Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1904-07-06
zoo PEOPLE DROWN
Another3f1ishtful Horror of The Deep
With Terrible Loss of Life
PASSENGERS MOSTLY EMIGRAN7s
The Danish Steamer Norge, Bound
TO New York; With Nearly 800 Dam,
lsh and Norwegian Emigrants,
Strikes Rock in the North At
lantie; and Sinks:

London, By Cable.-Over 700 Danish
and Norwegian emigrants bound for
New York are believed to have been
drowned in the North Atlantic on June
as: Out Of nearly 500 souls on board
the Danish steamer Norge, which left
Copenhagen June 2s, 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
Rockali, whose isolated peak raises it
self from deadly Atlantic reef, some
200 miles off the west coast Of Scotland.
Early on the morning of last Tuesday
the Norge, which was out Of her course
Id heavy weather, ran onto the Rockall
reef: The Norge was quickly backed off
but the Heavy seas poured in through
d Fentan her bows.
The; ;emigrants, who were then await
Ing their breakfast, ran on deck. The
hatehWays were scarcely built for these
hundreds OF souls and became clogged.
ThesNorge quickly began to go down
by the mead. Eight boats were lowered
and into these the women and children
were hurriedly put. Six Of these boats
smashed against the side of the Norge
and their helpless inmates were caught
up blythe heavy seas. Two boat loads
got away safely from the side Of the
Sinking ship and many of the emf
grants who were left on board seizing
life belts, threw themselves into the
sea and were drowned Captain Cum
del SO say the survivors, stood on the
bridge Of the doomed vessel until it
could 5be seen no more.
The boats kept together some hours.
Practically all of their occupants were
passengers and not used to handling
such h5craft. The boat occupied by the
survivors landed at Grimsby was life
boat. One account says that three boats
we're successfully launched, the other
two holding about ten persons each.
The lifeboat made faster progress and
fell in with the Saliva. What became Of
tile other boats is not known. The res
cue Of those on the lifeboat took place
att O'Clock on the morning OF June 29,
the survivors consisting Of 20 men, one
Of them a seaman, six women and a
girl
One e,of the survivors said that when
5hepgot on deck the Norge was half sub
merged and, was rapidly getting lower
9!in5tfie water. Half mad with fright the
survivors all struggled for ,-places IN
the essboats. They fought their way to
ithe;sbA bAgslife boat and an officer slowed
~ 4de SIX women and the girl and then
told the men to gel In. The officer then
took charge and got the boat to the
side of the Norge Seing that the boat
was already overladen, the officer with
great haroism 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
grasping and choking from the effects
of the water. They tried to get in the
already overladen boats, but were beat
en- off with oars. The boat rowed clear
of this seething mass and just as she
drew away the Norge went down.
Peter Nelson, one Of the survivors,
described as young American, said:
For some hours we rowed in company
with the other boats, but the strong
tide drifted us away from the others
and nothing has been seen Of them
since. The Saliva picked us up and we
were well cared for on board the Traw-
Ter. All Of us lost our entire belong
ings. He had no time in that fierce
fight for life to think Of anything but
the getting Of 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 rocks. Their
chance of being rescued even then is
practically nil, for vessels sailing the
North Atlantic give Rockall a wide
birth as possible.