The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1898-02-15
THE WRECK OF
THE VEENDAM
All the 2l2 Souls on Board
Were Saved.
RESCUED BY ST. LOUIS
WAS SINKING WHEN AMER1CAN
LINER WAS SIGHTED.
IN THE GALES GRASP AT MIDNIGHT

Heroic Conduct Of Capt. Stenger, of ice Veen-
dam, and of the Three Rescuing Officers on
the St. Louis--The Veendam Encountered
High Seas and Strorg Gales Three Days
Out from Rotterdam, and Struck a Sub
merged Wreck Which Tore a Hole in Her
Bottom Nine First Class and 1l8 Storage
Passengers -Veendan Was the Baltic Of the
White Star Line Captain Stengtr the Last
to Leave, and he Set the Ship Afre.
New York. Feb. 1.-THE American
Line steamer st. Louis, Captain handle.
which arrived today from Southampton,
reports the loss at sea of the Holland
America line steamer Neendam, Cap
tain Stenger. from Rotterdam for New
York. The passengers and crew of the
Neendam were saved by the st. Louis.
At quarantine. Captain Stenger. Of the
Neendam. reported as follows:
ne Nttlltltiiil NLt .
ruary :, with Il general cargo, nine cabin,
11S steerage passengers and 80 Of the
crew. bound for New York. Had strong
northwest gales and high w. & w. y.
w. seas. On February +. at about 5:1I
O'Clock p. NJ, ships time, being in lati-
tude 1879 n. longitude POL n. W.. the
steamer struck a submerged wreck or
wreckage which probably tore a hole in
the ships bottom and broke her propel-
Ter shaft. We found that our ship WAS
making considerable water. We imIne-
diately set all pumps to work. but not
w~ithStanding this the water gained on
us. In the meantime all our boats We're
made ready in order. if necessary. to
leave the ship at 4 moments notice. be-
cause she was now sinking rapidly at the
stern. At 1::O o'clock a. M, We. observ-
ed the mast head lights of a large
steamer be1ring about east by south
from us. We made signals of distress.
on which the vessel bore down on us.
We then decided. for the safety of the
passengers and. crew, 10 abandon the
ship. The. vessel nr0ved to. be the ST.
Louis. of the American Line. bound
from Southampton for New York. We
hailed her and reported that our ship
was sinking. and that sHe, wished to Ire
taken off. At l:43 O'Clock a. m. we
commenced to transfer our passengers
and crew. using, three boatssOf the st.
Louis. and one of our ships. Our men
were kept at the. pumps. l (.
AT 4:53 o'clock a. m.. Monday morn
ing everybody had been transferred to
the st. Louis. When the last boat left
fhe Veendam was 1aboring very heavily
and sinking rapidly. The transfer of the
passengers and crew took, nOtwithstand-
ing the great difficulties and high sea
running, three hours and ten minutes,
and was accomplished without the
slightest accident.
''-As the wreck was Il dangerous OBJ
struction to navigation, we decided to
set her on fire. which was done.
The position of the wreck was then
latitude 1919 n, longitude 19.47 w.
ION board the st. Louis we were
warmly received, and the captain and
his officers did everything possible for
our comfort. W.. take this opportunity
10 express our utmost gratitude, also
in the name of the passengers of the
Veendam."
The passenger of the st. Louis pass
ed resolutions commencing the gallant
service and splendid seamanship dis
played by the officers and crew of the
ST. Louis in the rescue of the Neendam's
passengers and crew.
The tirst-class passengers on the Neen-
dam were:
Mary Ealinger, United States.
b. r. Kapteies. Holland.
Victor Gallowitz, Hungary.
Mrs. Victor GallowitZ, Hungary.
The Second-class passengers We're:
Gerard Kromsel, Holland.
Bertha Won Fekete. Hungary.
Frank Lehman. United States.
Fannie Golub, United States.
Wilhelm Ruling, Germany.
Cantain Stenger. who was in
Of the Vpenuam has IN excellent record
and is comparatively a young man. In
January, 1894. while in command OF the
Amsterdam, Captain Stenger lost his
fiIst officer and six seamen VINO put
off in a small boat during terrific wealth
or 70 attempt to rescue h crew Of the
American schooner Mary Wells. when
was in Il sinking condition. Captain
Stcnger made further efforts 10 rescue
the crew of the Mary Wells. II rs now
in possession of Il handsome golu Walci'
presented to him by President tleVe-
land on behalf of the American peopie
for his gallant action on that occasion
The st. Louis was very slow III max
llS IFf Lbtk, OWiiS "
which overriding the river to-day. A
great crowd awaited her arrival. When
at noon the American Liner was hnaliv
moored, Thos. B. Segrave, first ofhcer
of the st. Louis. who commanded tht
first boat that was lowered. and VINO ac-
cOrding to all accounts is the real nero
of the rescue, told a modest story of the
occurrence. He said:
1T was shortly after l O'Clock Mon
day last that the officers on board the
st. Louis first noticed the signals of dis
trcss so familiar to. and yet so dreaded
by seamen. The rockets were being fir
ed. as near as | can judge, about five
miles to the starboard OF us. Orders
were at once given and the st. Louis
promptly changed her course.
As soon as we got close enough to the
il fated vessel. signals We're run III
informing us that the vessel was in
sore distress and that the passengers
and rrau- 1aSirad IN no taEap off aS