Evening star., 1928-12-10
LINER CELTIC RAMS
ROCKS OFF IRELAND
253 Passengers Removed
SafeIy-Ship in Danger
of Breaking Up.
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
Cobb, Ireland, December 10.-The
White Star liner Celtic, which left New
York on December /, with 253 pasSen-
gers, ran on the rocks off RocheS Point
at the entrance of the harbor early to-
day and at low tide was held fast in is
feet of water with the possibility that
she might break up If she did not get
off on the next tide.
All of the passengers were rescued,
being debarked in tenders, despite rough
water around the stranded liner. A
British cruiser stationed in the harbor
co-operated in the work and aided in
bringing the passengers to safety.
he liner, which stove a hole directly
under her engine room, was lying with
severe list to port. She struck the
rocks near the lighthouse at Roches
Point at $40 am. She was within a
short distance of where transatlantic
vessels usually cast anchor to meet
tenders. A gale had been in progress
off the coast and the pilot had been
unable to go aboard.
Tugs Efforts Fruitless.
The Dutch tugs Gelizee and Nor
yeeock tried to tow the liner off the
rocks, but were unsuccessful ana prepa-
rations were made to make another
effort to get her of on the next tide.
For this reason members of the crew
remained aboard the liner after the
passengers had been removed.
The passenger list of the Celtic COM
prised 81 cabin passengers, AZ tourist
class passengers and 1l9 third-class
passengers.
GA press association dispatch from
Y sxynx n1 rniI hat IL dnN fSanl
that q survivors of the Vestris disaster
asIore)
The grounding of the great ship took
place in miserable weather conditions
with cold rian and biting wind add
ing to the discomfort of the removal OF
the passengers through the harbor to
the Cobb docks.
Grounded at High Tide.
The Celtic grounded when it was still
nearly high tide. Her wireless imme-
diately told of her plight and tugs were
rushed to her aid. Tenders which wei g
awaiting inside the harbor to take off
mails and passengers proceeded to res
cue all of the passengers who were lined
up on the decks and went over the side
with their hand luggage to the little
craft rising and falling in the rough
water.
Only a few miles farther and the
Celtic in her usual way would have cast
anchor in the calm harbor and met the
tenders which come out from the docks
to meet the big ships from America.
Talking over the telephone to the As
sociated Press. Michael Johnston, the
lighthouse keeper at Roche's Point, gave
a graphic description of the disaster.
at was a melancholy sight to see the
great liner hard and fast on the rocks
as if she were held by 100 anchors" de-
clared Johnston, who knows every inch
of the rugged coastline.
"She is entirely on the rocks, lying on
a fiat spur 300 yards from Roches Point.
Her head Is due west and she is SO
firmly wedged that there Is hardly a
trace of motion of her hull
Slow Pace Saved Liner.
"The liner struck at high water and
four hours afterward with the tide re-
ceding, there was hardly more than is
feet of water around her hull. Only for
the fact that the liner was going at slow
speed there would have been terrible
disaster despite this she has been badly
damaged and 1t remains to be seen
whether she can be f1oated. I am
afraid it will be necessary to jettison
her cargo to tighten the ship as much
as possible before this can be achieved
Zine weather Is essential to the saw
ing of the Celtic. If the sea becomes
Continued on Page 2, Column g.