SHIP'S NARBOW ESCAPE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LII, Issue 15820, 18 January 1915, Page 6

SHIP'S NARBOW ESCAPE.

MJNES IN HER COURSE^® Of I EXPLOSION A FEW VAKDS •' AHEAD. .jSjj INCIDENT OFF IRISH COASt [BY TELEGRAPH.——OWN- COaRE?TOs DCrT ISM Wr.i.ixs'.roN, Sunday. ss| Interesting details of the eventful vcrewS of the steamer Transyirar. ; irouj Tihfcnffi pool to New York in De-c ber ,are by Mr. Arthur George, of W"Kinetoa, was a passenger by lie vessel. ".We left Liverpool on Sunday, Decejn ? ber 6, and proceeded by t.i>> usual tofe although we did not c .i in at Qaerej!" town." said Mr. Gecrge. " When <R " the extreme south-west ncint of W about 3 a.m. on Tuesday. December 3,- vz ' ' were all awakened by a terrific explogicj .. The steamer seemed to jo up and tht> down, until everyone thought that 2j«£had struck a mine and was tanking. soon as possible every rushed on. deck, where things were in a stat<> q{ ' chaos. The decks were .<•..!! stressi®* with water; orders were beiE~ ?ivsn, arfWl there was a great deal of fxitenient, hat fortunately, no panic. Whs: had ococrxcd *'i 1 we found out afterwards.

" The Transylvania, it arpears, xraj making excellent progress. when, -te * amazement of the officers or, watch, terrific explosions occurred right ahead cral the ship's course and only a few yaid;s»* : away. The first one v."s a muffled rcaj A and the second a shattering crash. There was no doubt in the minds of-the officers that two mines had bumped together aaa i exploded right under the ncse of oar ? ship. The force of the concussion icay 1 - be realised when I teii yon that tSei?? lattice shutter of my port was smashed to pieces. The officer of the watch xij-.i; knocked insensible, hundreds of tons fclfSj water poured over the deck?, the boatj were torn from their davits and smashed, % the gangway steps and rail were brokeaSj away, and much other damage was crossy about the decks. . "The passenger? swarmed on deck in a state of great alarm, but reasswaaces . • were given thai no serious damage had been dons to the ship. Of course, tb» S affair was almost the sole topic of con- * versation for the rest of the trip. 'fie

"Had the mines not met just at the ■- 8 moment they did, the Transylvania •weald v J probably have struck them both'at lie, ! same time. Had that occurred, I suppose 'i' j the ship would have been blown to ;a<iieb- • j wood and all hands lost." Klfei