The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-02-13

/
perfect discipline on their snip and very
ably assisted US in disembarking the
passengers"
The passengers of the st. Louis passed
resolutions commencing the gallant SER
vice and splendid seamanship displayed by
the officers and crew of the st. Louis in
| the rescue Of the Veendam's passengers
| and crew.
| The Veendam was formerly the White
! Star steamer Baltic. She was built at
Belfast, Ireland, by Hart & Wolff in
ISL She was fournasted markentine-
rugged screw steamer. She registered 4,O36
gross and 2,767 net tons and was 41S feet
long, Il feet beam and 31.9 feet deep.
THE ST. LOUIS IN PORT.
The st. Louis was very slow in making
! her dock owing to the dense fog which
overhung the river today. A great crowd
| awaited her arrival When at noon the
American liner was finally moored,
Thomas Seagrave, first officer of the st.
Louis. who commanded the first boat
which was lowered, and who, according
to all accounts, is the real hero of the
rescue, told modest story of the occur
| renee. He said:
MATE SEAGRAVE'S STORY.
at was shortly after l o'clock Monday
morning last, that the officers on board
the st. Louis first noticed the signals of
distress so familiar TO and yet so dreaded
by seamen. The rockets were being fired,
as near as 1 can judge, about five miles
to the starboard of US. Orders were at
once given and the st. Louis promptly
changed her course.
las soon as We got close enough to the
Inflated vessel, signals were run up in
forming us that the vessel was in sore
distress and that the passengers and crew
desired to be taken off as soon as pos
sible. With the aid of glasses we dis
covered that the ship in distress had an
immense hole in her side to the aft and
was slowly but steadily settling. a high
rolling sea was running at the time. A
storm had been raging few hours prev
iously, but the sea had Gained cOnsid-
erably. Our captain at once ordered the
lifeboats manned and the work of rescue
began. was given command of the first
boat to be lowered We were then lying
off about quarter of q mile from the
Veendam. As our lifeboats drew nearer
we could plainly hear the cries of distress
from the shivering and frightened passen-
gers. AS soon as we got close by. Captain
Stenger told me there was no hope of saw
ing the vessel and that all haste should
be made in transferring the passengers
to the St Louis.
1.-The first to be taken from the Veen-
dam was a siX-months old baby. Follow
ing this about twenty more children, rang
ing in age from the swaddling-clothes
period to ten and twelve years. were
lowered to our boat. AS soon as this
was done, We pushed off and made back
the st. Louis. where the youngsters
were taken on board.
1.-The Veendam was laboring in a heavy
sea and the work of rescue was difficult.
The passengers were lowered from the
ships side by means of life sings. The
excitement on board the Veendam was
intense. but Captain Stenger and his crew
managed to keep the passengers in some
kind of discipline After all the children
had been taken from the Veendam, the
women were transferred to the lifeboats.
Next came the men, and last of all the
ships crew. Many of the women We're so
overcome that they had to be picked up
and dropped overheard into the arms OF
the lifeboat crew. Captain Stenger be-
haved like hero. Not only did he direct
the efforts of his officers and crew. but
he assisted in lowering the children and
more timid of the women.
1.-The second boat to be lowered from the
St. Louis was commanded by George
Beckwith. senior second officer No soon
er had this boat settled into the sea than
an immense swell smashed it against the
ships side and crushed 1t. Another boat
was quickly lowered and into this Officer
Backwith and his crew were transferred
This boat took eighteen women from the
Veendam. Henry Campbell, second off,
GER of the st. Louis commanded the third
boat, which also took seventeen passen-
gers. By the time the third boat had
pushed off from the Veendam, l had
again arrived with my boat, and in the
meantime two of the Veendam's lifeboats
had been lowered. manned by the first
and second officers of the Veendam. The
second boat foundered before any pas
sengers had been taken aboard. The
crew, however was quickly rescued.
1T was 4:53 a. m. when the last boat
pulled up to the side of the st. Louis. Just
three hours and ten minutes after the
first boat had left our ship. My boat
made four trips and transferred ninety
passengers; Beckwith's made two. and
transferred thirty-six passengers; Camp
bells made two, and also transferred
thirty-six passengers. and the Veendam's
boats made three trips, and carried
total OF fifty passengers.
The last man to leave the Veendam
was Captain Stenger. 1 had to call him
several times before he swung himself
over the side and left the ship to her
tate.
"By this time the stern of the Veen-
dam had settled perceptibly and her bow
was almost entirely clear Of the water
Before leaving the Veendam Captain
Stenger set fire TO various parts of the
cabin.
aside from the women and children,
most of the passengers of the Veendam
behaved heroically. Though the sea was
running very high, we were IN little dam
ger of being swamped except when close
10 the ships side The passengers were
drnched TO the skin. We protected them
as much as possible with oilskins and
tarpaulins. When the work of rescue
was over the St. Louis had drifted until
she was mile and quarter from all
that remained above water Of the veen-
dam"
This is the second rescue in which NJ.
seagrave has played a prominent part.
PASSENGER BROWNS STORY.
Archer Brown OF this city was q pas
senger on the ST. Louis. Describing the