Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-07-06
Tryingto Find Passengers
Of Steamer Norge.
Foundering of the Vessel in
the North Sea.
Seven Hundred Emierants Met Their
Death in Watery Graves-One Hun
dred and Thirty Persons Survive
Exhibitions Of Marvellous Heroism.

London, July 5.-The passing of an
other day with no news of the missing
boats of the Inflated Danish steamship
Norge, which foundered off Rockall
reef, 290 miles from the Scottish MAIN
land, on June %, lessons the hope that
few more out of the long list of vic
tins might have been counted among
the survivors. The search of the neigh
boring waters will. however, be prose-
cuted until the last hope has gone.
The Danish government and the
steamship company have sent out a
steamship to search the seas for the
boats and the vessel will visit all the
islands within possible radius, but the
rescued at Grimsby and StOrnoway,
who have gone through terrible expe-
rience believe that there is now little
ground for hope unless an outgoing
vessel should have picked up one or
more of the boats or unless the surviv-
ors have landed at st. Kilda and Flan-
nan islands.
While the stories of the survivors ma
turaIly differ I'm some details, in the
main, they agree that in the supreme
moment there were exhibitions of mar
vellOus herOism and additional stories
of their experiences, today, only add in
this particular to what has already
been told in The Associated Press dis
patches.
Grirnsby, Eng, July 5.-A lone pile
of granite rising sheer out of the At
lantic, 800 miles from the Scottish
mainland, is now monument to almost
700 dead. Bodies wash against the
rocks or lie in the ocean bed at the
ocean base. Nearby, completely hid
den in the water, is the Scandinavian
American Liner Norge, which was car
rying 800 Danes, Swedcs, Norwegians
and Firms to join relatives or friends in
America. OF these only about 100 were
saved.
No tragedy of the sea- has had more
appalling consequences and none has
occurred In shorter time. The pas
seneers were suddenly aroused from
their sleep, terrified by the contact of
the bows of the ship with the solid
granite, followed by a grinding, rasp-
ing sound as if the hull was being
shored over huge rocks. Then silence
as the changing bells brought the en-
gines to stop. Those of the passen-
gers who were standing at the time the
steamer struck on the rock were
thrown against the bulkheads or on
the decks and had not recovered their
feet when a stentorian voice gave the
terrifying order:
'All hands ON deck! Hurry or you
may sink"
Immediately there was a rush for
the narrow companion ways. and men,
women and children pushed and
struggled to reach the deck where the
boats swung from the davits. Many
persons, retaining their presence Of
mind. seized life prescrvers only to
find i'm some instances that the strings
were rotten and that they could not be
quickly put around their bodies. Those
who reached the deck saw the nose of
the Norge pinned directly against the
rock 1t remained there only Il few
minutes for Capt. Gundell. command
ing. who had Immediately gone on the
bridge. gave the order to the engineer
to reverse the engines. Some men of
the engineer force had relatives among
the passengers and after seeing them
safely to the boats, they heroically re-
turned to their stations below.
Slowly the ship backed off and as
she gained way it WIS found that
water was pouring into her hold This
announcement. called out i'm Scandi-
navian and pEesaging death. added to
the supreme fright and agony. The
passengers who w><~piled in the
boats we're the fortunate ones to es-
cape while the unfortunate, who saw
death near. clustered in the vicinity,
seethng, struggling masses, some on
their knees, praying. surrounded by
children: others supplicating aid from
any one and shrieking for permission
to enter the boats, elbowing. fighting
their way to the places from which
the boats were being lowered.