The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1904-07-08
APPALLING DISASTER
ON 1TTHIE: ATLANTIC
Over ov,en 1unured Danish
and Norwegian Emigrants
Drowned.
VESSEL STRIKES a REEF
VESSEL STRIKES A REEF
Steamship Norge, Trusted Ocean Liner,
Met With Accident and Only
Twenty-Seven Out of 300
Souls Saved.


&London, July 5.-over 700 Danish and
Norwegian emigrants bound for New
York are believed to have been drowned
in the north Atlantic on June Is.
Out of nearly 500 souls on board the
Danish steamer Norge, which left
Copenhagen June %, only twenty-seven
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. whose isolated peak rises from
81 deadly Atlantic reef some 200 miles
OFF the west coast of Scotland.
Early on the morning of last Tues
day the Norge which was out of her
course in heavy weather. ran onto the
Rockalle reef, which, in the distance,
looked like u ship under full sail.
The Norge was quickly backed off.
but the heavy seas poured in through a
rent through her bows.
The emigrants. who were then await
ing breakfast below. ran on deck. The
~hatchways were scarcely built for these
hundreds of souls II they became
clogged.
The Norge quickly began to go down
by the head. Eight boats Were lowered,
and into these the women and children
We're hurriedly put. six of these boats
smashed against the side of the Norge,
and their helpless nmlat We're caught
up by the heavy seas.
Two Boatloads Got Away.
Two boatloads got safely away from
the side of the sinking ship. and many
OF the emigrants who We're left on
board. Selling life belts. threw them
selves into the sea and We're drowned.
Captain Gundel. so say the survivors.
stood on the bridge until the vessel
could be seen no more. The vessel
f~oundered suddenly, and some 600 ter
riiied people We're thrown into the Wa
ter or drowned within the sinking ship.
Those who could swim tried to reach
h boats, but these We're already TOO
fuil. and their occupants beat off the
drowning wretches With oars.
The boats kept together for some
hours.
Practically all of their occupants were
Passengers, n We're not used to hand
ling such craft. The boat occupied by
the survivors landed at Grimsby was a
lifeboat.
One account says that three boats
were successfully launched, the other
two holding about ten persons each.
The iifehoat 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 lifeboat
took place at 8 o'clock on the morning
of June %, the survivors consisting of
twenty men, one of them a six
women and u girl.
Story of a Survivor.
One of the survivors said that when
he soton deck the Norge was half sub
merged and was rapidly getting lower
In the wafer. Half ma with fright.
the Survivors all struggled for places in
the boats They fought their way to
the big iifeboet, n AN officer stowed
in the six women and the girl N told
the men to set in. The officer then
took charge and got the "a away from
the side of the Norge. Seeing thai the
boat was already overloaded, the Of
ticer, with great heroism, jumped into
the water and tried to board another
boat which was not so full. He failed
and was drowned.
In the sea by this time was a mass
Of struggling men women and children,
sasping and chok ng from the effects of
the water. The boat rowed clear of this
SETTLING inferno, and just as she drew
away the Norge' vent down.
Peter Nelson, one of the survivors,
described as a young American. said:
For some hours we rowed in COM
pany with the other boats. but the
strong tide drifted us away from the
'tli'IS, tltu llotlliS tdS DeeI seen OIL
them since. This Saliva picked us up,
and we We're well cared for on board
the trawler. All of us lost our entire
belongings. We had no time in hat
fierce fight for life to think of anything
but of getting seats in the boat"
The only hope, except for those known
to have escaped, is that some few of
the emigrants might have been washed
upon the barren rock Their chance of
heinz rpSp1ln1 aVnn then iS nr.ortjral1V
nil, for vessels sailing the north At
lantic give the rock as wide a berth as
possible.
The news of this disaster. which, it
is feared, in it's death record is great
er than any previous tragedy of the
Atlantic, came with the steam trawler
Saliva to Grimsby. The Saliva had
been On a fortnight's cruise aroun the
Hebri'les. 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
about in a small boat on the rough wa
ters of the north Atlantic.
Rescued Twenty-Sevcn.
The steam trawler Saliva put into
Grimsby late Sunday night with twen-
ty- seven rescued S~candinaVians aboard.
OILY n of them could speak English.
He said:
WE IClI SOpCiIiidSCii JUN %. 1lletc
We're 700 emigrants. Norwegfans.
Swedes, Danes and Firms, on board.
The crew numbered about eighty.
"All went we'll until June 2S. I lay
in my u waiting for breakfast. We
heard a little bump, Their another
bump and then 1 rushed on deck.
Il saw at n hat something serious
had happened, and 1 made a dash be-
low to gather up my few belongings.
Scores We're rushing on deck. and
h hatchway was crowded with emf
grants. They were launching boats and
rushing into them, but there was no
panic. -Four or five were in the boat
INTO which I got, and we cleared the
ship. Luckily for us, in III party was
the only seaman from the Norge who
escaped, and he was bile to navigate
our little boat.
We say two other boats capsize, ow-
ing to the heavy weather. and because
no one could navigate them.
1--WE made straight away, and when
we last saw the Norge a large number
of emigrants were on the deck. Cap
tain Gundel stood IN the bridge.
Dozens OF passengers had jumped
into the sea. They wore life belts, but
were drowned before our eyes. After