The sun., 1907-12-16
STORM BEATEN FLEET In LATE
THE PENNSYLVANIA WHIPPED
BE AN 80 NILE GAZE.


Made Only 80 Miles m "a BHOurs -IEarOmr-
ter Down tO 2S.SO-Stecrage BADLY
Fright cncd Two Passengers IHurt OB
BresIau-Frcnch Boat Tw o Days Behind
The storm har1ssed fleet Of liners that
came into port yesterday was one Of the
biggest ever seen hcreabout on a sunday.
Some bore scars Of their ussel with tall
seas. The Hamburg American liner Penn
sylvanin, once distinguished as the greatest
cargo carrier in any sea, had the toughest
handling she ever has received. Capt.
Schmidt had To resort to oil on the after
noon and night of December y 20 smooth
the crests. Chief Officer William Hen
necISe. vino mas been making Atlantic
voyages twenty-five years, was surprised
when he looked at the barometer this hlus-
tering night TO see that il registered ESQ.
lower than he had ever seen. The German
liners use the Beaufort scale in measuring
wind velocities and the top notch il No. ~,
meaning hurricane force. Mr.. Hennecke
said the ship needed another number or
two. The blast that piled up the great
crasts was more than eighty miles and
seemed at times TO be close to IOl
While the Pennsylvania was striving
against this wind she made only fOFty-nine
miles in twenty-four hours. No passenger
was permitted to come on deck and all the
storm doors were on. On the afternoon
Of the worst day a giant wave toppled
over the port bow and set the ship astern n
bit. II smashed two heavy doors in deck
houses forward. one sheltering the COM
paniOnway to the steerage quarters and
the other the forecaste. There were
I $50 steerage passengers. chiefly Russian
Jews. and they became panic stricken
when they heard the booming of the wave
as it halted the ship. making her tremble
in every steel frame. and the roar Of waite
on the deck above. The women ran from
their coinpaTt ments screaming. They inn
plored the steerage stewards and officers
on duty there to save them. Many fell on
their knees and prayed. The stewards and
officers had hard time getting the fright
ened immigrants back 10 their quarters.
That is when the ship began to use oil.
There seemed to be between 1000 and 3,OW
feet between the Crests. which rose at
| times almost TO the height of the Pennsyl-
vania scrOws nest. more than seventy feet
above her wateTline. The decks were
smothered in spray for hours and all the
horizon looked like "A mass Of mere foam.
The Anchor liner Astoria, four days
behind time, was dist ressed by both weather
! and deranged machinery. one of her con-
| densers having given out when she was two
| days from Movillc. She Law to twenty y-foIr
| hours in nasty SEA while tho engineers
made repairs. The North German Lloyd
! liner Breslau. from Bremen. got cntangled
| in the same part Of the turmoil that lashed
| the Pennsylvania. Capt. Prayer said abe
encountered a sea that WAS taller than the
fore Crosstrecs and that she shipped some
| OF IL. Two steerage passengers were in
! jured hy falls one 40 seriously that il was
! necessary tn unputate hlsfOot.
| la Lorraine of the French lime was two
| days late. the Cunarder Iucania more than
! a day behind time and the ST. Paul of the
/ American Line day When the storm was
! at its worst they made less than third of
! their usual speed.
Among the la Lorrane's passengers
were Mrs Robert CiOelet. Nine. Maud Amy.
/ the French actress. who says she IN here for
| amusement and not to fill an engagement:
/ Andre Rrouillet. the portrait painter. and
| Pierre Fertn, sculptor. Mr.. FeTiu made
| plaster statuettc on the trip. which he
| called Miss America Saying Good-By.
| modelling 4 after "a fellow passenger. Miss
| Pincy Sutherland uR Montreal. and raftling
il on for 500. half Of which went to the
ships musicians and the other half To cast
the statuette in bronze for the man who
won IT,