Los Angeles herald., 1907-02-22

THE Berlin has broken in two and
very probably will prove a total loss.
Her crew are still on board. Lifeboats
and tugboats are trying to save the pas
sengers."
Passengers Lost
The fourth message came through the
London office of the railway company.
1t was timed $40 a. M, and said:
at is impossible to save the passen-
gers. The poop of the ship is under
water"
At 1896 came the fifth and last mes
sage:
THE Berlin is total loss. with all
her crew and passengers. Nobody has
been saved
No cause has yet been assigned for
the disaster and it probably never will
be known how the steamer came to
miss the channel. 1t is conjectured
that some arrangement of the engines
or steering gear may have rendered the
vessel uncomfortable.
Captain Precious has a good record of
fourteen years service. The list of pas
sengers on the i'll fated steamer was lost
and all the names of those who We're
on board have not yet heen learned,
but as far as has been ascertained there
were no Americans among them.
rFaiI to Reach Boat
The lifeboat Captain Jansen, which
has a record of 1886 lives saved, made
desperate efforts all day to reach the
wreck and rescue any possible sur
vivors. Many times the lifeboat and
it's tug were flung back on the shore.
Three times communication with the
Berlin was established, but each time
the lifeboat parted her anchor and
| hawser and was swept away.
Once .she was within ten yards of
| the wreck and her crew could hear
the cries of survivors clinging to- the
stern of the Berlin. The boiling sea,
however made a nearer approach i'm
possible and the lifeboat was compelled
to put back.
Many doctors We're awaiting on the
shore here and have made attempts
to resuscitate every one of the thirty
three bodies so far washed ashore, but
their efforts have been fruitless.
AS fast as the bodies are gathered
they are sent to the lOCkyard of the
Holland-American line, which has been
transformed into a mortuary chapel
Catholic priests are performing the
| last offices over the lead One priest
ewent out on board a tug. Another
sought permission to go out in the
| lifeboat, but was refused.
Took Channel Entrance
According to stories related by eye
witnesses the Berlin took the channe
entrance correctly and was making hel
way between the piers when suddenly
| she was seen to turn around as thougf
| her engines had stopped, and moment
later was dashed against the jetty.
! CAPTAIN Parkinson, who appears to bt
the sole survivor, was on his way tC
Amsterdam to join his vessel, the Myr
midon, to bring her back to Liverpool
! Describing the disaster, he said the
night was most terrible of all his eX
perience. Never had he seen sucf
weather before. SO terrific was the
gale that he remained all night com
pletely dressed on deck
The Berlin already was near thu
north pier and the passengers, man!
of whom had not gone below, were be
ginning to breathe easily again afte
the terrible crossing, when the shil
| struck with a violent shock, then sud
denly the boat broke in twain. Cap
tain Parkinson hurried to the bridg,
to offer Captain Precious his help, bu
! just as he put his foot on the ladde
he saw the captain and the pilots swep
away by the seas.
Seized a Timber
OF what followed Captain Parkinson
| cannot give a clear account. Whe
he recovered himself he was in tn
water surrounded by floating timbers.
One of these he seized and Succeede
in keeping himself afloat until he say
lifeboat. His cry for help wa
| heard and he was picked up an
! brought ashore. He was taken
| Hook station and removed thence to
hotel He was in the icy, storm
dashed water for about an hour. Cap
tain Parkinson was almost in tears a
he recited what he had seen befor
being swept away by the waves.
on the foredeck of the Berlin at tn
moment of the disaster there wer
about 100 persons, all of whom wer
hurled into the sea. While Capital
Parkinson was in the water he hear
all around him the stiAed cries of tn
drowning. He was constantly sweL
against floating corpses and estimate
that he must have encountered twent
bodies in this way
1t Is feared that the last vestige o
the wreck will entirely disappear to
night, and there is little hope of res
cuing the survivors if there are any ol
board.
Some of the mails from the Berlil
have been picked up by fishermen.
In addition to the mail bags picket
up. two dispatch bags addressed to tn
+ American ambassadors at Berlin an,
Copenhagen have been washed ashor
with their seals intact, Troops hav
been detailed to patrol the coast TO in
sure the safety Of pieces of mail tina
, may be washed ashore.
S~S
Farmers Welcome Rain
BAKERSFIELD, Cal, Feb. 2l.-Rai
| began falling before O'clock tOnigh