She had only two passengers.

The weather was squally and the air full of mist when she reached the outer Banks, 900 miles from New York, shortly after sunrise on Sunday, March 16.

The big vessel was heading west by north, when, at 7 o'clock, Second Mate Erichsen, who was on the bridge, saw emerge through the mist on the starboard side of the ship, at the distance of about a thousand feet, a towering column which united sea and sky.

The column was in front of the ship to starboard, and was moving in a southeasterly direction, apparently at the rate of eight knots an hour.
Although the Slavonia was running 9 1/2 knots, the column seemed likely to pass in front of the steamship when their paths crossed.
Accordingly Erichsen did not try to alter the course of the Slavonia; indeed, he would not have altered it had he known ship and spout were sure to meet, for he had encountered waterspouts before and wasn't afraid of them.

All he did--in fact, all he had time to do--was to call Third Mate Lorentzen, also an expert in waterspouts.
On rushed the _Slavonia_, heading west by north: nearer came the waterspout, heading south by east.