STORIES OF SURVIVORS.

Auckland Star, Volume XIX, Issue 218, 15 September 1888, Page 5

STORIES OF SURVIVORS.

ACCOUNTS OF THE DISASTER GIVEN

BY EYE-WITNESSES,

On the arrival of the Wieland at New York twenty-four of the passengers and crew of tho Geiser under charge of Second ■Officer Jorgensen, arrived at the Hotel Denmark. They were brawny fellows, curiously attired, and but few had either coats or. stockings. Second Officer Jorgensen! gave a graphic description, of the collision. - He said : ''I, was asleep in | my, bunk when I felt a shock, ,and I. immediately went on deck. Taking in the situation at a glance, I ordered all on deck. Then I swung myself off on the bow of the Thingvalla and scrambled to her deck. The doomed craft sank gracefully stern first with her bow in the' air. Most everybody.!, waa sound asleep, and when she began to fill we could hear groans and heartrending screams coming from below. Those who reached the' deck - made frantic efforts to cut down the boats, but they were tod excitedi. to' be j successful ■ They finally grabbed up different pieces of wood and jumped over the side of the vessel.". -Annas Wielies, a civil.-, engineer atr Minneapolis, one ofV the passengers on the Geiser, said : "About 3 o'clock on Thursday morning I was awakened ,by a light shock, and thinking we bad struck a wreck I went on deck just as some one shouted) 'she is sinking.' I found that we had been struck on the starboard side about midships. There were at that time four or five - men working ;at the boats.' I had a cork jacket and felt comparatively safe, so called the people downstairs ana then watched the boat sink. ; As she went down I etuck to her and was carried down some distance. Soon I felt myself shooting through the water impelled by my cork jacket.' I was on top' of the water for perhaps half an hour. I climbed on the! keel of a small boat which was floating up-1 side down and was finally picked up*" '