DRAMA OF SINKING SHIP

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LII, Issue 16209, 6 December 1926, Page 12

DRAMA OF SINKING SHIP

INJURED SKIPPER ABANDONED. RESCUED AFTeFcREW PERISH. •■* • LONDON, Oct. ,22. Sole survivor o? his' ship, which fouhder>;d in the' North Sea in the great gale with' the loss of 12 hands, J"acob D; V. Tcorn, skipper., of tOie Dutch sailing: BTr-ring-drifter Theodora, was landed at North' Shields yesterday. He Had a stiiirige ialo to tell of how, Mm an inju.'ed thigh, he way t deserted' by his W; Ho succeeded, however, in saying liis life, while his crew, perished. Toorn was brought. to land on tlie CTtrman .tra\ylei- Oriinui, of Cuxliaven, whi<ih also landecl\fh6 body ,of J. Eah& 17, jottig'est member of the drifter's crew. Tlie Theodora; belonged to Bmardeuga'n, Holland. Site sailed for the fishjhg grounds on Oct. 1, aii'd 1 iii tlie &&wy hours of Sunday morning was overtaken by the fierce north-west gale. Repeatedly s\vd|i(i by Heavy sea's, site Half filled with water, and hef small boat was washed away.. The , crew manned the pumps, aiid were able to keep the water down for some time, when the skipper had his thigh severely injured, and had to be assisted below. According to the skipper's story, it was realised between four ,arid five o'clock on Sundav mOrnihg that there was no chance whatever.of the drifter riding out gale. He appealed to the crew to assist him on deck, but was told (here was no time. The crew,'who, were natives of Holland, all dohilcd lifebelts, with the,, exception .of the skipper, who Was helpless,in tlie cabin, arid also improvised, additional safety apparatus Worn the oupys used for floating tlie net's.' They then took refuge in the rigging, At four, o'clock in the afternoon the drifter bi J gan to fouhdter, aiid' the. crew sprang.overbohi'd, leaving the skipper to his fate, By strenuous effoi't Tobni riwuaged to reach 1 the deck v and, hastily making, a ra'ffr by lashing a piece of wood to a barrej, he.cpmmittecr himse'lf to tlie sea. Immediately afterwards the The O-. dora sank stern first, , v The .-raft kept Toorn afloat, aiid ''.while dVi'fting he observed -youjig Kaiie struggling- in tlirt water! TdqiVi'.took liiiii \(m .h{s back aiid fjupported liini imtil't'hey were picked up by the Gerniaii' trawler Giiihiri, whieji c,a«ne oiV the scoiie at TO' a.m. yesterdh.V. Uribappilv the skipper's lteroistri" wiis.of rio avail', "astlie jknitli died on hoard tlie ttewk 1 !' lialf aii hour later. No' otliei.' riiembei's of tlie crew WettV picked np, and it is pl'csiiined that alt perished m the. Aiginjr sea. Toorn was t'aken to tlie Tynemouth Infirmary, and the yoiitli%i holly to the ,, , . ,