RUM-RUNNING TRAGEDY

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXVI, Issue 3442, 12 March 1932, Page 3

RUM-RUNNING TRAGEDY

SMUGGLING, STORM AND DEATH.

NINE BRITISH MEN PERISH. ORDEAL OF TWO SURVIVORS. Rum-running has yielded no more dramatic, and tragic story than the adventures of the trawler Venus, a London-owned vessel registered at Panama, which was wrecked off the Norwegian coast in December with the loss of 11 lives —nine of them British. One of the two survivors revealed that the Venus sailed from Lerwick with a cargo of liquor that was to be smuggled into Norway. Steaming through the darkness of a stormy night the vessel lost her bearings and struck a rock. Pounded by the waves, she went to the bottom, meeting an inglorious fate with the loss of her cargo. Six of the crew were drowned before they could leave the stricken vessel. The seven others built a raft and pushed off into the stormy sea. One by one they were washed off or drowned until two men only reamined-' to disclose to the world the graphic story of their tragic venture.

Nine of the 11 men drowned were British. All of them belo'nged to the little port of Lerwick, in the Shetlands. The survivors were:— Walter Dennis Savage, first officer, of Millwall, London, married; and Erhalt, a German, chief engineer.

These two men were immediately placed under armed guard to await an official inquiry into the wreck. When this was opened Mr. Savage denied earlier reports that the Venus was chased a'nd shelled by a cutter, and that she sank as a result of gunfire damage.

Story olf the Disaster.

Mr. Savage declared that the Venus left Rotterdam on September 5 for Lerwick, sailing from there on December 1, and from that time until the wreck was in the North Sea, though he could not say exactly where. He emphasised the fact that the ship’s course was determined by the captain alone, and no one else had anything > to do with the 'navigation. The trawler carried 3600 gallons of spirit in two-gallon cans. Up to the time of the wreck none of the cargo had been discharged. The other survivor, Erhalt, said the vessel was holed just below the boiler room. Before he left the engine room he stood in the water up to his chest. When he came up on deck the crew was about to put the boat out. Later he heard shouts for help from the sea. After hearing their evidence the authorities committed them to prison for a fortnight. Mr. Savage told the police who arrested him a dramatic story. He is stated to have said that the Venus was transferred to the Panama flag to evade the attentio'n of the English authorities. He went on:

“During an attempt to reach Floroe on Friday night the storm of hail and snow was so dense that we lost our bearings and struck a rocky shelf. While we were fast on the rock in this precarious situation Erhalt succeeded in keeping the engine going, and at last the Venus was able to get off.

Striking on a Rock. “We tried to keep the Venus floating by pumping until we could sight the shore, but being unaware of her position, we drifted hopelessly, and again struck a rock, this time so violently that any hope of saving the vessel vanished.

The boat sank so quickly that the lifeboats could not be properly lowered. Six men had got into one lifeboat, but before it could be launched it was struck by a gigantic wave and smashed to pieces, and no more was seen of the occupants.

“Captain Wisnagrotski, Erhalt and myself remained on board the Venus until the waves, washing over the ship, made our position impossible. We managed to get into a boat with four of the crew, the captain being the last to leave. When he jumped from

the Venus a huge wave struck him in the back, hurling him headlong into the lifeboat and leaving him helpless.

“Another wave struck the lifeboat against the trawler and smashed it to pieces. How we managed to save ourselves in the moments that followed I cannot explain, except that somehow we managed to-gather together floating pieces of wood from the trawler, and so construct a raft. “While this was being done one of the men had to keep the captain’s head above water. Finally we were able to clamber up on to the raft, the captain having to be hauled up. Enormous waves dashed over the raft, which was so small that there was no room in which to move. Yet we had to exercise ourselves violently to keep from freezing to death.

Captain’s Right Arm Broken.

“We §oon came to the conclusion that the captain was completely helpless and had his right arm broken, apparently as a result of this being hit by the wave when getting into the boat. Three of the other members of the crew were also more or less injured and unable to move, with the result that they became numbed with the terrific cold.

“Just afterwards the captain, while lying on tlje raft helpless, was suddenly swept away from our sight by a wave. A little later we noticed that three of our comrades were lying on the raft partially submerged and unable to move.

“The waves continually swept over the raft, and they were probably drowned, although the bodies were still o'n the raft when we were rescued. When rescue came there were three of us alive —Erhalt, myself, and one of the crew. The last named, however was dying, and did not long survive rescue.”

After the wreck hundreds of cans of spirits were washed ashore.