SHIPPING DISASTER

Hokitika Guardian, 22 December 1930, Page 5

SHIPPING DISASTER

FORTY LIVES LOST

IN BALTIC COLLISION. [United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph.—Copyrighl.J

LONDON, December 20.

The Finnish steamers Oheron and Arcturus, collided in a tog in the Kattegat, between Sweden and Denmark, last evening. The Oberon sank in three minutes, and between thirty and forty of her passengers are missing, including Mr J. W. Id. T. Douglas, the English, cricketer, and his father, who were returning from Sweden for Xmas after a timber business trip. Several other Britons are believed to have been aboard the Oberon. She sent out “5.0.5.” calls and several steamers rushed to the rescue.

The Oberon’s saved include one Englishman, three Englishwomen, and thirty-two of the crew, including the captain and the officers. Both of the steamers belong to the same line, and are engaged in a weekly service between Hull and Finland. The captains of each ship were named Hjolt, and they are brothers. Some of the Oberon’s passengers took to the boats.- in their night attire, while othsirs were drifting in the water in lifebelts. '

TERRIBLE SCENES,

BLAZING OIL ON WATER

LONDON, December 20. The captain of the Arcturus reports that he believed he saved all of the Oberon’s people who were floating supported by buoys and other objects. The majority of the passengers were trapped below in darkness when the Oberon listed to eighty degrees. The Arcturus, though badly damaged, stood by till noon to-day.

The captain of the Danish salvage ship Rarm assisted in the rescue work. He says that when.the fog cleared in the afternoon all that remained of the Oberon were oil patches, two Christmas trees which were part of her cargo, and two bodies of women. Nielson,, a deck hand survivor, said that he was aroused by a terrific crash at 9.30 p.m. He rushed on deck, by which time the Oberon’s stern was submerged, and the sea was pouring in through a tremendous breach in the starboard side. The captain ordered out all into the lifeboats, which it was impossible to launch, owing to the vessel heeling over so rapidly. Screams and cries were to be heard, everywhere. As the Oberon turned turtle her boiler exploded, and blazing oil spread over the sea, in which many people were struggling. Nielson and three of his shipmates swam to the lifeboats, which were so damaged that they needed all efforts to keep them afloat,

ENGLISH CRICKETER "VICTIM.

LONDON, December 20. The newspapers universally pay a tribute to Douglas, the cricketer, as a great sportsman. COPENHAGEN, December 20.

"The last I saw of Johnny Douglas was when he dashed out of the smoke room to tell his father to come on deck as the . ship was obviously sinking fast,” says Ernest Martin, a British survivor. “We were in the smoke room when the crash occurred. Mr J. F. Douglas had run below, apparently to get a life belt. Then there came a terrific lurch, I struggled out arid I was immediately thrown into the sea. I did not see Douglas again, or my wife, who was below.”

Martin was picked up by the .Areturns, and she arrived at Copenhagen with thirty-seven survivors, many of whom were injured. The vessel also brought five bodies of the drowned.

A search for survivors was carried on all day, but the efforts of British Danish, Swedish and Finnish vessels were finally abandoned. Sixteen of the passengers and twen-ty-four of the crew of the Oberon are still missing, out of twenty-six passengers and sixty-three aboard. Seven of those missing are British, and they include a father, mother and their little daughter. CAPTAIN’S TRAGIC LOSS.

The most tragic figure is the Oberon’s captain, Eric Hjolt, who has not only lost his ship, but his wife and four-vear-old daughter, who were accompanying him to spend Christmas at Hull.

Captain Hjolt remnined on the bridge till the last. Then he picked Up his daughter and wife and leaped into the sea. His wife sank, but Hiolt, swam with his daughter and reached the Arcturus. but the child was frozen to death in his arms in icy water.

THE SEA TRAGEDY

(Received this dav at 11 n.m.)

COPFiNHAGEN, Dec. 21

An officer of the Arcturus states the brother captains knew the Oberon and Arcturus were going to meet 'and exchange Christmas greetings hv wireless. Only ten minutes before the collision they were unaware the vessels were so near, owing to the extraordinary density of fog. If the collision had occurrecT a minute later, the Oberon which is the strongest ioe-breaknr in Europe, would have rammed the Arcturus.

SURVIVORS’ STORIES.

THRILLING EPISODES.

(Received this day at noon.) COPENHAGEN, December 21. Miss Tipping swam to anonipty boat and clung therto till it sank. Slit; found a lifeboat, held up an acetylene flare with one hand and supported a stewardess with the other until rescued, felie said:—“l saw the Captain bolding; ii child clinging; to a lifeboat with others. Someone talking in English was hanging on lii,s laclt, but lie must have dropped off and perished.

A passenger, Martin, interviewed said: “Mrs Williams was afraid the blaring of the fog sirens as the Oberon lay stationary, would waken the baby and retired to her cabin leaving us in the smoking room. Some of us went on deck just in time to witness the Archturu’s ramming tlm Oberon. I did not see Filters again after lie cried “My God, Mrs Williams: is down there’ and rushed to save her, though Miss Tipping glimpsed her standing at the cabin door with the baby in her arms. The English purser Bam ford went to certain death when lie went to the res-

cue of stewardesses from the mess room after saving two. He and Vickers were heroes. I with my wife in one arm and the captain’s baby in the other struggled up the sloping dock and climber the rails on to the side of the ship which was almost under water. The captain took the child, a wave sucked the wife and t down, and tore us apart, She was lost ill the awful darkness.. 1 caught a lifeboat, a quarter of an hour later and do not remember any more until taken from amongst the dead aboard the Archturus. Half of my clothing was cut off during resuscitation operations, but hearing my wife was aboard, I ran half naked along the only to discover my terrible mistake.

FURTHER PARTJCULA RS,

COPENHAGEN, Dec. 21

Survivors say the Arcturus loomed with appalling suddenness from the fog and drove straight towards the Oberon. Amid shrieks of terror, accompanied (by Captain H. Hjolt’s shont to get the lifeboats clear, the crew rtished to the stations but the deck plunged in darkness as the Act unis bows, crashed a yard deep ‘into tjhe ’Oberon’s starboard amidships quenching every light aboard and ripping off the entire iside as fai as the rudder hurling those on deck into ice-cold water.

Tho Oiberon was port side uppermost in thirty seconds and the disaster was complete in five minutes. Many victims must have been burnt to death in the blazing oil. Others were helplessly sucked down. ••'lmmediately the A,returns berthed a Copenhagen sailor called: “Is Mr Williams here.” Mr Williams came forward and f sailor, who had been in Mrs "Williams’ company a few seconds between the collision and the engulfment. delivered her last message as follows: "Tell my Uupfbnnd lie was in my thoughts to the end.” The majority of the missing are probably women because Finnish vessels carry many stewardesses and female cooks. Much wreckage and three lifeboats, two covered with tarpaulins, and one ap parently lately occupied stranded on west coast of Sweden.