The Washington herald., 1907-12-16
BATTERED SHIPS IN
Great Liners Reach Port
After Terrible Storm.
SEAS RISE SEVENTY FEET HIGH
Giant Waves, Driven by Hurricane,
Break Over Crippled Steamers and
sylvanin, Using Oil. Makes Only
40 Miles in "a Hours Time.

New York, Dec. 15.-The stOrm-harassed
feet of liners that came into port to-day
was one Of the biggest ever seen here
any Sunday.
Some bore scars OF their tussle with the
tallest seas that have ever slapped the
noses Of twin-screw flyers or Iofty-sided
slow boats. The Hamburg-American
Liner Pennsylvania had the roughest
harding she ever has received. Capt
sehgidt had 70 resort 10 oil on tisu att,s g.
noon and night Of December S to snooth
the erests.
Chief Officer William Henno1ke. who
has been making Atlantic voyages twen-
ty-two years. was surprised when he
looked at the barometer on that buster
ing night TO see that it registered .2S.50
lower than he had ever seen.
Wind 100 Miles an Hour.
The German liners use the Beaufort
scale IN measuring wind velocities. and
the top notch is p. meaning hurricane
force. Mr.. Hennecke said the ship needed
another number or two 70 tell the force
Of the blast that piled up the great
crests. It surely was more than eighty
miles, and seemed at times to be close TO
hundred
While the Pennsylvania was striving
against this wind she made only forty
nine miles in twenty-four hours. No pas
senger was permitted TO come on deck,
and all the storm doors were on.
On the afternoon Of the worst day. De-
cember s. a giant wave toppled over lie
port bow and SCI che ship ast7rn bit
by its mighty force. A green section OF
the wave smashed two heavy doors n
the deck house forward, one sheltering
the companionway to the steerage quar-
ters and the other the forecastle.
Panic Among Passengers.
There were 1859 steerage passengers,
chiefly Russian Jews. and they became
panic stricken when they heard the boom
ing Of the wave as il halted the shir,
making her tremble in every steel frame.
The women ran from their compart-
ments. screaming. They implored the
steerage stewards and officers on duty
there TO save them. Many fell on their
knees and prayed, and the stewards and
officers had a hard time getting the
frightened immigrants back 10 their
quarters. That is when the ship began
to use oil to ward off the blows Of the
sea.
There seemed to be between 1000 and
5000 feet between the crests. which rose
at times almost TO the height OF the
Pennsylvania crown, and more than
seventy feet above her waterline The
decks were smothered in spray for hours
at a time. and all the horizon looked
Ike a mass of mere foam.
Steamers Behind Time.
The Anchor Liner Astoria. four 6ays
behind time, was distressed BY both
weather and deranged machinery. one of
fer condensers having given out when
she was two days out from MovilIe She
lay to twenty-fOur hours in q nasty sea
while the engineers made repairs
The North German Lloyd Liner Breslau.
from Bremen, got entangled in the same
part of the turmoil that lashed the Penn
syIvania. Capt. Prayer said she encoun-
tered a sea that was taller than the fore
cross-trees, and that she shipped some of
it. Two steerage passengers were injured
by falls. one so seriously that il was nee
essary 70 amputate his foot
The Lorraine, OF the French Line. was
two days late, the Cunarder Lucania
more than a day behind time, and the ST
P.rul. of the American line, a day. When
the storm was at its worst they made
less thar third Of their usual speed.