Four years’ research unearths SS Norge’s final resting place
(Story dated August 14, 2003)

Part Two

Some of the survivors who made it safely to Stornoway after the Norge went down.

Quite miraculously, a lifeboat with 20 people on board, arrived on the shores of Shetland - hundreds of miles off course, but alive.

The Norge’s second mate, who had been in charge, rowed all the way despite eight days on the open sea.

The sea may have taken all they owned in the world, but it did not claim Helmer and Karen’s lives or their dreams and they continued on their way to America.

After arriving safely in Minnesota, where Helmer’s aunt and uncle lived, the young man, a shoemaker to trade, recounted the events of June 28 to the Alexandria Post.

“We were married June 16 at Gronysfosaensge, Norway, and as we were in great haste to get to America, I wrote to my uncle Andrew Baglo of Garfield for help to reach here.

“He sent me one ticket. I scraped enough together to buy a ticket for my wife,” he continued. “We left Christiania (now Oslo) on June 24, at 7am on the steamship Norge, bound for America.”

The ship arrived at Christiansund the same evening, before heading off the next day Saturday, June 25, sailing north of Scotland.

“The sky remained clear until Tuesday morning,” Helmer continued. “That morning about 7am, while we were yet in bed, we were aroused by a rumbling grating noise, as of heavy chains being rolled across the deck.

“It was not so much of a shock or crash. We were frightened and hurried on deck to see what had happened. A few had arrived before us. They had begun lowering boats.”

He left his wife on the second deck while he ran to get their lifejackets. But in the scramble he lost one on his return.

“We reached the upper deck, where the boats were, before the throng. There was one continuous prayer going up from the crowd. When we reached the deck, three or four boats had been launched and broken against the vessel.”

Frustratingly, he watched as another lifeboat was launched almost empty.

“One Swedish woman threw her five year old daughter into the boat and jumped after her. Some were successful in making the boat, while others went down in the waves. We were among the fortunate ones,” Helmer said.

Their lifeboat was “heaped full, 27 – 20 men, six women and a little girl – lying in the bottom in a pile” and suffered damage after being thrown against the side of the ship, he went on.

“We strived then as best we could to arrange ourselves in such a way as to govern the boat and keep afloat, but with so many that we were compelled to throw the life preservers overboard. We were piled on top of the oars in such a way that it was impossible to find more than one for some time.”

Helmer continued: “We were lucky enough to have with us one of the ship’s officers and a Danish passenger who could assist in managing the boat. These two took command. Some were placed at the oars, which by this time had been secured, and others were set to bailing the boat with a pail and dipper which were found in it.”

As other lifeboats were swept away and out of sight, Helmer speaks of watching the passengers who remained on the Norge crowd to the stern and “wring their hands”.

“We watched for 15 minutes when the ship carried its human load into the deep, and they were no more.”

They were drenched but continued to fight for their lives all day against the rain and heavy seas.

By night-time the sky was clear and moonlit and in the morning they saw a boat, which turned out to be the Silvia.

Fortunately one of the passengers had become tangled in one of his bunk sheets when he made a hasty exit from the Norge and still had it with him. They used it to as a signal and finally, exhausted, but still alive, they were rescued.

Helmer said: “We were treated very kindly by the captain and his people. They did all they could for us. Even the captain slept on the floor, giving up his bed to one of the women.”

The Silvia headed for Grimsby and at about 8pm on Thursday, June 30, 1904, they arrived.

The passengers were helped by the Swedish sea missionary before being taken to Liverpool by rail on the Monday. Only a week after the sinking, they were nervously boarded onto the Cunard liner S/S Saxonia.

“A purse of $100 was raised and divided among the survivors of the Norge. We arrived in Boston on July 14 where another Swedish sea missionary helped us materially.”

He continued: “We lost everything we had. I am a shoemaker by trade and will make Alexandria, or some place near here, my home. It is a bad situation, but I am going to do the best I can.”

Just over 100 survivors were landed at Stornoway after being picked up by a German vessel and a Dundee steamer, among them was the captain of the ship, Valdemar Joh Gundel.

He told the Grimsby Telegraph: “The occupants of the boat did not recognise me in the water and they were not going to allow me on board. They reached out to throw me off, but I said ‘no, you don’t do that, I may be of some use to you’. Then one of the crew recognised me and said ‘it is the captain. We want him’. I got on board. I looked at my watch, it was still going and the time was 9.30am so I had been almost an hour and a half in the water. My watch continued going for three days, and then stopped.”

The captain admitted that it was the third time that he had been wrecked on the 28th day of a month.

Included within the Court of Inquiry reports into the loss of the SS Norge, Cpt Gundel admitted that he did not pay any regard to the possible influence of the ebb or flow.

The report stated: “It will be seen from the above that the court finds that Captain Gundel may be said to be to blame for want of caution and for faulty actions which have contributed to bring about and augment the accident.

“But the court finds at the same time that those faults and want of care leaving the consequences out of consideration cannot be of such a nature that the captain ought to be condemned to any punishment under the Maritime law, and assumes not under Criminal law either.”

As a result the accused – the management and direction of the United Steamship Company and the captain were acquitted.

Part Three >