The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1907-02-27
The Steamer Berlin Goes Down
off the Holland Coast.
ONLY ONE is SAVED.
And One Hundred and Forty Persons
Perished With the Vessel, Which
Goes to Pieces in q Heavy Storm.
The Lifesavers Were Power
less to Save the Crew and Passen-
gers of the Ship.

4 y
The Rotterdam mail steamer Ber-
lin, from England with 141 passen-
grs and crew, was wrecked OFF the
Hook of Holland, at the entrance Of.
the River Mas, leading to Rotter-
| dam, shortly before six O'Clock
Thursday morning, and with one ex-
ception all on board perished.
| A terrific southwesterly gale was
blowing in shore and drove the Ber-
lin on a sand bank close to the north
ern jetty as she was trying to enter
the new waterway. Heavy seas
quickly pounded the vessel to pieces.
She broke in two, her fore par. sink
ing Immediately, while the doomed
passengers and crew could be seen
| for a brief space of time clustered
on the after part.
The afterpart slipped off the ledge
and disappeared in the mountainous
waves. Tugs and life boats when
the alarm was first sounded prompt
ly put out to the assistance Of the
Berlin, but the violence Of the gale
and the heavy seas made it impossi-:
ole to approach the wreck, and the
helpless 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
sistance.
The Berlin left Harwich at ten
o'clock Wednesday night, upon the
arrival there of the London train
with the greater number Of passen-.
gers, who subsequently lost their
| lives. The steamer should have
reached the Hook of Holland at s
o'clock Thursday morning and would
have then proceeded for Rotterdam.
AS the Berlin was entering the
waterway at the entrance Of the
River Mas, she apparently became
unmanageable on account Of the
force of the wind and was driven
ashore. The alarm was given and
life boats from the shore went to
the assistance of the stricken steam
er but the seas were so high that the
boats were unable to approach the
Berlin close enough to take OF any
! Of the passengers or crew and the
j life boat men had to sit helpless
while the steamer pounded until she
broke in two and every soul on
board was carried down. The steam
er apparently struck about mldshipS,
as her fore part broke off and sank
Immediately, while her after part
could be seen for considerable
period of time afterward.
The waterway in which the disaS-
ter occurrd is new one on the
north side of which is the pier ane
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
ovrtaken by the disaster. Land was
but a few yards away, and except
in the roughest weather those on
board the Berlin could have been
rescued without difficulty, specially
as the waterway is naNgable at all
| tides
Tn Berlin. was a steel steamer. 12
years old and popular with travellers
to the north Of Europe. In summer
4 she usually was crowded with pas
sensers but at this time Of the year
her average was about as it was
Thursday night, the number being
equally divided between first and
second class. Much difficulty is be-
ing experienced in obtaining the
names of the passengers, as the
tickets were purchased from many
agents in London and other cities,
while some Of the travellers may have
had return tickets.
The only names the company
can he sure Of are those of paSsen-
gers. who secured reserved berths
T he company's agents are being
asked to send in Immediately to
headquarters the names Of all such
persons. The members Of the crew,
numbering 50. were mostly English
men from Harwich. The officers
were Capt. Precious, FIRST Ohcel
/ c. Morsley; Second officer j: Wyatt
Chief Engineer Bennant; four as
sistant engineers and four steward