Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1907-02-27
SHIP CUT IN TW0;;
179 MAY Be LOST

hO WHl III uUUl
STEAMER BERLIN WRECKED DUR.
ING TERRIFIC GALE OFF
! COAST OF HOLLAND.
ONLY ONE MAN ON
BOARD is SAVED
Handful Of Survivors Are Seen clinu.
ing to Remains Of the lll-Fated
Craft, But Life-savers Unable to
Help Them.
Rotterdam, Feb. IA disastrous
steamship wreck attended with great
Joss of life, occurred Thursday off 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 140
to 179. The agents of the vessel here
| are not positive regarding the mum.
Der, but they believe the steamer car.
ried 12O passengers and a crew of 60.
Vessel Wrecked in Terrific Gale.
The wreck occurred at six O'clock
In the morning, during terrific south
westerly gale. The steamer struck a
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 a few
persons on board, clinging to the
wreckage, and it was hoped it might
be possible to effect their rescue at
low tide.
During high water, at the height of
the storm, the waves shut off all view
OF the wreck, which led to the belief
that no trace Of the Berlin had been
left. The receding tide, however, re-
vealed the remains of her stern, with
a handful of survivors.
The only person who thus far has
succeeded in reaching the shore is
-
He is now in high fever as result
of his experience.
twenty-five bodies have been
washed ashore.
Among those drowned are 10 men,
bers of German opera company, who
had just concluded their season at
Covent Garden. Arthur Herbert, one
OF the kings messengers, who was
journeying to the continent, also was
lost.
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 six
o'clock Thursday morning and would
/ have then proceeded for Rotterdam.
A great gale was blowing in thu
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 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 a 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 a steel steamer,
only II 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 insnectors If tho 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.
| mercial men or persons having pro.
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 60, were mostly Englishmen, from
Harwich. The officers were Capt,
Precious, First Officer C.. Morsley,
Second Officer ]. Wyatt, Chief Ehgi.
neer Bennant, four assistant engineers
and four stewardesses.
Missed the Boat and 10 Alive.
Herr Denninger, member of the
German Opera company, who has ar:
rived here by way Of Antwerp, says
that IS of the company were on board
the wrecked steamer Berlin. Den.
ninger was too late to catch the Der.
lin and came on the Antwerp boat.