The sun., 1906-12-29
CREW OF WRECKED SHIP HERE.


Victoria LuIse Also on the SarnlR.
The crew and three passengers of the
Hamburg American steamship Prinzessin
Victoria Luise wrecked on q reef near
Kingston, Jamaica, arrived yesterday from
that port aboard the steamship Sarnia and
contributed some new light on the disaster.
Capt. Brunswig, who killed himself in his
cabin under the bridge shortly after the ship
struck, made no effort, as originally re-
ported, 70 enter Kingston harbor without
pilot. He displayed signals for pilot, and
receiving no response to them he decided
to head for Port Royal. He had two range
lights to guide him. but he failed to make
proper use OF them and came to grief on
the reef.
The ship was under reduced speed when
she glided on the reef and none of the pas
sengers knew that she had received her
death wound. The ships band did not stop
playing, and il was not until she had come
TO dead stop and the waves we're smashing
against her bows that the voyagers knew
that they were really shipwrecked. 1t did
not seem possible to the inexperienced that
the yachtlike liner would not soon slide of
into deep water and proceed. But Capt.
Brlnswig knew otherwise He went below
and found that the injury was irreparable.
When he returned on deck he brushed past
the first officer, and, after ordering him to
send boat ashore and report the accident
10 the company's agent, he went into his
cabin.
About half an hour later an officer who
wished TO tell the captain that the seas were
getting dangerously high and there was
little hope for the ship, got no answer 10 his
knock on the captains door The officer
opened the door and found his commander
in full uniform on the floor with a short
barreled hunting rife beside him. He had
blown out his brains. The shot had been
drowned in the pounding of the seas. None
of the passengers was aware that the cap
tain had killed himself.
The next morning, when all hands had
been landed from the ships lifeboats at
Plum Point Reef, on which the lighthouse
stands, IL was observed that the German
flag WIS at half mast aboard the Prinzessin
The passengers wa nted to know why and
they were told that the captain had killed
himself.
Nearly all the passengers attended the
funeral OF the captain, who was buried in
the Lutheran cemetery at Kingston. Off
GERS Of the ship who arrived yesterday
say that the captain was an enthusiastic
hunter and something OF an explorer.
He had planned to go into the Arctic in
about a year. He had received many
medals for gallantry, including four from
the Kaiser, one from the Sultan and one
from Queen Carmen Sylvia. He was very
impulsive, and it is thought that in a
moment Of despair over what he knew
would result in the destruction Of the ship
he decided to slay himself
The Prinzessn's three passengers brought
here by the Sarnia were Frederick Fell.
William Hoele and Adolph Leyden. They
say that the discipline aboard the Prinzessin
was ideal. Nearly all furniture, interior
fittings and paintings Of the wrecked ship
were transferred to the Sarnia and will be
taken to Hamburg.
Three members of lumber firm of Louis
vile who were passengers by the Sarnia
also had suffered shipwreck. They were
which had a cargo of mahogany destined
for Louisville. The bark was wrecked OF
Grand Cayman Island on November 2I
and all hands were rescued by life savers OF
the island.
The Prnzessin's crew will sail for Ham,
burg to-day aboard the steamship Penn
sylvania.