminent steamer Aberdeen has been
ordered to the rescue and will stand by
until morning. The ships are evidently
without wireless installation and the
noise of the breakers prevent the soudn
of y trumpet from being heard.
One of the steamers appears to have
four nl2Sts with black funnel and red
band and is lightly laden. This is
large ship and was towing the other
steamer. which is much smaller, with 4
yellow smOkestack and deeply laden.
A lifehoat was launched from the
shore this afternoon and made an at
tempt to reach the nearer OF the two
ships hut was almost capszed and
reached the shore with great difficulty.
no cd n
II miles velocity from northwest ana
promises TO remain settled in that
quarter for "a hours, but the weather
has grown much colder, AS long as the
wind remains northerly the steamers
are probably safe if their anchor cables
will hold. Should q change to south
or southeast take place before some
help is supplied nothing but miracle
apparently will avert one of the most
appalling marine disasters which has
ever visited this coast.
II is believed at Ketch Harbor that
the steering gear of the large steamer
became disabled in towing and that the
! tail shaft of the smaller steamer is
probably broken. The Marconi wire
less station at Cape Sable reported to
The Associated Press here yesterday a
the cape and taken in tow by another
and larger steamer and heading east,
probably for Halifax.
Good progress must have been made
during the last night, Notwithstanding
the storm and heavy sea, as ketch
Harbcr pilots report the two steamers
were first sighted entering the outer
bay of Halifax harbOr at daylight. a
binding SnOwstorm prevailed and the
towing steamer evidently feared to en-
ter the port " lille the weather remain
ell thick. The steamers then went out
to sea again and seemingly on sec
ond attempt to make the port at noon
miscalculated and struck the land
again fcW miles west at Ketch Har-
Dor.
Huge bOniires are kept burning on
the shore to cheer those on board the
imperilled vessels and rockets are
thrown up at regular intervals from
the larger of the two ships. A pilot
says the smaller steamer is an Oil tank
and that the larger ship is the Domil-
ion Coal Cos. steamer Mystic. If the
latter surInisc is right two derricllS
have been mistaken for masts.