The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1904-07-05
Details of the Foundering
Of the Transatlantic
Steamship Norge.
SUDDENNESS OF DISASTER
PASSENGERS ASLEEP WHEN YES.
Sci CRASHED ON RoCK.

Terrified by stentorian Voice Crying
"AlI Hands ON Deck. Hurry or You
May sink'-Strings ON Life Pre-
servers Rotten-But Twelve Minutes
from the Time the ship struck Until
She sunk-Captain ON Bridge When
she Went Down and Has Thrilling
Escape-stories of surviyors-Heart-
rending Scene.
Grimsby, England. July A lone
pile OF granite rising sheer out of the
Atlantic 29O miles from the Scottish
mainland is now monument to almost
seven hundred dead. Bodies wash.
against the rocks or tie in the ocean
bed at the base. Nearby, completely
hidden in the water, is the Scandina-
vian-American liner Norge, which was
carrying eight hundred Danes. Norwe-
gians, Swedes and Firms to join rela-
tives or friends in America. OF those
only about 13O were saved.
No tragedy Of the sea has had more
appalling consequences and none has
occurred in shorter time. The pass
engers were suddenly aroused from
their sleep, terrified by the contact of
the bows Of the ship with the solid
granite, followed by a grinding, rasping
sound as If the hull was being shored
over huge rocks. Then silence as the
changing bells brought the engines to
N rTI,l
were standing at the time the steamer
struck the rock were thrown against
the bulkheads or on the decks and had
not recovered their feet when a stento-
rian voice gave the terrifying order:
'.All hands on deck. Hurry, or you may
sink
Immediately there was a rush for the
narrow companionways and men, wo-
men and children pushed and struggled
to reach the deck where the boats
swung from the davits. Many persons,
retaining their presence of mind, seized
N life preservers only to find in some IN
stances that the strings were rotten
and 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 few minutes, for Captain Cum
dell commanding, who had Immediate
" gone to the bridge, gave the order to
the engine room to reverse the engines.
Some men of the engineer force had
relatives among the passengers and af-
ter seeing them safely to the boats he
roically returned to their stations below.
Slowly the ship backed off and as
she gained way it was found that wa
ter was pouring into her hold This an
nouncelnent, called out in Scandinavian
and presaging death, added to the su-
preme fright and agony. The. passen-
gers who were piled in the boats were
the fortunate ones who We're to escape,
while the unfortunates who saw death
near, clustered in the vicinity, seething,
struggling masses, some on their knees,
praying, surrounded by children, others
supplicating aid from anyone and
slrieking for permission to enter the
boats, elbowfng, fighting their way to
the places from which the boats were
being lowered.
The sound OF grinding ceased, and
the bow Of the Norge waved as the
steamer returned to deep water. The
sea rushed hungrily into the huge rents
made by the rocks in the iron hull.
Swiftly the vessel began to sink by
the bows. without waiting for orders,
without paying attention to their prop
er manning, the occupants began to
lower the boats.
The starboard lifeboat began slowly
to fall, when to the horror Of those on
board, the stern tackle failed, while
the bow tackle ran free Soon the boat
was almost perpendicular. Those who
were in it clung desperately to the
sides and seats until a great wave came
towering along and struck the boat,
smashing it against the side of the ship.
The occupants of the boat who were
not killed by the impact were thrown
into the water. The crew and pass
engers on deck had no time to spare to
assist the few who had a chance to es-
cape but lost it. Undeterred by the ex-
perience of the first boat, second,
loaded principally with women and
children, was lowered. This time the
tackle ran smoothly, but the hope of es-
cape OF the passengers on board was
blasted. The moment 1t touched the
water waves picked up the small craft
as If it had been feather and dashed
1t against the side of the ship in spite
of the frantic efforts of the passengers
to fend it off. The crash was heard on
deck Then the sea swallowed more
victims and pieces of wreckage slowly
drifted towards the rock.
The upper deck of the Norge at the
time Of the disaster to the second boat
!, was only a few feet from the water
and 1t was apparent to everyone that
only few minutes more and she would
plunge beneath the waves. In the fina
crisis those who were able to remember
clearly what happened say that the
shrieks and sobs died away and that
the quiet was only broken by the curses
of some men whose fear found vent ir
blasphemy.
Suddenly one man threw himself
overheard and another followed
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