New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-08-04
HOURS SWIM At SEA
CURES IDEA OF SUICIDE
Overheard from the Rotterdam,
Stoker INDUCES in Mid
ocean Reflections.
TIME is LOST IN RESCUE
At First Man Refuses Life Buoy
and Vessel Maneuvres Till
He Decides to Live-NoW
in Hospital, Guarded.

II took an hours swim in mid At
lantic to convince John Dunke. coal
trimmer on the Holland America liner
Rotterdam. that life with his wife in
the Dutch CITY after which the vessel
was named was preferable 10 drown
ing When the Rotterdam locked yes
terday afternoon Dunke was in the
ships hospital, where he had been
placed Cor observation. Many passen-
gers and members of the crew testified
10 the remarkable change Of mind he
had experienced; also to his proves
as swimmer.
When the Rotterdam was two days
out Of port in latitude 40 degrees 16
minutes. longitude 16 degrees 5S min
utes, Chief officer George Barenza saw
the half clad grimy Dunke make his
way to the bridge Before he could
reach him he had plunged headfo-e-
most over the side Of the vessel.
Selling a life buoy, Barenza threw
it into the water calling 10 Dunke to
take hold Although It fell within
few feet Of the man and foated within
his reach, Dunke turned his back on
it and set off swimming toward he
horizon with sweeping overland
stroke.
The weather was clear. although
there was a fair sized swell running.
and Captain StenGer, commodore Of
the Holland-America fleet, turned ms
vessel IN a long sweeping curve back
to the spot where the man plunged
overheard. The captain spied the
floating life preserver and a boat IN
charge of the second officer was
lowered.
Where the life preserver is, there
the man must be-" said Captain Stem
ger, speaking from experience. But for
once he was wrong. Not a trace of the
missing man from the hold was evil
dent However, the captain determined
70 make one more effort and the Rot
terdam was swung around in another
great circle, the lookout scanning the
water for q glimpse of Dunke.
1t was II o'clock IN the morning
when the man leaped into the water,
and it was more than an hour later
that the sailors in the ships crows
nest reported what seemed to be a man
swimming less than a mile TO star
board.
It's the, stoKer.'" he called a moment
later and he is swimming toward the
ship"
Captain Stenger manpuvred his yes
sci about in another half-circle 10 a
point within a few hundred feet Of the
swimmer. His head was thrown back.
water spurted from his nostrils with
each breath and. as Captain Stenger
said Yesterday. he was swimming full
speed ahead"
Another life buoy was thrown and
the swimmer seized il. Another life
boat in charge Of the chief officer was
lowered from the steamer and Dunke
was picked up.
II wanted TO drown when I jumped"
he told the captain when safely aboard.
Il promised my wife I would jump
into the Atlantic this next trip, so |
wrote postal telling her / had done
II.
Il saw the life buoy thrown to me,
but wanted TO drown. just swan and
swan, but ! could not sink. Then
something IN my head told me ] should
not leave my wife and two little chill
dren. so turned around and swan
and swan until got back TO the ship
The man seemed apparently sane. al
though II was thought that the heat Of
the stokeroom might have affected him.
Johan Van Wyk, purser Of the Rot
terdam. was presented with gold
medal by the line while the vessel was
AT Rotterdam in commemOration Of
his two hundredth voyage In the ser
vice Of the company.
Almost every cabin in the Rotterdam
WAs filled when she locked yesterday
afternoon, an unusually large number
Of passengers for this season, which
seems TO indicate that the homeWard
bound traffic from Europe is setting in
earlier this year than usual.