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Show MANY PERISH WHEN SAFETY IS ONLY A FEW YARDS AWAY LONDON, Feb. 22. The Great Eastern East-ern Railway steamer Claeton returned to Harwich this morning from the Hook of Holland, where she arrived yesterday yester-day morning about an hour after the ill-fated ill-fated Berlin waa wrecked. The Claeton Clae-ton stood by the Berlin all day and made strenuous effort to rescue the survivors. An officer of the Claeton, gave a graphic account of the scene aa follows: j "On our arrival at the Hook of Hoi-; land we found the Berlin broadside up-: on the north pier end and we at oncj . set to work in an endeavor to succor, the stranded steamer. The waves were forty feet high, for the tide was flood , and a fierce gale was blowing. We got in close to the rocks, but nearly went on them ourselves and had to put about , , in order to escape the fate of the Berlin. Ber-lin. It was impossible for us to get out a lifeboat, as it would have been smashed to pieces in the raging waters. Life Belts Fall Short. - "We could see people in groups on I board the Berlin, some on deck and' some in the smoke room, upon the fore- ' part of the vessel. As we approached in an attempt to rescue them the persons per-sons on board raised a cheer. Apparently Appa-rently the best of discipline prevailed on board the Berlin. All the paasen-' gers had been furnished with life belts ' and had gathered upon the leesside. en- 1 deavoring to shelter themselves from awful seas which were breaking over the vessel, submerging her decks, funnels fun-nels and almost her masts, hiding her entirely from view. When within a hundred hun-dred yards of the Berlin we threw out ' all our life belts with lines attached but ' they failed to reach her. It was im-1 possible to take a line on board the i stranded Bteamer, as nothing could ; have lived in the terrible waves. "When the Berlin broke in two. the passengers and crew were swept off her decks in batches, and drowned within a few yards of safetv. We could hear their shouts for help, but could do nothing to assist them. We saw scores : of people struggling in the water, . many clinging for brief periods to I floating wreckage, but in . their be-' numbed state they were unable long to : resist the force of the waves, and dropped off, one by one." Tho following message was received today from Hook of Holland: "Have been in the vicinitv of the wreck with a tug and lifeboat all night, and have just returned. Was unable to rescue the people still on board the Berlin. The captain of the lifeboat reports that there are still three or four alive. Will try again as i-the i-the water falls." r - Tho message was signed by the ma- . ' rine superintendent at the Hook of Holland. |