WRECK OF THE BERLIN.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXII, Issue 8792, 20 April 1907, Page 4

WRECK OF THE BERLIN.

Loruox, March 1.

The closing scenes in the -wreck of the Berlin at the Hcok of Holland brought out some of the very noblest elements in human nature. Heroic self-sacrifice, dauntless courage, unswerving devotion to duty—these are qualities that illumine life’s grimmest tragedies with rays of hope for-the future of the race. The Berlin disaster is'ennobled by the conduct of those involved in it. There was no panic on board, and men and women alike faced death with courage and comparative calmness. The Dutch fishermen in the I lifeboats showed amazing hardihood 1 and disregard of personal safety in their 36 hours’ fight with sea and storm on behalf of the 'people on board the wreck. Though beaten back time and again by the fury of the waves, these heroic fishermen : stuck to the task until victory, crowned their efforts. The final; ' rescue of the last tliree survivors by . CaptanTSperlmg was a fitting climax to one of the inost inspiring stories I of the annals of the sea. I Late on Friday afternoon three ’ women and seven men were rescued ■ from the wreck amid a blinding j j snowstorm. First the lifeboat made | jan attempt to pass a line,’but failed i |to do so. Presently the hundreds of { I spectators on shore. noticed that a j ' rope had been lowered side | of the wreck. Jensen, captain of | tho lifeboat, with four volunteers, ; from a small boat launched the pilot j ship, made a dash through the mouu- . tain-high waves and secured the cud of the rope to another, thus securing communication. Tho seas were not breaking over the pier in tho same fury as early iu the morning. Going up to their necks iu the waves, and joining hands, with ’extreme risk five men succeeded iu reaching the lighthouse, where they made fast the rope. Then the women slid down the rope first, the men followed, and went through the water clinging to the rope. If they had let go nothing could havp saved them. The whole scene was one of the bravest ever witnessed. Three women still remained on board —one because she would not or could not face tho ordeal of the journey along the rope, and the other two because they nobly decided not to desert tho terror-stricken woman. The saving of these three is one of the finest feats on record. Late on Friday evening a Dutch shipmaster, Captain Martin Sperling, formed tho resolution that, come what might, those three women must not he allowed to perish. Going quickly to work, and speaking only to a friend or two, and those of his own blood on whom he could rely, he resolved to essay tho venture early the following morning. Accompanied by five companions, he went out in the dark hours of the morning iu a small tugboat, which they anchored 100 yards from the wreck. Captain -Sperling and four others thou left the tug in a large open yawl, which they had towed out with them. When the yawl had got within 15 yards of tho breakwater Captain Sperling tied a rope round his body jumped overboard, and scrambled on to the breakwater, followed by his nephew. They made tho rope fast to tho beacon, and thou slowly crawled to tho wreck along the breakwater, over which tho waves wore still breaking. Finally, they reached tho iron tower, on which the North Pier light stands, some 40 feet from tho wreck. On this tower Captain Sperling found tho rope connected with tho wreck which -was used by tho lifehoatmen on Friday,, and after resting they crept further out on’tlie breakwater, holding this rope. When they came to the point where the rope rose abruptly, Captain

Spreling went ou alone. Tlie icy ascent to tho deck of the steamer seemed impossible, but, fortunately, there were no heavy seas breaking at tho moment, and after several attempts Captain Sperling climbed to tho promenade deck rail. Ho crept aft along the sloping deck, and suddenly fell over a dark object. Ho stooped and found it to bo a dead body. Stumbling along ho saw in the one sheltered corner of the ship aft of tho engine room skylight a dark group. He could hear faint voices and faintly see ■ two outstretched arms. The group was the women he had come to savo. They crouched together, their hair dishevelled, and their rags of clothing frozen to their, bodies. They half lay against a pile of dead bodies. A LITTLE HEROINE.

When two of tho women saw them they tried instinctively to rise, and stretched out their hands appealingly towards him. One of them weakly muttered in German; “Oh, thank you. You have come to savo us.” Bearing in mind what had happened

the previous day, tho captain replied: “Yes, I have come, but you must be quiet if I am to save you. ’ ’ The woman seemed to bo half delirious and heedless. ' Then Mina Ripler, tlie maid, who was hardly able to speak through lips swollen and cracked by the salt sea water said: “Save the other two first, lam not so ill.”

Sperling replied: “Have courage, and I will save you too.” He thou lashed a stout rope round tho waist of the unresisting Frau Wcuuberg, and fixed a slipknot under her arms. It is a marvel that this woman, who was tho worst of tho three, survived, for, in addition to her physical sufferings her child had died, and one of tho other survivors declares that she sat for hours with the dead body in her arms without heeding the wind or tho waves or tlie cries of tho others. She was carried with great difficulty to the rail, and after fixing the rope on tho deck Sperling lifted her over tho side. This was a work of the most extreme difficulty, for the woman was too weak to assist herself, and she nearly toppled over the rail too soon. His nephew below received her and carried her temporarily to one of the iron standards. Thou he returned to the wreck and j

received^ 1 Fanr Thiele, whom his uncle had lifted over. He lashed her by tlie side of Frau Wonuborg, and returned for Frau Riplor.

f At least an hour was occupied thus, j and Captain Sperling had to hurry i from the wreck, for the tide was i rising rapidly, and there was danger j of the rescuers themselves being cut i off from tho yawl. The captain then ; took all the women, and carried them ! along the breakwater to the rope connecting them with the yawl. , Then he began to wade towards the ’ craft, and clutching tho rope whenever a wave threatened to carry them away. In this fashion he took two of the women singly to the yawl, while his nephew remained by tlie tower with the other. Having placed his two charges safely ou tho yawl, ho returned to tho tower, and carried the other back to safety, assisted by his nephew. In this way was a thrilling exploit carried fb its triumphnt conclusion. Captain Sperling deserves to live in the memory of men as a hero of heroes.