Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-07-04
Narrowing Details Of the
Wreck of the Norge.
FIGHT FOR THEIR LIVES
DROWNING OF MANY CHILDREN
PARTICULARLY PATHETIC.
Foundering Of the Vessel on Well
Known Reef Regarded Very
Strange-Fog and Rain.

oIIduSe@EOR anu 1ke1us
GRIMSBY. England, July 4-Owing to
the strict enforcement of certain regula-
lions and the fact that there is no Danish
consul here, all the survivors of the Norge,
who arrived here on the steam trawler
Saliva were kept on that vessel all night.
They were In a pitiable condition.
This morning, in the dingy cabin OF the
trawler, the representative of the Asso-
ciated Press saw over a dozen persons, In
Guiding five women and two children. hud-
died together. Each Of three Of the women
was in bunk, one was lying on the cabin
floor and the other was leaning against
the captains berth, too bewildered to move.
Two of the women pleaded to see Danish
minister Of the Gospel, but the one settled
here happened to be away.
Johan Joohnsen, a gray-bearded man
from Tromso, said:
Most Passengers Below.
when the ship first bumped most OF us
were below. All rushed to the deck. / had
my wife and five children with me. At first
none of US was aware of what had hap
pened and we kept quiet, but In q minute or
two we saw the ship was sinking. and then
there were shrieks and cries too awful to
describe. We had nearly 20 children
aboard and they screamed with terror.
Their mothers, too. were almost frantic.
though some of them-calmer than the
others-began putting their little ones In
the rigging and other elevated positions. So
far as 1 could see the officers OF the snip
kept very calm, but the crowd was uncon-
trollable.
Men and women began jumping into the
rxyhf1 Ito pfh nro rov nd
to snatch life belts from those who had
them. AS soon as the first boat was got
out there was mad rush for her, with the
result that she Immediately sank. In this
way three boats were lost. Meanwhile
had put my wife and five children on
hatch and implored them not to move until
1 returned. When I saw other boats being
launched l returned to fetch my wife and
Whether they had gone in another boat or
had been carried away in the mad rush 1
do not know. / am absolutely alone in the
world.
Many Struggled in Sea.
"Our boat was crowded to nearly double
its proper number. All around us people
were struggling in the sea, shriektng for
help and imploring us to take them In. We
had an old sail and a couple of oars but
no mast. In launching the boat big hole
was knocked in her side, and we men had
to take turns in bailing her out. We could
do nothing but allow the boat to drift.
THE five women behaved splendidly,
never murmuring. All around us were hum
dreds fighting for their lives. The shrieks
of those left on the Ship particularly the
children could be heard above all the con-
fusion around US. But it was soon over, as
we saw tn Norge sink in less than half an
hour from the first shock"
Another survivor told the Associated
Press representative that most of the pas
sengers the steamer were going out to
friends in America.
One of the five surviving women was go
ing out to her husband, and she had
throughout chung to her little girl of five.
Another woman, in her deliriouS joy at be-
the trawler her wedding ring.
While some of the boats were over
crowded, Others according to the survivors,
had only a few persons in them. The cap
He was standing on the bridge, and ap-
peared to be overcome at the appalling ca
tastrophe.
Weather Very Hazy.
1t appears that the weather was very
hazy when the Norge struck, but the cap
tain of the trawler and other say Rock
all reef is so well known, especially to New
York traders, that they cannot understand
how the steamer struck.
1--WE had just got down our gear We'd
nesday morning." said the mate of the
trawler, when we saw the boat At first
we took little notice of her, but finally made
out through a glass that she was full of
people. We Immediately handed up our
trawl and bore down toward the boat with
all speed, the occupants of which were in a
pitiable plight, drenched, half clad and ex-
hausted. We got them aboard and fitted
them out as best we could. made the wo-
men as comfortable as possible and imme-
diately sailed for home
The survivors were landed at about 10
O'Clock. They will be sent back to Copen-
hagen on the BOthnia, sailing tonight
Karl Mathiasen, the only member Of the
crew among the survivors, said to the rep
resentatlve of the Associated Press that
Rockall reef was invisible In the fog and
rain The captain and chief officer Of the
Norge were both on the bridge at the time
of the accident. The chief officer got into
one of the boats, but the captain was seen
on the bridge, surrounded by many other
Norge sank. "