Worcester morning daily spy., 1898-02-13
THRILLING STORY OF DISASTER.
Rescue Of the Passengers by the American
Liner 81. Louis.
Life Boats Smashed-A Scene of Terror, But All
Saved-Twenty Children Saved in the First
Boat Captain Sets Wreck on Fire.

New York, Feb. 12-The St Louis,
which arrived today from Southampton,
brings news of the wreck Of the steam
ship Veendam of the Holland-American
line. The Veendam left Rotterdam for
New York Feb. 8, with cabin and 11S
steerage passengers and a crew of So,
On the 9Th she struck a submerged
wreck which tore a hole in her in the
ships bottom and broke nsT shaft The
pumps were set at work and boats made
ready for leaving the sinking steamer.
But great disaster was averted by
the appearance of the steamship St
Louis, which rescued all hands.
The st. Louis was slow In making her
dock here, owing to the dense fog which
oyerhung the river. A great crowd
awaited her arrival. When at noon the
American liner was finally moored,
Thos. B. Segrave, first officer Of the st.
Louis, who commanded the first boat
that was lowered and who according to
all accounts, is the real hero of the res
cue, told a modest story Of the occur
renee. He said:
ROCKETS SENT UP.
1T was shortly after 1 O'clock, Mon
day 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
We're being fired 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
Inflated vessel, signals We're run up in-
forming US that the vessel was in sore
distress, and that the passengers and
crew desired to be taken 5ff as soon as
possible. With the aid of glasses, we
discovered that the ship in distress had
an immense hole in her side to the aft
and was slowly and steadily settling
A high rolling sea was running al the
time. A storm had been raging a few
hours previously, but the sea had
Gained considerably.
THE RESCUE.
"Our captain at once ordered the life
boats manned, and the work of rescue
began. I was given command of the
first boat to be lowered. Tnen we were
laying off about one-quarter Of mile
from the Veendam AS our life-boats
drew nearer, we could plainly hear the
cries of distress from the frightened
passengers, AS soon as we got close by,
Capt Stenger told me there was no
hope of saving the vessel, and that all
haste should be made in transferring
the passengers to the St. Louis.
TWENTY CHILDREN IN THE FIRST
BOAT.
The first to be taken from the Veen-
dam was six months old baby. Fol-
lowing this, about 20 more children
ranging in age from the swaddling
clothes period to 10 and Il years, were
lowered to our boat. AS soon as this
was done, we pushed off and made back
to the ST. Louis, where the youngsters
were taken on board.
''The Veendam was laboring in a
heavy sea, and the work. of rescue was
difficult. The passengers were lowered
from the ships sides by means of life
Sings The excitement on board the
Veendam was intense, but Capt Stem
ger and his crew managed to keep the
passengers in some kind of discipline.
After all the children had been taken
from the Veendam and transferred to
the life boats, next came the men, and
last of all, the ships crew Many Of
the women We're go overcome that they
had to be picked up and dropped over
board into the arms OF the life boat
crew. Cap5. Stenger behaved like a
hero. Not only did he direct the efforts
Of his officers and crew, but he person
ally assisted in lowering the children
and the more timid women.
RESCUfNG BOAT SMASHED.
The second boat to be lowered from
the St. Louis was commanded by Geo.
Beckwith, senior second officer. No
sooner 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 Beckwith with his crew
were soon transferred. This boat took
Is women from the Veendam.
Henry Campbell, second officer of the
ST. Louis, commanded the third boat,
which also took IS passengers. BY the
time the third boat had pushed off from
the Veendam | had again arrived with
my boat, and in the meantime two Of
the Veendams life boats had been low
cred, manned by the first and second
officers of the Veendam. The second
boat foundered before any passengers
had been taken aboard The crew,
however, was quickly rescued.