The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-02-14
SCRANTON MAN SAW
THE VEENDAM RESCUE
President Zehnder, OF the Dickson Com.
pany, au Eyewitness.
WAS ON THE STEAMER ST. LOUIS
lie Has w ords of Grea. Praise for the
Officers OF the Two Ocean Liners
Who superintended the Rescue OF
2l2 Souls without an Accident.
Gives a New Version of the Cause
of the Disaster.

President G. II. Zehnder. of the Dick
son Manufacturing company, who
reached Scranton Saturday evening
from Europe, was passenger on board
the American line steamer ST. Louis
and witnessed the thrilling rescue of
PIP passengers and crew from the
steamship Veendam, of the Holland
American line. He and Mrs. Zehnder
were on their return home from a trip
which began Immediately after the hol-
idays. At the Hotel Jermyn last night
Mr.. Zehnder readily consented to be in
terviewed by a Tribune reporter in ref
erence to the rescue.
People can say what they will about
discipline. military and of other kinds,
but let me testify right here that no
discipline can be more perfect and alb
solute than that which l have just
observed on the st. Louis and among
the heroic Holland officers of the Veen-
dam. From what / saw personally on
the former vessel and from what I
heard almost first-hand concerning the
Neendam's crew, 1 shall always have
the greatest admiration for the men
who hold in their hands the lives of
thousands of helpless souls crossing the
Atlantic. Nobody could hear first hand
the story of the accident to the Veendam
and of the subsequent incidents aboard
her and see the final rescue of her
human freight and not bow before the
great ability, bravery and strength of
character possessed by those in COM
mand of the big ocean liners.
CAUSE OF DISASTER
"The New York newspapers and the
dispatches do not give the cause of the
accident as we understood it aboard
ship. 1t is published that the Veen-
dam ran into a sunken wreck. That is
untrue according to statements made
by the officers. We were told-Capt,
G.. Stenger, of the Veendam, said it
that about o'clock in the afternoon
the propeller flew off and the non-resis-
tance to the engines caused them to
run away Something had to break.
1t was the connections between the
cranks and the huge shaft. Before the
engines could be stopped the whirling
steel pounded holes in the ships bottom
as easily as though it had been made
of egg-shell. OF course, torrents of wat
er poured into the boilers and put the
fires out. What followed illustrates the
utter helplessncss of a shipload at sea.
'Of the PIP passengers all We're steer
age but four. Officers were put in the
steerage to keep the passengers there
from becoming panic C-stricken. They
were given absolutely no particulars of
the accident nor were they allowed to
go to bed. AS soon as it became ap-
parent that the crew was insufficient
to work the pumps the male steerage
passengers We're pressed into service.
A sea anchor made Of a huge spread
of canvas was dropped and kept the
vessels nose against the waves and
made her ride easier.
Captain Stenger calculated from
the rise of water in the hold that he
could postpone for twelve hours a de-
sertion of the ship. There We're not
enough boats to accommodate the pas
sengers and all the crew, so lots were
drawn to determine those of the crew
who should man and command the
boats and leave with the passengers in
case help did not arrive. Those who
remained were to take chances on es-
Gaping on RATS and with life-preserv-
ers. The water was gaining so fast
that a sufficient number of seamen
could barely be spared to prepare the
boats with provisions and instruments.
"They were on the watch for the St.
Louis, which was sighted about /
| O'Clock Monday morning. Rockets had
been fired at intervals since darkness
| began and cannon shots We're added
to the signals of distress when the
| lights of the St Louis We're seen. Cap
tain William G. Randle was in COM
mand of the American liner, which
| cto oh o
the Veendam and was kept steady by
sea anchor of the same type as was
used by the crippled boat.
soon a boat from the Veendam ap-
| peared at the side of the st. Louis. 1t
contained Captain Stenger who told
| Captain Randle of the accident They
| conferred a moment as to the means
of rescue and Captain Stenger was
rowed back to his ship, followed by the
| boats of the st. Louis, each manned
| by ten oarsmen and an officer, who
| was steersman.
The first being swung over the rail
of the Veendam into a st. Louis boat
was a 6-months-old baby. When the
| boat contained sixteen babies and chill
dren and three women it was rowed to
| the st. Louis. The remaining boat
| loads each contained sixteen adults.
| All the passengers were first trans
| ferred. Captain Stenger and the ships
surgeon were the last to leave the
wreck.
Captain Stengers final act was to
set fire to the ship, as the drifting hulk
would have been menace in those
| waters. Only a little over three hours
was required to transfer all the pas
sengers. We lost just four hours from
the time the St. Louis stopped until
she started away. In that time we
| dritted to over two miles away from
the Veendam. Her stern had settled
| perceptibly and the bow was almost
out Of the water. The st. Louis started
| quickly away after Captain Stengef
got aboard. 1t was quite while be-
| fore the flames burst from the Veen-
dams matches and companionways,
but the light in the sky could be seen
until after daylight.
HEAVY SWELL RUNNING
"One remarkable feature of the in
cident was that not even the most
trivial kind of an accident happened
during the rescue. The sea was not
broken, but very heavy swell was
running and the boats rose and fell
many feet and pointed their noses in
all directions while in transit between
the two steamers and at the steamers
sides. One man while being lowered
over the Veendam's rail had the lower
part of his legs wet by a heavy swell
but that is the only case of wetting
know Of"
Mr., Zehnder made the European trIr
for needed relaxation from business
n Ilas