Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1906-1908, 1907-02-22
ship CUT IN TWO;
179 MAY Be LOST
STEAMER BERLIN WRECKED DUR
ING TERRIFIC GALE OFF
COAST OF HOLLAND.
ONLY ONE MAN ON
BOARD is SAVED
Handful of Survivors Are Seen Cling
ing to Remains Of the iil-Fated
Craft, But Life-Savers Unable to
Help Them.

~
Help Them.
Rotterdam. Feb. ga disastrous
steamship wreck attended with great
loss OF life, occurred Thursday of the
Hook of Holland, when the Great
Eastern Railway company's steamer
Berlin, bound from Harwich, Eng
land, to the Hook of Holland, was lost.
Reports differ as to the number of
persons on board. While it Is known
that only one person was saved, the
estimates OF those lost run from 40
TO lIS. The agents of the vessel here
are not positive regarding the num-
Der, but they believe the steamer car
fled l20 passengers and a crew of so.
Vessel Wrecked in Terrific Gale.
The wreck occurred at six o'clock
In the morning, during terrific south
westerly gale. The steamer struck q
sand-bank near the jetty, while try
ing to enter the new waterway at the
Hook of Holland. She broke in two,
the forward part Immediately sinking,
While the passengers and crew gath
cred on the stern, where they vainly
attempted to use the lifeboats.
Few Survivors Cling to Wreck.
The afterpart or the wrecked steam
er did not slip into deep water, but
seems to be firmly imbedded In the
sand-bank. There were still q few
persons on board, clinging TO the
wreckage, and it was hoped II might
be possible to effect their rescue at
low tide.
During high water, at the height OF
the storm, the waves shut OF all view
of the wreck, which led 20 the belief
that no trace of the Berlin had been
left. The receding tide, however, re-
vealed the remains of her stern, with
handful of survivors.
The only person who thus far has
succeeded in reaching the shore is
Capt. Parkeston of Belfast. ireland
He is now in high fever al a resul
oil. his experience.
Twenty-Five bodies have betr
washed ashore.
Among those drowned are 19 mer
bers of German opera company. WI.
had just concluded their season nj
Covent Garden. Arthur Herbert one
OF the kings messengers, who
journeying to the continent, also was
lost.
The Berlin left Harwich at ten
o'clock Wednesday night, urcn
arrival there of the London ra!
with the greater number OF pa seI.
gers who subsequently lost their
lives. The steamer should have
reached the Hook of Holland at six
o'clock Thursday morning 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 water
way 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
Land Few Yards Away.
The waterway In which the disas-
ter occurred Is a new one on the
north side of which is the pier and
railroad station. The steamer must
have been within a few minutes OF
tying up after her rough passage
across the North sea when she was
oVertaken by the disaster. Land was
only few yards away and except In
the toughest weather those on board
the Berlin could have been rescued
without difficulty, especially as the
waterway is navigable at all tides.
The Berlin was steel steamer,
only IL years old, and popular with
travellers to the north OF Europe. In
summer she usually was crowded with
passengers, but at this time OF the
year her average was about as it was
Wednesday night, the number being
equally divided between first and Sec
ond class
One of the inspectors of the rail-
road, who saw the steamer train of
at the Liverpool street station, said
Wednesday night he thought there
was more firSt-class than second-clasS
passengers, most of them being COM
fessional business engagements on
the continent, or else inhabitants OF
the continent returning home from
business trips to Great Britain.
The members of the crew, number
ing so, were mostly Englishmen, from
Harwich. The officers were Capt
Precious, First Officer C. Morsley,
Second Officer J. Wyatt, Chief Engi-
neer Bennant, four assistant engineers
and four stewardesses.
Missed the Boat and Is Alive.
Herr Denninger, a member Of tho
German Opera company, who has ar
rived here by way OF Antwerp, says
that 35 of the company were On board
the wrecked steamer Berlin. Den
ninger was too late to catch the Ber-
lin and came on the Antwerp boat.
Railroad Owned Steamer.
The channel steamer Berlin was
owned by the Great Eastern Railway
She was constructed at
Hull, England, in 1894. She was OF
the twin screw type and had gross
tonnage of 1,745. The boat was built
by Earle & Co., Limited, and was used
in the run from Harwich, England, to
Hook of Holland. The dimensions OF
the vessel were: Length, 1924 feet: