THE NORGE DISASTER.

Evening Post, Volume LXVIII, Issue 50, 27 August 1904, Page 9

THE NORGE DISASTER.

The^ wtek has been saddened by news of a tornblo disaster. On 28th Juno the ship

Nurge, laden with six hundred and fifty Onnitth emigrants for'"Amer:ca,' struck on .1 reef outside tho little inlet, or rather rock, named Kockali, a hundred and fifty miles west of St. Kilda, and Almost immediately foundered. i'ho erew — sixtyeight in number — behaved adnnirably, exerting themselves to the utmost to get passengers away ; but ono of the eight boats was smashed by tho faves against the ship's side, and though more than a hundred of the passengers in tho remaining boats were saved by the German steamer Energiu nnd carried' to Stornoway, in th*, island ot, Lewis., the loss of life must , have exceeded five hundred. The'gr^at number, of women and children made tho accident peculiarly deplorable j but the horror of the sccno was broken by the conduct of the captain, who went down with the ship — ho was afterM'ards saved — and of the sailors,' who fell back from the boats to give fcno, women a chance, .and were for tho most part drowned standing quietly upright on the dfck^ There were, too; many . instances of heroism and self -sacrifice 1 , one in particular exciting unirersnl admiration. A lad, already seated in a "boat, 6aw his sister in danger,, surrendered his seat to her, and plunged into- tho water. It is plensnnt to add- that 'though his sistersnw him as 'fine thought drowning, he was among those picked up' arid "aimed to Stonioway. Tho Norse blood is good blood, and it is to be regretted that Schndinavia now contains so few peoplo. Thoy are helping, however, to fill the United States and Ounnda, where they are welcomed <rs tho best of emigrants.