The morning news., 1894-03-22
HAS SAVED MANY LIVES.
over Two Hundred People Rescued by
Capt. ChaS. S. Berg.

Never Received Any Aoknowle dge-
n,ent for His Services-Story of the
Rescue of the British Steamer
Akaba-His Work in Rescuing the
People on the Savannah Well
Known-Other Wrecks From Which
He Has Taken Crews.
The phenominal fortune v 18th which
Can't. Charles S. Berg, of the City of
birmingham. has met in rescuing lives
from stranded and sinking wrecks, and
in towing broken down vessels into port,
has been matter Of wonder among the
officers of the Ocean Steamship line, and
many of them like to tell with pride of
some of his famous exploits.
Capt Berg has rescued over 200 lives
in his time" remarked one of the cap
taius the other day. ITS remarkable
that he has never received any recogni-
tIon of any kind for his Invaluable ser
vices in the work he has done in this way
So far as know, and have known Capt
Berg for some two or three years, he has
never received so much as a gold-headed
cane. engraved as remembrance of any
of his famous and successful efforts in the
saving of human lives and property 1t
isa matter of general knowledge too that
most of Capt. Berg's rescues have been
made within that time
ONE OF HIS EARLIEST EFFORTS
BY conversing with some of the cap
tains and oflCers of the line some few
facts were learned with regard to sew
eral Of Capt, Berg's well known advent
ures.
In 1881 he was first officer of the
Juuiata which was plying between Sa-
yannah and Philadelphia. The famous
storm Of that year is well remembered
by many citizens of Savannah. Some
hours before the heaviest part of the
gale had subsidized the Juniata sighted a
wrecked schooner off Charleston. She
was fast going to pieces in the gale. The
men on board could not be left there to
perish if there was any means of saving
them.
First Officer Berg went in a boat him
self with two sailors, through the break
ers to the wreck. II was only with great
dithculty that he was able TO get off the
remaining six men on board the schooner
One of them hada broken leg and another
a broken arm. The six men were finally
put aboard the Juniata, however, where
they were provided for.
BROUGHT THE CRANE TO PORT.
Capt, Berg, then in command of the
Birmingham, passed Cape Lookout shoals
April 30, 1879. This point is about 260
miles up the coast There he sighted the
steamship VIM. Crane, of the Merchants
and Miners line, in distress. Her ma
chincry was broken down, and it was
with great difficulty that she was man
aged. She had become disabled in a gale
and was in a bad condition, which would,
no doubt, have been made much worse
had another gale struck her in that help
less state.
Capt Berg finally got a hawser from
the Birmingham to the Crane and brought
her right on into Savannah. There were
upward of fifty people aboard the Crane,
including crew and passengers.
SAVED A CREW OF TWENTY-FIVE.
much more dangerous wreck than
the Crane was that of the Norwegian
fruit steamer Victoria, which was found
erIug in heavy sea off Charleston July
5, 1892 This steamer had passed through
heavy gale and was severely damaged
Her crew had been for three or four days
at the pumps and they were in imminent
danger The steamships machinery was
broken down and her propeller was gone.
After much difficulty Capt. Berg sue
ceeded in getting line to the disabled
steamer and brought her into this port.
The crew consisted of about twenty-five
men, all of whom were saved.
sIXTY-sEVEN ON ONE WRECK.
1t was during the same year, Feb. %.
lN'2 that Capt, Berg made one of his
most noteworthy resCues.
The British steamship Akaba fOundere1
in heavy gale off Hatteras. For several
days she drifted about in the gale, it re-
curing the combined efforts of all on
board to keep her afloat The British
steamship Saturn took her in tow, but the
hawser parted and the Saturn did not at
tempt 10 get another line to the wreck.
Two other British steamers passed and
We're signaled. They refused, however,
TO attempt to rescue the unfortunate
ship
The Akaba had broken her shaft and
otherwise disabled her machinery. Capt.
Berg sighted her in a heavy gale Feb. 20,
lN'@. seeing there was a large number
OF people on board, he determined to eX-
ert his utmost efforts to save her 1t was
impossible TO get the men off the wreck,
as the sea was running too high. The
only thing that could be done was to get
Inc TO the wreck and tow her into mar
Dor
HAWsERs PARTED FOUR TIMES.
After working several hours in the
heaVy sea lines were finally Eoated to
the wreck by means Of buoys. They
were made fast and the Birmingham be-
gan towing the wreck towards Hampton
Roads, Four times the hawsers parted,
anu IL was only after they had been at
tached by using the buoys the fifth time
IAaj they held together.
fmaIly after much difficulty and dan
ger from the immense risks that were
utH@ taken the Birmingham towed the
AAaoa safely into Hampton Roads where
she was Hbeled for salvage by the Ocean
steamship Company, and 100000 was
awarded by the court of admiralty to the
HoeAant. BY taking in this ship, which
Aal practically been abandoned three
inherent times, Capt. Berg rescued the
ss@@'seven men aboard and prevented
VAeA from perishing in the sea.
SUCCESSES DURING THE LAST STORM,
Inc history of Capt. Berg's work in
IgScung the crew Of the wrecked steam
ssHlp City of Savannah Aug 80, 1893 after
sue mad been lostOff Hunting Island is too
wei known to need repetition.
coming down the coast Aug % he saw
tue wreck Of the schooner Joseph Souther
WIN her crew Of nine on board. He
S,oPped and rescued them Late in the
ottt'hoon of the same day too late to get
az lAe wreck that night, he sighted the
savannah aground near the island He
SgnO over boat in command of First
CIncer johnson, and it was finally de-
Cueo that the Birmingham should wait
uulll the upxt ffloppipor trnar, 10 ,vou11