The New York Times, 11 December 1928
254 ON CELTIC SAVED AFTER SHE HITS ROCK
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Passengers, With 25 Vestris Survivors, Taken Off Near Queenstown by
Tenders
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GOOD ORDER MAINTAINED
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Ship Grounded Making Harbor in Gale That Prevented Picking Up
Pilot---Total Loss Feared
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Wireless to THE NEW YORK TIMES
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QUEENSTOWN, Ireland, Dec. 10 ---The White Star liner Celtic was lying
high and dry tonight on the rocks off Roche's Point, near the entrance
to Queenstown Harbor. It is feared the 21,179-ton vessel will be a total
wreck.
She grounded just before dawn today while slipping into the harbor to
disembark mails and passengers for Ireland. A gaping hole was smashed
through the side of the engine room and soon water was flooding some of
the compartments to a depth of twelve feet. At first the big liner
seemed likely to turn turtle and sink. She swayed from side to side for
an hour after grounding, while a fierce gale blew in the harbor and the
sea beyond.
When the tide ebbed the Celtic lay upright and steady, but helpless on
the rocks.
All her 254 passengers, among them twenty-five survivors of the Vestris
disaster, transferred by tenders during the day intended to complete
their voyage to Liverpool via Fishguard or Dublin.
Two powerful tugs and a British destroyer had rushed to the Celtic's
rescue, fearing there might be a serious accident in the heavy
groundswell then running. Before they could push her off, the tide
receded and further efforts had to be postponed till evening.
Sang Old War Songs
Roche's Point is a familiar landmark to Atlantic travelers because the
lighthouse there guides the boats into Cork harbor The fixed light
shines sixty feet above high water, with the beacon visible for thirteen
miles.
The Celtic was due to arrive at 2 A. M. today, but during the night a
strong southwesterly wind sprang up, causing delay. Thus it was nearly 5
o'clock when she reached the harbor. The gale had increased in ferocity
and a huge swell prevented the pilot from boarding.
Only a small number of passengers were on deck when the crash came. Most
of those who were asleep were thrown out of their bunks, and for a few
moments after the alarm was sounded all was confusion.
The excitement subsided quickly when it was realized there was no
immediate danger and within a quarter of an hour the passengers joined
in singing such old war songs as "Tipperary" and "Pack Up Your
Troubles."
Later, when the first passengers began arriving ashore, they were loud
in praise of the ship's crew for their cool conduct under trying
circumstances.
Vestris's Survivors Asleep
All the Vestris's survivors were asleep when the Celtic grounded. When
they arrived in Queenstown they still showed some effects of their
trying experiences but seemed in the best of spirits. All said it was a
picnic compared with what had happened aboard the Vestris. One of the
Vestris's wireless officers, James MacDonald, with true nautical
superstition suggested the presence of some Jonah in the ship's company.
"I have a good idea who he is," he smilingly added, "but I don't like to
mention his name."
MacDonald described the conduct of the Celtic's crew as splendid and
said that within ten minutes of the crash the stewards were serving hot
coffee to the passengers, who by that time had assembled on deck.
All twenty-eight lifeboats were ready for lowering a few minutes after
the smash.
The glasses and ornaments in the smoking room were strewn around the
floor and the panelings in the doors were smashed, but amid all the din
and excitement one steward was heard to say calmly:
"Gentlemen, why not get on your life belts?"
"We did so," said one passenger, "and went up on deck, but realizing
there was no immediate danger we went below again and continued our
rubber of bridge."
The effort to refloat the Celtic at high tide failed but will be renewed
tomorrow.
A Board of Trade inquiry into the accident will be opened at Queenstown
tomorrow.
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Seas Break Over Bows
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QUEENSTOWN, Ireland, Dec. 10 (AP)---The White Star liner Celtic,
one-time queen of the ocean, lay tonight like a stricken monster of the
deep on a ledge of rocks at an exposed point at the entrance of Cork
Harbor.
There was a huge hole in her bottom and a big rent in her side while
twelve feet of water was in some of her compartments.
The liner, which left New York on Dec. 1, and later called at Boston,
went on the rocks during a gale early this morning and after fourteen
hours of frantic efforts to refloat her, she was still clutched by the
group of rocks known as the Cow and Calf off Roche's Point lighthouse.
Efforts to haul the Celtic off the rocks were abandoned tonight, but
will be renewed at high tide tomorrow afternoon in the presence of White
Star officials and the insurance authorities.
Temporary Repairs Made
While tugs stood by, the work of patching up the breaches in her hull
and of pumping out the water within her went on in hopes of effecting
temporary repairs sufficiently strong to withstand the seas until
tomorrow's salvage attempts.
The Celtic was carried on the rocks at Roche's Point at 5:40 o'clock
this morning by a seventy-mile gale. The storm was so violent that the
pilot was not able to get aboard the big ship, which was calling at her
first port since leaving Boston.
The Celtic's captain, seizing a chance during a lull in the dark hours
of this morning, was almost in safe waters when a violent gust swung the
liner upon the rocks with a crash which shook the ship fearfully. The
worst shock was in the engine-room, and some of the men there had narrow
escapes.
John Keown, one of the crew of the Vestris, who was en route to his home
in Liverpool, remarked that it was exactly four weeks ago today that he
was shipwrecked on the Vestris and was saved after having been fifteen
hours in the water.
He was in his berth when the Celtic struck, and he heard some women
screaming, but there was really no panic. Everything soon went on in
quiet fashion and breakfast was served to the passengers aboard before
they were transferred in the tender Failte, which is the Irish word
meaning, "welcome."
As the passengers were landing, the destroyer Sesame left her moorings
opposite the landing quay and went out to render any assistance that
might be needed.
When the vessel was forced by wind and sea on to a rocky ground known as
the Cow and Calf, most of the passengers were abed, except about
seventy, who had planned to land at Cobh. But almost all aboard knew
that something had happened. At times the liner rocked from side to
side, and it was apparent to all that she had stopped her forward
motion. Soon it was learned that she was stuck hard and fast and was
rapidly taking in water in some of the holds. Nevertheless, excellent
order prevailed.
Lifeboats in Readiness
The passengers saved their hand baggage for the most part, but their
heavy baggage is yet to be brought ashore. The Celtic had huge
quantities of Christmas mail aboard, with more than 700 sacks for
Ireland alone.
One of the passengers, John McManus, going home to Arigna, Roscommon,
said that the men behaved splendidly as a whole and insisted on the
women and children being cared for first.
The lifeboats were swung out in readiness, the crew was lined up to man
the boats and the passengers were marshaled to their proper posts. Then
word was passed that the vessel was in no immediate danger and the
breakfast gong rang out its signal.
A few minutes later the passengers sat down and soon after were taken
off on the tenders.
C. W. Wilson of Toronto was almost thrown out of his berth by the force
of the impact. Like many more, Wilson was only partly dressed when he
came ashore.
Arthur Packson of Trenton, N. J., en route to Liverpool, was on deck to
get his first glimpse of a pilot boarding a big liner at sea. Instead,
he was almost thrown off his feet in the blinding rain and wind as the
Celtic crashed.
F. Hamilton of New York said that there was little or no excitement
aboard the Celtic and that the work of disembarking progressed quietly
and efficiently.
B. Sheehan, a saloon passenger who was on deck, said that rocks loomed
suddenly out of the mist. They appeared so close that it seemed to him
as though he could have stretched out his hand and touched them.
"Three yards more to the westward and there would have been no chance of
saving the Celtic," he declared. "The waves were dashing wildly at
times, and a furious wind was accompanied by a heavy rain."
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Passengers Continue Trip
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Special Cable to THE NEW YORK TIMES
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DUBLIN, Dec. 10---Most of the passengers from the liner Celtic arrived
here tonight. About 200 of them crossed to Holyhead by mail boat, while
the Vestris survivors and a few others went by British and Irish lines
to Liverpool.
The captain of the liner and a skeleton crew are still aboard. Attempts
to float the ship tonight failed. The captain of the Celtic is said to
have broken down when the ship struck.
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$1,150,000 Is Insurance Value
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Wireless to THE NEW YORK TIMES
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LONDON, Dec. 10---Marine underwriters here took a serious view today of
the accident to the White Star liner Celtic, which occurred off
Queenstown. They were afraid the perishable cargo would be ruined by
water and that the salvage costs would run into thousands of dollars. At
Lloyd's the reinsurance rate against the total loss of the Celtic has
been placed at 26, which means the odds are about three to one that she
can be refloated. The whole ship, including the machinery, is valued at
$1,150,000 for insurance purposes.
"If the late reports are correct there must be a lot of water in the
ship's hold," said one marine underwriter. "The salvage bill is
evidently going to be heavy."
The White Star Line had no information as to the extent of the damage.
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CELTIC SURVIVED TORPEDOES
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Vessel, Built in 1901, Was Saved by Submarine's Mistake
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The Celtic was built in 1901 and was the first of the White Star "big
four," as the liners were named by the company. She was followed by the
Cedric, the Baltic and the Adriatic. She is 21,179 gross tonnage, 680
feet 9 inches long, 78 feet 3 inches beam, with twin screw engines,
which give the vessel an average speed of seventeen knots.
The Celtic was intended to be an intermediate steamer and to carry first
class passengers at a lower rate than the Oceanic, Majestic and Teutonic
of that period. She was the largest ship afloat then and immediately
became popular with passengers. Andrew Carnegie, Colonel William C.
Whitney, the late J. Pierpont Morgan and many other prominent Americans
traveled by her as well as the late Joseph Pulitzer, who had the doors
of one of the suites on the "B" deck packed with cork so that he could
rest undisturbed by any noise.
In February, 1902, the Celtic went on a cruise to the Mediterranean
under charter to Frank C. Clark with 835 American tourists on board and
she was on view at every port from Madeira to Alexandria.
She had many adventures during the World War, the most serious being
when she was torpedoed off the Isle of Man during the war. If the German
submarine commander had not made a mistake the liner would not have been
In the White Star service at the present time. He put one torpedo into
the liner on the starboard side by the engine room and the vessel began
to list rapidly and fill with water. Not being content with one torpedo
the submarine commander went round to the port side and fired another,
which straightened the Celtic up and she drifted into shallow water and
sank on an even keel.
In addition to carrying troops, ammunition and supplies during the war
the Celtic also carried $25,000,000 in American securities from the Bank
of England to New York.
At an earlier period in the war the vessel hit a mine in the North
Atlantic, off the coast of Ireland, but it did very little damage to her
hull, which was easily repaired.
Two years ago she was in a slight collision with the American freighter
Anaconda off the Nantucket Lightship in a thick fog. The Celtic had some
of her plates damaged above the water line, but made the harbor of
Boston, where she was bound, without any difficulty.
Captain Gilbert Berry, the master of the ship, is one of the most
careful navigators in the North Atlantic trade and is due to retire at
the end of 1929, when he will have reached the age limit of 60.
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Americans Among Passengers
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The list of cabin passengers who sailed from New York and Boston aboard
the Celtic included the following: Albert E. Dixon of New York, Mrs. F.
H. Emerson of Forest Hills, Joseph Ferguson of Rye, N. Y.; Mrs. Ferguson
of Rye, N. Y.; Mrs. Frederick Kerr of New York, Mrs. M. T. Kirstein of
Woodside N. Y.; Hon. J. J. McGowan of New York and William Smellie of
New York.
Among the third class passengers were the following: Edward Chelford,
Patrick Callaghan, Anton Larsen, Nora Malone, Mr. and Mrs. Muldoon,
Cavin Malone, Patrick J. Killeen, John Grant, Katherine Sullivan, Daniel
Sullivan, Cornelius Kielty, Michael Hefferman, William Bushton, Mary
Lowey, Margaret Roran, John P. Gilligan, Austin Thomas, John McNeill, B.
Sullivan, J. Grainger, A. Knill, P. Hudson and N. Jones, all of New
York; also Silas Hampson and Arthur Adamson of Brooklyn. Also listed
were: John Threlfall of Ridgewood, N. J.; Kiernan Carroll, 152 Sheppard
Avenue, Newark; Margaret McGuire of Newark, Arthur E. and Mrs. Sarah
Jackson, 1,010 Hamilton Avenue, Trenton, N. J.; Mrs. Mary Killicorn, 92
Covert Street, Brooklyn; Mrs. Florence Warner. 478 Avon Avenue, Newark;
A. Muldoon, 633 Columbus Avenue, New York; Nathaniel Farquhar,
364 Maple Street, Arlington, N. J., and Peter Nolan of Paterson, N. J.
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