Waterbury evening Democrat., 1907-02-22
A Few Survivors of the Hook oi Holland Wreck Were in a
 Perilous Position
WERE SAVED TO-DAY
Life Savers Balted With the Heavy Sea Many Times and Were Driven Back Captain Parkinson Sole
 Survivor to Reach Shore.

Hook of Holland, Holland, Feb 22. When daylight broke this morning a handful of survivors of the Great Eastern Railway company's steamer Berlin, from Harwich England, to Rotterdam, which was wrecked on the Hook of Holland yesterday morning. could still be seen clinging to the afterpart of the steamer. The efforts made to rescue the survivors yester- day were continued throughout the night and to-day, but up to 10 o'clock this morning has proved futile, owing to the furious seas and heavy snow storm which ragged all right long' rendering it impossible for the tugs or lifeboats to approach the wreck, over which mountainous seas contin- ue to dash with terrific fury. So in tense was the cold last night that It was thought that those who were still alive on the remnant of the steamer last night must have been frozen to death, but some six or eight persons appear to have survived the terrible experience of the past twen- ty-four hours. The stern of the Ber- lin is so firmly embedded in the sand bank on which she went ashore that it does not appear to have moved during the night. At high water this morning the poop deckhouses were the only portions of the steamer visible and there the few survivors were huddled. A lifeboat which went out to the wreck at midnight accom- panied by three tugs remained there, anchored close to the Berlin for three hours but was unable to get along side of her as the heavy seas would have dashed her to pieces. The life boat men report that they heard an occasional shout for help but they ultimately were forced by the rising tide and increasing dangers to tenn porarily abandon their efforts to res- cue the survivors.
 Captain Parkinson, of the Holt Steamship line, who was on his way to Amsterdam on board the Berlin to join his vessel the Myrmidon, and take her back to Liverpool. is the sole survivor of the disaster who thus far has reached the short. He said this morning that the catastrophe was due to the fact that the Berlin broached to in the terrific sea, as she was entering the waterway, and that before she was able to recover herself the steamer was dashed upon the pier head. immediately crunch ed up like a concertina" and parted amidships.
 The struggling little village of the Hook of Holland Is filled with anx- ious relatives of the passengers and crew of the Berlin and heartrender. ing scenes are witnessed at the i'm provised mortuary, where the 35 bodies which already have been washed up are~lying. Many of these are battered beyond recognition and some are without heads and others without arms or legs.
 Veteran pilots and seamen who watched the Berlin being driven to her doom say the gale was the fiercest in many years. One of the eye witnesses described the scene as follows:
 "As the vessel approached it was noticed that she was being carried out of her course by the force of the winds and the tremendous driving power of the waves. The trained eye. of the officials on the jetty who were lawaiting the steamers arrival saw she was in imminent. deadly peri and a flare from the Berlin showed that the enevitable had been realized by those on board. Before the far, died out the crash came. It coult be heard above the din of the storm When the Berlin struck. the wave, were sweeping the northern part o the pier, which is little more than ; break water. from end to end. ant the tremendous seas which washed over the Berlin from bow to sterr quickly battered her to pieces. Fol short time the hopeless vessel la! at the mercy of the wind and waves Huge rollers struck her and carries on her deck gear and swept seyera passengers into the churning waters Suddenly a great rent gaped amid ships and the Berlin's bow and sterr parted. hurling nearly all on boar, into the sea-"
 Prince Henry of the Netherlands the prince consort, arrived here to day and twice went out in stean pilot boat to as near the wreck al it was possible to approach. Late the prince visited the building whicl is being used as morgue and passe. down the lines of white draped fig ures. stopping with bowed head fo few minutes before the body of ;
 fair haired child.
 The life beat put out again at nool
 although the efforts to save the fev
 who are still on the wreck are re
 garded as almost hopeless
 Ten of the persons who passed tn
 night on the afterpart of the vrecke
 steamer Berlin were rescued this al lternoon-
 Crsnhfr Arrouuf of Wrprk.