Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1907-02-22
141 LIVES LOST 7
ON SINKING STEAMER
Steamship Berlin Goes Dowr
Es<, In Terrific Gale.
WAS IN SIGHT OF THE DOCK

German Opera Company, Kings Mes.
seneer and Many Others Meet Their
Death Trying to Man the Life Boats
of Sinking Steamer.
4 London, Feb 1.-THE Rotterdam
mail steamer Berlin, from England,
with 141 passengers and crew, was
wrecked off the hook of Holland at
the entrance Of the river Mas, lead
| ing to Rotterdam, shortly before
O'Clock Thursday morning, and with
one exception, all on board perished.
A terrific southwesterly gale was
blowing right inshore and drove the
steamer on a sand bank close to the
northern jetty, as she was trying to
enter the new waterway. Heavy
seas quickly pounded the vessel to
pieces. She broke in two, her fore
part sinking Immediately, while the
doomed passengers and crew could be
seen for a brief space of time clus-
tered on the after part. Then the
after part slipped off the ledge and
disappeared in the mountainous
waves.
Tugs and life boats, when the
alarm was first sounded, promptly put
out to the assistance of the Berlin,
but the violence of the gale and the
heavy seas made it impossible to
approach the wreck and the help
less would be life savers saw the
steamer break up and the crew and
passengers washed away without be-
| ing able to render the slightest as
ststance.
One man, an Englishman, was saw
ed He was Unconscious when he
was dragged out of the water and
| taken ashore, and had not regained
consciousness when he was carried to
hotel in the neighborhood.
By o'clock in the morning 25
bodies had already been washed
ashore.
| The Berlin left Harwich at 10 p. m.
| Wednesday night, upon the arrival
| there of the London train with the
greater number of passengers who
subsequently lost their lives The
steamer should have reached the hook
of Holland at O'Clock a. m Thurs
day and would have then proceeded
| for Rotterdam.
A great gale was Blowing in the
North sea when the Berlin started
AS the Berlin was entering the wa
terway at the entrance of the river
Mas, however, she apparently be-
came unmanageable on account Of the
force Of the wind, and was driven
ashore. The alarm was given and
the life boats from the shore went
to the assistance of the stricken yes-
l'sel but the seas were so heavy that
the boats were unable to approach
| the Berliue~elose enough to take off
any Of the passengers or crew and
the lifeboats men had to sit help
less while the steamer pounded until
she broke in two and every soul on
| board was carried down.
The steamer apparently struck
about amidships, as her fore part
broke off and sank Immediately, while
her after part could be seen for a
considerable period of time afterward.
| The waterway in which the disas~
| ter occurred is new one on the
north side of which is the pier and
railroad station. The steamer must
| have been within a few minutes of
tieing up after her rough passage
across the North sea wnef1 she was
overtaken by the disaster. The land
was but few yards away, and except
in the toughest weather, those on
board the Berlin could have been
rescued without difficulty, and espe-
cially as the waterway is navigable
at all times.
The Berlin was a steel steamer,
only IL years old, and popular with
the travellers to the north of Europe,
| In summer she usually was crowded
with passengers, but at this season
her passengers were about equally
divided between first and second
class.
One of the inspectors of the rail-
road who saw the steamer train off
at the Liverpool station said Wednes-
day night that he thought there was
more first class passengers than Sec
ond- class passengers, most Of them
| being commercial men or persons
having professinal business engage
ments on the continent or else inhab-
1tants Of the continent, returning
home from business trips to- Great
Britain. Much difficulty Is being ex-
perienced in obtaining the names of
the passengers as the tickets were
purchased from many agents In Lon
don an other cities, while some
of the travellers may have had return
| tickets.
The only names the company can
be sure of are those of passengers
who secured reserved berths. The
company's agents are being asked to
send in Immediately to headquarters
the names of all such persons.
The members of the crew, number
ing fifty, were mostly Englishment,
who were mostly from Harwich. The
officers were Captain Precious, First
Officer G. Morseley, Second Officer
J. Wyatt, Chief Engineer Bennant,
four assistant engineers and four
| stewardesses.