The Brunswick news. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 1906-2016, 1916-01-08
TOLD BY SURVIVORS OF THE
THESSALONlKl WHO AR
RIVED SAFE IN NEW YORK
YESTERDAY.
SUPPLY OF FOOD WAS SHORT
Passengers Had but Little to Eat
After Christmas - Binding
Snowstorm Forced. Abandon
ment of the Big Greek Ship.

sengers who were forced to abandon
the sinking Greek steamship Thessa-
! loniki at sea arrived here today on
the steamship PATHS of the same
line and gave vivid descriptions Of
the hardships they suffered during the
five weeks that the Thessaloniki was
battered by a series of terrific gales
On December 25, Christmas day,
passengers said, the supply of meat
on the Thessaloniki was exhausted,
only few gallons of water were left
and the ships officers began to por-
tion out short rations of the meager
supply of food which remained.
The Thessaloniki first sprang a
leak when she encountered a hurri-
cane, which ragged for twelve hours,
on December 21. The boiler and en-
gine rooms were partly flooded and
the steamer sent out calls for assist
ance. After the hurricane subsided,
however, the flooded portions of the
ship were pumped out and the
steamer proceeded on her voyage.
Rough seas and gales were en-
courtercd from December % to De.
cember &C. when the Thessalonik
ran into 90-mile hurricane which
Tasted for "a hours.
| Many of the passengers and crew
feared the steamer was sinking. as
fresh leaks were openend and the
boiler and engine rooms and coal
bun,,ers rapidly filled with water as
| tha CHI abA Il,
was then the Thessalonid1i sent out
numerous S. O. s. calls, which were
heard by the PATHS, United States,
lFlOriZel and other steamers. The
FloriZel was the first to reach the
disabled vessel and offered to take off
the passengers and crew and take
| them to Bermuda. Capt. Goulandis,
who was making his first voyage as a
master, declined this offer. The Flor-
Eel stood by until the PATHS came in
sight
The Thessaloniki' passengers were
transferred to the PATHS with con-
siderable difficulty and were forced
to leave all their baggage and per-
sonal belongings on the disabled YES
sci
After the transfer the PATHS shot
a line to the Thessaloniki and took
her sister ship in tow January /. The
wind increased greatly during the
night and early the next morning the
tow line parted That afternoon the
PATHS succeeded in getting another
line to the Thessaloniki, but that
cable parted early on the morning
of Monday, January 3, and the Thes-
| saloniki was driven rapidly to the
southwest before a terrific hurricane,
accompanied by a binding snow
storm.
| Owing to the Thessaloniki's engines
being stopped by the water in the
ships hold she was only able to send
out infrequent wireless calls, which
covered a small area The PATHS
took up the search and was Joined
States, which had turned out of her
course.
Capt. Goulandis said he had been
unable to make Solar observations by
reason of the almos& continuous
storms, and it was for this reason, he
added, that he sent out six erroneous
messages regarding the position of
his vessel
The captain of the Thessaloniki
repeatedly refused to send out wire
less calls for aid at the behest of both
crew and passengers, according to
William William, a naturalized citi-
zen of the United States, who was a
passenger returning from Greece. He
said:
THE Thessaloniki left Piraeus
November 16 and stopped at Algiers
for coal. On December q the first
severe storm came up and the first
the passengers knew there was any
thing amiss was when all the crew
was ordered below to work on some
thing that had gone wrong Many
passengers became alarmed and on
December 22, when the Italian liner
Stampalia was sighted several OF
them went 10 the cuptain and asked
that they be transferred. H assured
them that everything was all right
and that they would arrive in New