Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1904-07-08
Steamer Crowded with Emigrants Runs
on Reef Off Scottish Coast.
Great Boat Goes Down i'm Ten Minutes
Lifcboats Crushed by Waves and Pas
sengers Leap Into Sea in Panic-Cap-
tain Bravely Sinks with Ship, but
Comes to Surface Again and Is
Rescued.

believed to have been drowned III tHe
north Atlantic. Out of nearly 800
souls on board the Danish steamer
Norge, which lef% Copenhagen June q,
only 1913 are known to be alive and
for the rest no hope Is held out.
When last seen the Norge was sink
ing where she struck on the islet of
Rockall, whose isolated peak raises It
self from a deadly Atlantic reef some
200 miles off the west coast Of Scot
land.
Early on the morning Of Tuesday
the Norge, which was out Of her
course In heavy weather, ran on to
the Rockall reef, which in the dis
lance looks like ship under full SAIL
The Norge was quickly backed off,
but the heavy seas poured in through
a rent In her bows.
Lifcboats Are Capsized.
The emigrants, who were then
awaiting breakfast below, ran on
deck. The hatchways were scarcely
built for these hundreds Of souls and
became clogged.
The Norge quickly began to go
down by the head. Eight boats We're
lowered and into these the women
and children were hurriedly put. Six
of these boats smashed against the
side of the Norge and their helpless
inmates were caught up by the heavy
seas.
Two boat loads got safely away
from the side of the sinking ship and
many Of the emigrants who were left
on board, Selling life belts, threw
themselves into the sea and were
drowned.
The Norge foundered suddenly and
some GOO terrified emigrants were
thrown into the water or drawn down
with the sinking ship. Those who
could swim tried to reach the boats,
but these were already too full and
their occupants beat off the drowning
wretches with oars.
Two Other Boats Missing.
The boats kept together for some
hours. Practically all Of their occu-
pants We're passengers and were not
used to handling such craft. The boat
occupied by the survivors landed at
Grimsby was lifeboat.
One account says that three boats
were successfully launched, the other
two holding about ten persons each.
The lifeboat made faster progress and
fell in with the Saliva. The rescue of
those on the lifeboat took place at 8
clock on the morning of Wednesday,
the survivors consisting of twenty
men, one of them seaman, six WON
en- ard girl.
One Of the survivors said that when
he got on deck the Norge was half
submerged and was rapidly getting
lower in the water. Half mad with
fright, the survivors all struggled for
places in the boats. They fought their
way to the big lifeboat and an officer
slowed in the six women and the girl
and then told the men to get in.
Heroic Officer browns.
The officer then took charge and got
the boat away from the side of the
Norge. Seeing that the boat was al.
ready overloaded, the officer, with
great heroism, jumped into the water
and tried to board another boat which
was not SO full. He failed and was
drowned.
In the sea by this time was a mass
OF struggling men, women and chill
dren, gasping and choking from the
effects Of the water The boat rowed
clear of this seething inferno, and Just
as she drew away the Norge went
down.
Survivors Of the disaster now are
known to number 12S, 1O2 having been
picked up by English and German YES
sells from lifeboats in which they were
adrift on the ocean. Among those
saved Is Captain Gundel Of the Norge.
who was carried down when the ship
sank. He rose and swan for life
boat filed with other survivors.
For more than year the Norge has
been bringing over a mixed class of
emigrants. She could easily carry
1000 or 1900 passengers. OF late her
passenger list has included Danes, Nor
wegians and Russians.
The Norge, which had been in the
Copenhagen-New York service OF the
scandinavian line for a number OF
years, was an iron vessel of 3,31s tons
~
gross and 2,121 tons net Her princi-
pal dimensions were: Length, $40 feet;
breadth, 90 feet, and depth, % feet.
The vessel was built at Glasgow by
A. Stephen & Sons in 1881, when she
was christened PETER De Coniuck.
When she was purchased by the Unl-
ted Steamer Company Of Copenhagen
. hn L