The herald., 1898-02-13
AT EXPENSE OF ALL EARTHLY
POSSESSIONS
A Short But Stirring Story of Wreck
of the Liner Veendam and
Rescue Of the Passengers
and Crew
Associated Press Special Wire

| hSSOCldteu ITeSS SpeCidl WT6
NEW YORK, Feb. 12-The American
line steamer st. Louis, Captain Randle,
which arrived today from Southampton,
reports the loss at sea of the Holland
American line steamer Neendam, Cap
tain Stenger bound from Rotterdam to
New York. The passengers and crew
of the Veendam were saved by the st.
Louis.
The Veendam left Rotterdam February
| 2 with cabin and 11S steerage passen-
gers and a crew of S5, bound for New
York. The fourth day out the steamer
struck a submerged wreck, tearing a
hole in her bottom and breaking her pro-
peller shaft. Notwithstanding the use
of the pumps, the Veendam began to
sink, and the steamer st. Louis, passing.
observed the Veendams signals of dis
tress and rescued all the passengers and
crew.
WHAT HE SAW
Archer Brown of this city was pas
senger on the st. Louis. Describing the
scene on the st. Louis while the rescue
was in progress, he said:
Nearly all the passengers on the ST.
Louis were in bed when the news quick
ly spread that wreck had been sighted.
Then we crowded on deck. We could see
the glare of the skyrockcts as they
burst in the air, and we could hear the
shrieks of the women of the Veendam.
The excitement on board the st. Louis
that is, among the passengers-was in
tense. We cheered the reScuers as they
pushed off for the Veendam.
ut was perhaps three-quarters of an
hour before the first lifeboat returned.
In it were about 25 children, all huddled
closely together and crying lustiHy'. Of
ficer Seagrave was doing his best to
quiet them.
THEY SNIVELED
"It was a sight worth seeing the way
our well-dressed American women min
istered to the wants of the DOOR
wretched creatures who We're hauled on
board, more dead than alive The res
cued women, after they had partly re-
covered, began to cry aloud for their
children, and when they found them
they cried for joy. 1t seemed to me
that some of us men sniveled a bit about
that time, too.
when the men came aboard we were
more in our element. We gave them
whisky, and it did them no end of good.
AS the last boat hove in sight a glare
burst out. The Veendam was on fire.
The rescued passengers huddled togeth-
er and set up wall. They had nothing
in the world except what was on their
backs"
PASSENGERS STORIES
Mendel Mandoff and David Devinish-
Ike, two steerage passengers of the Veen-
dam, both hailing from Noveno Guberna.
Russian Poland. told a joint story of
what befell the Inflated Holland-Amer-
lean liner:
1T was after o'clock on Sunday, and
we were three days out, when there
came terrible crash. We did not know
what was the matter. The women, for
the most part sick, sprang from their
cots and began to rush about. They
dreadfully. The ship stopped,
and from the rushing around we knew
that there must be some great trouble,
and we began to pray to God for his pro-
lection. Suddenly one of the officers
came into the steerage and ordered all
men on deck. We obeyed and were put
to work on the pumps. The crew were
brave fellows. Not man would get off
until all of us were safe. When we were
on the st. Louis and found not a soul
was missing, we fell on our knees, some
IF us, and thanked our God. We have
been splendidly treated on this ship. We
have no clothing, only what we are
Chaia Nyitka, who came to this coun-
Try with her father from Sushkoyalen.
kalish Guberna, Russia, spoke for the
women who were rescued.
SEA SICKNESS CURED
1--WE were nearly all of us sick" she
said, "when the crash came. But we
became suddenly well. Our sickness was
frightened away. When we heard some
of the men saying the 'Shema' (Jewish
prayer before death) and others saving
he psalms. we thought that the end had
come. When all the men were ordered
On deck we followed, because we were
afraid to stay where we could not seq
On the decks we saw men at work at the |
pumps and felt the vessel was settling.
We strained our eyes through the dark
ness to zee ships. but there were no ships.
"Then great lights shot out, and they
said rockets would bring us help.
For 1--WE hours we watched them