The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-05-09

THE thrust shaft Is cracking, came
the message, and we cannot proceed
probably can make repairs, but how lons
it will take l cannot now say.
'All right" replied Captain Mchas'
and a second later the signal to stop the
engine was sent down to the engine room.
This was at o'clock. Passengers noticeo
the cessation of the powerful tnropplhs
throughout the vessel, but gave httie, IL
any attention to the fact. 1t was tne
business of the officers to worry about the
ship, not theirs-a state of MIND very
cheerfully held when there seems no
cause for worry At dinner that night
there was the same laughter, ana the
stewards moved about as intent upon
their duties as though the vessei were
not lying a log upon the sea.
1t was 7:30 o'clock when the smoking
room was filed with men chatting ana
drinking, or about card tables. that cap
tain Mckay entered the apartment ana
held up his hand for attention.
Gentlemen" he said, I'm sorry 10
inform you that we have broken our
shaft. and shall be unable to proceed at
present. l shall, however, accept tow
ing offer from any vessel large enough
that comes within hailng distance
Five Hundred Miles Away
No panic followed these words. The
card games stopped, and every one de.
serted the smoking room, to break the
news to the women. Captain Mckay had
said that there was no cause Tor appres
hension and that as the liner was In the
lanes of ocean traffic, the prospects were
that not one but several vessels wouio
pass within hailing distance within the
next II hours. The Umbria had stopped
in latitude 40 As, longitude S7.17-200 miles
from Halifax, and 500 miles from New
York There was northwest gale blow
ing, but with the aid of a sea anchor she
was keeping her nose we'll In to the
waves and riding easily. All day FRIDAY
the vessel lay hove to, and at night she
rode out a terrible gale, accompanied by
rain and snow and hail. In the morning
she was covered with snow and ice as
desolate picture as a modern liner ever
made.
Shortly after daylight on this morning
the passengers were aroused by the blow
ing of the Umbrias whistle and the
booming reports of signal gun.
steamship had been sighted on on the
horizon. At o'clock she came up and
proved to be the Hamburg American liner
Bohemia, manned by men of race VINO
never yet have abandoned those in dis
tress at sea. She steamed under the UNI
bria's lee and hove to about GOO yards
away, and while the passengers thronged
the rails the two vessels talked through
the medium of f1uttering pieces of bunt-
ing. es
Gets Tow
The Cmbria announced her condition
and the Bohemia replied favorably to the
request for a tow. Captain Mckay first
tried to shoot line to the German ship,
but the shrieking gale carried 1t far away.
Then. in spite of the fact that the seas
were boiling riotously. the Umbria's first
90 aty1f Cnf \
the starboard lifeboat. and as a huge
wave rolled upward they lowered away
smartly, landing the boat nicely upon the
crest which In falling hurried them on
their way to the Bohemia at railroad
speed They bore light line. which they
succeeded in placing on board the sue
coring vessel. To this line hawser was
bent and hauled to the deck of the Ger
man. In turn a great steel towing cable
was made fast to the hawser, and this
was dragged through the water and made
fast to the winches in the Hamburg liners
stern.
1t was o'clock when the Bohemia
turned her head toward New York and
began the work of dragging the erstwhile
proud liner to safety.
Everything went smoothly until dusk,
when a binding snowstorm and gale
roared over the face of the waters 1t
badly under the strain, but still she walv
lowed on. The lookouts on the Umbria
could not see the masthead lights of the
towing vessel but the humming of the
cable showed that the German was dog
gedly at her work. At II o'clock fear
full squat swept over the ocean. taking
the Unibria upon her tall weather bow.
stopping her almost short. There came a
loud report and the cable trailed into the
ocean. The Umbria fell off rapidly, drift
ing crabwise and whstling to the Boz
hemia. which answered her signals from
the outer darkness.
Drifting HelplessIy
In the morning, however-it was Christ
mas Day-the light revealed the Umbria
alone upon a desolate sea. She was drift
ing back over ~ miles which the b.
hernia had lowed her before the cable
parted. But the passengers still kept up
their courage, relying implicitly upon Cap
tain Mckay and his officers There was
the feast. which they had expected to
eat in their homes, exchange of presents,
and all sorts of pleasures for the chill
dren, of whom there were not few
aboard
Nine o'clock in the evening the LOOK
outs reported steamships lights on the
port bow. Signal guns were fired and
answered and within a half hour the
Wilson liner Calico came up. Conflict
ing stories have been told as to wha.
signals were interchanged between the
Calico and the Umbria. The Cunard
Line stated at first that the Calico had
stated that they were short of coal and
could not undertake to tow the vessel. A
later version, and probably the correct
one, was that Captain Jones of the Will
son liner was only too willing to get q
line aboard the Cunarder-he had a repu-
tation for salvage workout that Captain
Mckay had heard encouraging reports
from the engine room and did not care to
involve his company in any expenditure
of salvage money. In any event, the
Calico got under way.
Throughout Sunday night the Umbria
drifted and by Monday morning her po-
sition had altered about 40 miles to the
southwest. There had been a snow
storm in the night, and daylight found
her decks deep with snow, which the pas
sengers, anxious to do something. blithe-
| Nv shoveled into the sea. Later the
steamship Manhanset came in sight and
| pomped up. evidently looking for tow.
But as the Cunard liner Gallia appeared
soon after. the Manhanset Withdrew.
GalIia's Departure
The Gallia came abreast of her big sis
| ter and signals were exchanged. The
passengers, of course, had no Idea but that
line would be put aboard. After ali
| hour or SO of signaling. however, the
Gellia suddenly dipped her flag and go
under way. Captain Mckay was reported
| to have ''clasped his hands, and, gazing
at the departing vessel to have said
| What do you think Of that?"
| According to one report, the code con.
versation between Captain Mckay and
Captain Ferguson of the Gallia ran as
| follows: