The courier. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1894-1903, 1899-05-20


hymn, THE Flag
senlied." Singing that song they went
to their death cheerfully. The Ills be-
gan her last voyage on July % last,
When she left Chefoo, in China, for
Nagasaki, in Japan. She was a gum
beat OF $500 tons, small vessel of the
class which is maintained by European
powers in Asiatic waters for the pur.
pose OF Furnishing natives, protecting
citizens, and so forth. 1t does not ap-
pear that she had any one particular
defect, but she was too weak to face
the terrible storm which overlook her.
before nightfall the ship was over
:aken by one of those terrible storms
winch rage with such fury on the east
ern coast of Asia. When darkness
came the storm was still increasing in
1ufy. The crew were helpless and
crouched under the bulwarks holding
on to ropes and rails for their lives.
Great seas broke over the deck, drown
ing and injuring many men. The ship
was beyond control of helm or engines
and incapable of making a course in
the direction in which safety lay. I'm
TIL nearly midnight the storm flung
the helpless ship abou. Then, having
been lifted on the crest of an enormous
wave. she fell with cras'! which
shook her from stem to stern. She had
struck on reef, which proved to be
one Off the southeast promontory on
the Chinese coast. The heats were
washed away, the men were powerless,
to save the ship. and their Only chance
OF life lay in clinging 20 a ship that
was fast breaking up. After nearly
twelve hours of battle with the stor,n
1t only remained for ther to die. Cap.
tain Braun, who had never for a mo.
ment relaxed his efforts to save the
ship, saw that his work was over. His
stalwart form and his calm, but strong
German face will live in the memory
or the few survivors until their last
hour. He called all the officers and
men around him on deck, and taking
each one by the hand babe him fare
well. Then he told the whole crew that
they had done their duty like men, and
would do well to end by giving three
cheers for the Kaiser ana for Germany.
These We're given with strength that
struggled with the roar of the wind
and waves. The ship was then fast
breaking up. A chasm lad opened
abaft the forenast, and the waves
breaking 0fer the deck threatened
every moment to tear away the greater
part of the ship aud sink in under the
boiling sea. Then Gunner Raehn
yelled to the men to sing the national
military hymn, the "Flaggenlied." BY
that time a sort of intoXicatOn born
Of contempt for death Rad come over
them. Joining hands for good fellow.
ship and also to save one anotl for &
few moments more from the ltches
OF the waves, officers and men ,anced
on the deck of the Ills as they sang
the hymn, the refrain of which is:
"The Kaiser and our standard. Hoch
THE flag, black, white and red"
They had barely concluded the bymr
when the ship broke up and the afte,
part of her was engulfed in the sea
A very few managed to reach the small
part fast on the reef-nOt one officer
among them. OF the thirteen men who
succeeded in clinging to the wreck
eleven were eventually saved. Thew
spent terrible night, during which
several of them were washed off and
two drowned. The whole of the next
day the storm continued with consid
,rable violence, and they remained in
!heir miserable position. At the end