The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1904-07-04
zoo GO DOWN
IN ALTA, &c
III
Wreck Of the. Danish
Steameri<
~.
GOES ON : <kALL REEF
Believed That Only u Per-
sons Escaped.
When Last Seen, Captain Gundel stood
ON the Bridge Waiting for
the Doomed Vessel

London. July 3.-Over seven hundred
Danish and Norwegian emigrants
bound for New York are believed to
have been drowned in the north At
lantic June 2sth. OF nearly 900 souls
on board the Danish steamer Norge,
which left Copenhagen June %. only
81 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,0 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 last Tues
day, the Norge, which was out of her
course in heavy weather, ran on the
Rockall reef. which in the distance
looks like a ship under full sail. The
Norge was quickly backed off. but the
| heavy seas poured into the rent In her
| bows.
Hatchways Became CIogged.
The emigrants, who were then
awaiting breakfast below, ran on deck
| The hatchways were scarcely built for
the hundreds of souls and became
| clogged.
The Norge quickly began to go down
by the head. Eight boats We're low
| cred and into these the women and
| children were hurriedly put. Six of
| these boats smashed against the side
| of the Norge and their helpless in
mates 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 them
| selves into the sea and were drowned.
| Captain Gundel so say the survivors,
stood on the bridge of the doomed ves-
sci until it could be seen no more.
| Beat on Drowning Wretches.
| The Norge foundered suddenly and
some six hundred 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 drown
| inS wretches with oars. The boats
kept together for some hours. Prac-
| tically all of their occupants were pas
sengers and were not used to hand
ling such craft.
| The boat occupied by the survivors
landed at Grimsby. was a life boat
! One account says that three boats
| were successfully launched. the other
| two holding about ten persons each
The life boat made faster progress and
fell in with the Saliva. What became
of the other boats is not yet known
| The rescue of those on the life boat
| took place on the morning of June 23
the survivors consisting of 20 men. one
| of them seaman. six women and a
girl.
| Fought for Place In Boats.
One of the survivors said when he
got on deck the Norge was half sub
merged and was rapidly getting lower
i'm the water. Half mad with fright
the survivors all struggled for places
in the boats. They fought their way
to the big life boat and an officer stow
ed in the six women and the girl and
then told the men to get in.
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 ant
tried to board another boat which was
not so full He failed and was drown
ed
In the sea by this time was mass
of struggling men, women and children
gasping and choking from the effects Of
the water. The boats rowed clear o.
this soothing inferno and just as she
got away the Norge went down.
| Peter Nelson. one of the survivors
de scribed as a young American. said
For some hours we rowed In thu
other boats but the strong tide drift
ed us away from the others and moth
inc has been seen of them since.
Picked Up BY the Saliva.
! The Saliva picked us up and W.
were well cared for on board the yes
sel All of us lost our entire belong
ines There was no time in that ferc'
} fght for life to think of anything bu
Getting seats in the boats"
The only hope except for thos
known to have escaped is that som
few of the emigrants might have beel
washed upon the barren rock. Thei
chances for being rescued even then /
practically nil, for vessels sailing tn
north Atlantic give Rockall as wide
berth as possible The news of thi
disaster, which it is feared, in its dealt
record is greater than any other pre-
yious tragedy of the Atlantic. cam
with the arrival this evening of tn
steam-trawler Saliva at her home port
the quiet fishing town of Grimsby
The Saliva has been on a fortnight
cruise around the Hebrides BY chanc
; she steamed further west than usua
and fell in with the survivors of tn
Norge. who for "a hours had bee
tossed about in small boat on tn
rough waters of the north Atlantic.
The survivors were taken aboard tn
Saliva and were landed at Grimsby to
. night.
STORY OF A SURVIVOR.