New-York tribune., 1908-12-21
B4TTERED By STORUS.
La Prorence Has ROugkest Trip in
Her History.

| La Provence. the fastest steamer Of the French
Line fleet. arrived here yesterday, a day late.
from Havre, after the roughest westward pas
sage in her history. The consistent Campania.
of the Cunard Line. which has made port on
Saturday many times despite tine fury of tho
Atlantic. also crept into port yesterday, a day
late. from Liverpool
Both vessels had forged ahead through high
and furious seas and winds of hurricane force
A coating of salt on the red and black tunnels OF
both vessels and streaks of rust down the big
steel sides gave some idea TO d crowd the
pier of the pounding the steamers had been
through
Apart from this. the Provence and the Cam
pana as they up from Quarantine did not
look TO persons a few hundred yards of as Il
they were any the worse for the storm. but
survey Of the ships from close quarters revealed
splintered rails, dented deck fittings and other
minor damages that ordinary Atlantic weather
might not have caused.
The Campania ran into bad blow after she
cleared Daunt's Rock Lightship, and it stayed
with her until she steamed into port yesterday.
Captain Charles of the Campania did not alter
his course to escape the gale He sent MS vessel
right through a terrific hurricane of hail and
sleet which lasted for two days. and passed the
belated American liner St Paul which VIII
rive here this morning. two days behind her
schedule
few courageous passengers fought of sea-
sickness and managed to keep on deck until the
Campania struck the hurricane weather. but
then even they took to their staterooms- On
Tuesday. soon after the st. Paul was left astern.
pitching and rolling in the storm. the big brass
bell which dangled from the Cunarder's fore
mast was snapped from its fastenings and car
He'd into the sea
On Wednesday the gale which had been west
10 r71z-~
was hurled against the cabin windows forward.
causing a sound which one Of the passengers
said was much like the sharp rattle of dozen
gatling guns shooting simultaneously.
The gale from the northwest whipped off the
Campania's semaphore freu the bridge and
spiintered d portion OF the starboard rail
The Provence. like the Campania. kept on he-
course and ran right through the mountainous
seas. Many passengers on the French steamer
said the waves which curled up on all sides Os
the steamer when the storm was doing its
worst fully one hundred and ffty feet
high Captain Poucelet, however. while hs
conceded that the storm was "a bad one. SAID
the combers were not over sixty feet in height.
1t was said yesterday on both vessels that the
captains did set much more than twenty
four hours sleep throughout the passage
Some idea of the speed with which Captain
Charles drove the Campania through the storm
may be had from the fact that he was rracti-
calIy four hundred miles ahead of the American
liner st. Paul. which he passed on Tuesday
when he came abeam of Sandy Hook yesterday
When the Campania came up 10 Quarantine
yesterday the st. Paul was about three hundred
and forty miles east of Sandy Hook The Cam
pania and the Provence beat also To port the
Minneapolis, which left London two DAYS be-
fore they cleared respectively from Liverpool
and Havre