The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-07-04
Scandinavian Enigrant Vessel Goes on Reef at RockaII
 Off the Hebridcs
FEARFUL STRUGGLES FOR
 SEATS IN TIE LIFE BOATS
Twenty-seven Survivors Reach the Coast Who Describe the Awful Scenes as the Big Vessel
 Began to Sink


 Danish and Norwegian emigrants bound for New York are believed to have been drowned in the North Atlantic on June 2S. Out of nearly 800 souls on board the Danish steamer Norge which left Copen- hagen July %, only 27 are known to be alive, and for the rest, no hope is held put
 When last seen, the Norge was sinking where she struck on the Islet of Rockall. whose isolated head raises itself from a deadly Atlantic reef, some 2s0 miles off the west coast of Scotland.
 Early on the morning of last Tuesday, 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 quick ly backed off, but the heavy seas poured In through a rent in her bows
 The emigrants who were then awaiting breakfast below, ran on deck The hatch ways were scarcely built for the hundreds of souls and became ciogged.
 The Norge quickly began to go down by the head. Eight boats were lowered and into these the women and children were hurredly put. Six of these boats smashed against the side of the Norge nd 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, seized life belts, threw themselves into the sea and were drowned.
 Captain Stayed With Vessel.
 Captain Gundel, so say the survivors. stood on the bridge of the doomed vessel until 1t could be seen no more.
 The Norge foundered suddenly and some 600 terrified emgrants were thrown into fba wal <o1. ozrf, xyft ha ef fplr rfre 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
 The boats kept together for some hours. Practically all of their occupants were passengers and were not used to handling such craft. The boat occupied by the survivors landed at Grimsby, and was a life boat.
 One account says that three boats were successfully launched, the other two hold ing about ten persons.
 The life boat made faster progress and fell in with the Salvia What became of the other boats is not yet known
 The rescue of those in the life boat took place at o'clock on the morning of June %. the survivors consisting of twenty men, one of them a seaman, six women and a girl
 Frantic Struggle for Places.
 One of the survivors said when he got on deck the Norge was half submerged and was rapidly getting lower in the water Half mad with fright. the sur vivors all struggled for places in the big life boat and an officer slowed In the six women and. 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 already over loaded. the officer with great heroishl iumped into the water and tried to board another boat which was not so luii. re failed and was drowned.
 Tn the sea by this time was mass or struggling men, women and chiidren gasping and choking from the enects or the water The boat rowed clear of this seething inferno and just as sne got away the Norge went down.
 Peter Nielsen one of the survlvors ue- sorihed as a young American, said:
 "For some hours we rowed in company with the other boats, but the strong tide drifted us away from the others ana nothing has been seen of them since. The Salvia picked us up and we were well cared for on board the trawler All or us lost our entire belongings. we hau no time in that fierce fight for life to Jnlnk OI dnytnlflB Oue thS oo@~---o seats in the boat"
 Scant Hope for Survivors.
 The only hope expressed for those known to have escaped Is that some lew of the emigrants night have been wasn- ed upon the barren rock. Their chances for being rescued even then is practical ly nil, for vessels sailing the north Att lantic give Rockall as wide a birth as possible The news of this disaster which 1t is feared in It's death record is greater than any other previous tragedy of the Atlantic came with the arrival this evening of the steam trawfer Salvia at her home port the quiet nshing town of Grimsby. The Salvia nad been on a fortnight's cruise around Hebrides. By a lucky chance she steamed further west than is usual for Grimsby trawlers and fell in with the survivors of the Norge who for twenty-four hours had been tossed about in a small boat on the rought waters of the north Atlantic. The survivors were taken aboard the Salvia and were landed at Grimsby today.
 The steam trawler Salvia put into c;rimsby late tonight with twenty-seven rescued scandnavians aboard Only one could speak English He said:
 Survivor Describes Trip.
 .swe left Copenhagen June 22. There were seven hundred amlgrants, Norwe- Rians Swedes, Danes and Films on board. The crew numbered about eigh- ty.
 "Al1 went we'll until June zS. lay In my bunk waiting for breakfast. We heard a little bump, then another bump and then I rushed on deck.
 q saw at once that something serious had happened and immediately made a dash below to gather up my few belong ings.
 hatchway was crowded with emigrants. They were launching boats and rushing into them. but there was no panic.
 -Four or five were in the boat into which got, and we cleared the ship. Luckily for us, in our party was the
 (contlnued on Second Paas)