# Transcription check of the Ourang Medan report

**Method.** Phase 1: every passage was transcribed blind from the page images (or the PDF text layer, for the two text PDFs) and written to `sources/transcription-check/blind_transcriptions.md` before any report file was opened. Sources not among the page scans supplied for the check were fetched from open sites: Il Piccolo 26 Oct 1940 (dshare-deploy.grupponem.it PDF, saved as `images/pages/ilpiccolo_1940-10-26_p3.pdf`), the Yorkshire Evening Post clipping images (skittishlibrary.co.uk, image-28/29), Revista da Semana 27 May 1950 (archive.org item 1950-maio, page images _0049/_0050 = printed pp. 50–51), De West and Amigoe (resolver.kb.nl article OCR, page ALTO and page JP2 images). Phase 2: comparison with `sources/transcription-check/report_quotations.md` and, for the attribution context of inline quotations, `report/ourang-medan.html`. The crops used are not included in this folder.

**Preliminary finding on the files.** The three De locomotief scans supplied for the check are mislabelled: `locomotief_1948-02-03_p3_full.png` is the 28 Feb 1948 page (header "96e JAARGANG No. 149 … ZATERDAG 28 FEBRUARI 1948"; md5 = images/ddd_010862918_mpeg21_p002_full.png), `locomotief_1948-02-28_p2_full.png` is the 13 Mar 1948 page ("No. 161 … ZATERDAG 13 MAART 1948"; md5 = images/ddd_010862945_mpeg21_p002_full.png) and `locomotief_1948-03-13_p2_full.png` is the 3 Feb 1948 page ("No. 128 … DINSDAG 3 FEBRUARI 1948"). Delpher article OCR confirms: ddd:010862872 = 3 Feb ("Een Mysterie van de Zee"), ddd:010862918 = 28 Feb ("Ondergang der „Ourang Medan""), ddd:010862945 = 13 Mar ("Mysterie der „Ourang Medan""). The figure crops in `report/img/fig_locomotief_*` come from the right pages and the figure captions carry the right identifiers; the report's source list (S14, S16, S18) has the identifiers rotated in the same way as the file names (corrections 9–11 below).

Verdicts: MATCH = same words; MINOR = punctuation, accents, capitalisation, spacing, quotation-mark style; CORRECTION = a word, name, number, date or attribution differs.

## 1. Passage-by-passage comparison

| # | Passage (source) | Report's reading | Reading from the image | Verdict | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Il Piccolo 16 Oct 1940, page header (Fig. 1 caption) | Le ultime notizie · Il Piccolo delle Ore Diciotto, pag. III, Mercoledì 16 Ottobre 1940 - Anno XVIII | LE ULTIME NOTIZIE - IL PICCOLO DELLE ORE DICIOTTO, pag. III, Mercoledì 16 Ottobre 1940 - Anno XVIII | MINOR | capitals and a hyphen in print |
| 2 | Piccolo 1940, headline | Il mistero dell'«Ourang-Medan» | Il mistero dell' "Ourang-Medan„ | MINOR | raised/low double quotes in print, not guillemets |
| 3 | Piccolo 1940, first radio message | «S.O.S. de Ourang-Medan pse SW DH medico urgent» | Piccolo: «S. O. S. de Ourang-Medan pse [.]W [D]H medico urgent» (start of the second line hidden by a fold); L'Illustrazione Italiana: «S.O.S. de Ourang-Medan pse SW DH medico urgent» | MATCH | "SW DH" is fully legible only in the Milan reprint; the Piccolo's visible letters are compatible with it. Spaced "S. O. S." in the Piccolo |
| 4 | Piccolo 1940, gloss of the message | che tradotto in lingua chiara vuol dire: «S.O.S. del piroscafo Ourang-Medan, preghiamo navi con installazioni onde corte ottenerci urgente consulto medico» | identical in the Piccolo ("lingua chiara"; in[st]allazioni, ur[ge]nte, Ourang-[M]edan partly under the fold). Illustrazione: "lingua oggi corrente" | MATCH | see row 26 for the Milan variants |
| 5 | Piccolo 1940, dated sentence (inline quotation, [S1]) | La notte del 13 novembre 1939 a circa duecento miglia a sud-est del gruppo delle Salomone mentre si navigava verso il canale di Panama | Piccolo: La notte del 13 novembre 1939 a [cir]ca duecento miglia a sud-est [de]l gruppo delle Salomone mentre [..]avigava verso il canale di Pa[na]ma; Illustrazione: "sud-est dal gruppo delle Salomone mentre si navigava" | MINOR (not fully verifiable) | "del/dal" and "si navigava/navigava" fall under the fold in the Trieste scan; the report's wording combines the Piccolo's "del" with the Illustrazione's "si navigava". The archive PDF has no text layer |
| 6 | Piccolo 1940, the reply (passage d) | Dopo qualche minuto l'«Ourang-Medan», con l'apparecchio ausiliario, rispose: «Probabilmente secondo ufficiale morto, altri membri dell'equipaggio pure uccisi. Annullate consulto medico. S.O.S. urgente assistenza nave guerra. S.O.S. lat… long… punto stimato. Equipaggio ha…». E qui improvvisamente la comunicazione cessò del tutto dileguandosi con una serie di punti e di linee senza alcun significato ed inintelligibili. | identical apart from spaced "S. O. S." and "lat... long..." | MATCH | the Milan reprint omits "S.O.S. urgente assistenza nave guerra." (row 26) |
| 7 | Piccolo 1940, torpedo boat | una torpediniera americana e precisamente la «W 716» | identical | MATCH | |
| 8 | Piccolo 1940, convicts | l'anno prima trasportava un carico di forzati dall'Inghilterra all'Australia | identical (inside the parenthesis) | MATCH | |
| 9 | Piccolo 1940, count of the dead (paraphrased) | twelve dead, three of them deck officers, of a crew "of at least forty" | Contammo in tutto dodici cadaveri dei quali tre ufficiali di coperta. … doveva avere almeno 40 persone di equipaggio. | MATCH | |
| 10 | Piccolo 1940, smoke | la boccaporta numero due | Una colonna di fumo bluastra, come un enorme bengala, usciva dalla boccaporta numero due. | MATCH | Illustrazione: "boccaporta n. 2" |
| 11 | Piccolo 1940, ending and byline (Fig. 3) | Del mistero dell'«Ourang-Medan» non restava che una collezione di fotografie, molte delle quali passate in esclusività alla Marina da guerra americana a cui incombe il non facile compito di risolvere l'enigma | identical; byline SILVIO SCHERL-SCHERLI | MATCH | |
| 12 | Piccolo 1940, caption of photo 1 | …sul ponte di comando trovammo il corpo del secondo ufficiale… | ..sul ponte di comando trovammo il corpo del secondo ufficiale... | MINOR | two leading dots in print |
| 13 | Piccolo 1940, caption of photo 2 (Fig. 2) | L'«Ourang-Medan» sta per inabissarsi | identical | MATCH | the caption's claims about the Milan reprint are wrong (section 3, correction 6) |
| 14 | Il Piccolo 26 Oct 1940, editors' note | è stato riprodotto da tutti i giornali del Regno e sarà pubblicato pure negli Stati Uniti e sui giornali di altri Paesi; "Il panfilo Johore"; "L'affare della Geo W. Macknight" | identical; the note opens "Pubblichiamo il secondo articolo di Silvio Scherl-Scherli sui «Drammi del mare». Il primo, «Il mistero dell'Ourang Medan», pubblicato il 16 corrente sulle «Ultime Notizie», …" | MATCH | the note stands at the head of column 1 under the headline of "L'ammutinamento dell' "Elenor Synt„", not "above" the article (wording only) |
| 15 | Il Piccolo 5 Feb 1941, headline and sub-headline | Luce sulla misteriosa fine del piroscafo «Ourang Medan». Il ritrovamento di un superstite della tragica nave salvato dagli indigeni di un'isola della Malesia | identical (headline on two lines, sub-headline on three) | MATCH | |
| 16 | Piccolo 1941, dateline (Fig. 6) | VITI LEVU (Figi), 5 | identical | MATCH | |
| 17 | Piccolo 1941, date of the SOS | il giorno 19 novembre 1939 | identical (checked at 3x) | MATCH | |
| 18 | Piccolo 1941, December 1940 | brought before the Governor in December 1940 | Lo scorso mese di dicembre 1940 si presentò al Governatore di Viti Levu, isola del gruppo delle Figi, un indigeno … | MATCH | |
| 19 | Piccolo 1941, survivor's opening (Fig. 6) | Partimmo da Singapore, con un carico di 2500 casse il cui contenuto non era precisato sulla polizza di carico o meglio era falsato, diretti ad un porto occidentale dell'Australia. Il comandante era pure proprietario della nave | identical; crew: "Eccezione fatta per gli ufficiali, il resto dell'equipaggio era composto di malesi e di indiani" | MATCH | |
| 20 | Piccolo 1941, 11 October | the bosun dead at a hold ventilator on "11 ottobre" | Il giorno 11 ottobre il nostromo di coperta mentre toglieva il cappuccio ad uno sfiatatoio di una stiva fu colto da un improvviso malore e stramazzò sulla coperta. Era morto. | MATCH | |
| 21 | Piccolo 1941, the 13th, hold 4, torch | four men dead patching "il fondo della stiva n. 4" with a torch; "la stiva n. 4" | Il giorno 13 fu fatale per l'«Ourang-Medan». … a rappezzare il fondo della stiva n. 4, lavorando con la fiamma ossidrica | MATCH | |
| 22 | Piccolo 1941, rats | rats pouring from the holds | Centinaia e centinaia di grossi topi … uscivano a frotte da ogni dove | MATCH | |
| 23 | Piccolo 1941, the cry | tutti morti, tutti morti | ci gridò: tutti morti, tutti morti... fuggite... (sub-heading "Tutti morti, tutti morti!„) | MATCH | |
| 24 | Piccolo 1941, chemicals and consignee | "spiriti di nitroglicerina", potassium cyanide "solido e liquido", "numerose casse di acido solforico" | … una grande partita clandestina di spiriti di nitroglicerina nonchè una partita di cianuro di potassio solido e liquido e numerose casse di acido solforico … Non si è mai saputo chi fosse il destinatario della merce. | MATCH | |
| 25 | L'Illustrazione Italiana, headline and byline | "Il mistero dell'«Ourang-Medan»", signed Silvio Scherl-Scherli | IL MISTERO DELL'«OURANG-MEDAN»; SILVIO SCHERL - SCHERLI | MATCH | |
| 26 | Illustrazione, dated paragraph (cited as "the same text") | (same block as rows 3–6) | 13 NOVEMBRE 1939. - La notte del 13 novembre 1939 a circa duecento miglia a sud-est dal gruppo delle Salomone mentre si navigava verso il canale di Panama, intercettammo la seguente segnalazione: «S.O.S. de Ourang-Medan pse SW DH medico urgent», che tradotto in lingua oggi corrente vuol dire: … ; reply: «… Annullate consulto medico. S.O.S. lat. ... long. ... punto stimato. Equipaggio ha ... » | MINOR | the Milan text is a reset with variants ("dal gruppo", "lingua oggi corrente", no "urgente assistenza nave guerra"); the citation "the same text" overstates (correction 12) |
| 27 | Gazzetta Ufficiale 4 Oct 1930 (quote block and Fig. 14) | Veduta la domanda presentata dal sig. Silvio Scherk fu Giuseppe, nato a Trieste il 29 aprile 1901 e residente a Trieste, corso Garibaldi n. 13, … in « Scherli »; […] Decreta: Il cognome del sig. Silvio Scherk è ridotto in « Scherli ». | identical; surname "Scherk" at both places (checked at 2x); decree dated Trieste 9 gennaio 1930, prefect PORRO, no. (3637) | MATCH | |
| 28 | Leekster courant 24 Jan 1948, first paragraph (quote block) | … de ondergang van de „Titanic" is zelden een zo onverklaard … het grote vrachtschip … | … de ondergang van de „Titianic" is zelden een zo onverklaard … het groote vrachtschip … | CORRECTION | misprint "Titianic" and old spelling "groote" in the paper; everything else in the block, including "aldus een verslaggever van „Elsevier's Weekblad"", matches |
| 29 | Leekster, headline | Mysterie, dat de zee nimmer zal prijsgeven | MYSTERIE, DAT DE ZEE NIMMER ZAL PRIJSGEVEN. | MINOR | |
| 30 | Leekster, radio paragraph | Wij voeren midden Juni 1947 ongeveer 400 zeemijlen Zuidoostelijk van de Marshall eilanden, toen wij van de „Ourang Medan" op de 600 metergolf dit radiobericht ontvingen: „S.O.S. from ship ourang medan stop pse ships with SW get urgent DH medico stop". | identical | MATCH | |
| 31 | Leekster, position message | „SOS van de „Ourang Medan" 20 gr. Westerbreedte 179 gr. Oosterlengte stop Wij drijven stop tweede officier dood op de brug stop kapitein en hoofdmachinist dood in kaartenkamer stop waarschijnlijk gehele bemanning overleden stop deel der bemanning…" | … stop wij drijven stop … deel der bemanning......" | MINOR | lower-case "wij"; six dots |
| 32 | Leekster, last words | Alleen twee woorden kwamen nog door: „Ik sterf… Ik sterf". | Alleen twee woorden kwamen nog door: „Ik sterf......" — the next paragraph begins: Ik sterf? Wij seinden de „Ourang Medan" nog verschillende malen; … | CORRECTION | the second "Ik sterf" is the narrator's own question opening the next paragraph, not part of the received words (De locomotief 3 Feb has the same: „ik sterf..." / Ik sterf? Wij seinden …) |
| 33 | Leekster, "pre-war listing" sentence | Aan bijzonderheden vonden wij een vooroorlogse opgave, dat de „Ourang Medan" een vrachtschip van ruim 5000 ton was, met één schoorsteen, veertig jaar oud en in die veertig jaar zeker wel tienmaal van naam en vlag en reder verwisseld. | … een voor-oorlogse opgave … (p. 1, col. 4, last lines) | MINOR | hyphenated "voor-oorlogse" in print |
| 34 | Leekster, "Tussen 1935 en 1937 …" | Tussen 1935 en 1937 had het met vier houten slaapdekken in de ruimen gevaren als Chinees transportschip. | Leekster p. 1 ends at "Tussen 1935 en 1937 had het met vier houten" (continuation on a page not supplied). De locomotief 3 Feb 1948: "… slaapdekken in de ruimen gevaren als Chinees troepentransportschip......" | CORRECTION (probable) | the Semarang reprint reads "troepentransportschip" (troop transport); verify Leekster p. 2 before keeping "transportschip" |
| 35 | Leekster, "Overal lagen lijken …" | Overal lagen lijken. Er lag ook een dode hond. En het verschrikkelijkste was de krampachtige houding der doden, terwijl hun gezichten een afschuwelijke angst uitdrukten: mond en ogen waren wijd opengesperd, alsof zij van ontzetting gestorven waren. | not on Leekster p. 1; De locomotief 3 Feb: identical except a dash instead of the colon ("uitdrukten — mond en ogen …") | MINOR (checked against De locomotief only) | |
| 36 | Leekster masthead (Fig. 9) | "Nieuwsblad voor Westerkwartier en Noordenveld", Saturday 24 January 1948, vol. 3 no. 4 | Zaterdag 24 Januari 1948 — LEEKSTER COURANT — NIEUWSBLAD VOOR WESTERKWARTIER EN NOORDENVELD — 3e Jaargang No. 4 | MATCH | "four-page weekly" not checkable from p. 1 |
| 37 | Leekster (Fig. 10 caption) | The fourth sentence credits the source | the credit closes the third sentence of the article ("Een raadsel van de zee…" / "Sinds de muiterij … bemanning." / "Het enige authentieke … aldus een verslaggever van „Elsevier's Weekblad".") | CORRECTION | say "third sentence" or "the end of the first paragraph" |
| 38 | De locomotief 3 Feb 1948, "prints the same paragraph without the Elsevier credit" | — | confirmed: the paragraph ends "… de oplossing van het raadsel kent niemand." (this printing has "Titanic", "zó", "grote") | MATCH | |
| 39 | De locomotief 3 Feb, radio messages ("identical in De locomotief") | — | „SOS from ship ourang medan stop pse ships with SW get urgent DH medico stop."; „SOS van de „Ourang Medan" 20° westerbreedte 179° oosterlengte stop wij drijven stop … kaarten-kamer … | MINOR | same wording, not identical typography (degree signs, lower case, "600-metergolf", "radio-bericht", "Marshall-eilanden") |
| 40 | De locomotief 3 Feb (Fig. 11a caption) | Tuesday 3 February 1948, vol. 96 no. 128, p. 3; Delpher ddd:010862872:mpeg21:a0050 | header "…e JAARGANG No. 128 — DINSDAG 3 FEBRUARI 1948"; Delpher OCR title of a0050 = "Een Mysterie van de Zee …" | MATCH | |
| 41 | De locomotief 3 Feb, caption 1 (Fig. 11b) | …op de commando-brug vonden wij de 2de officier. Ook hij was dood en niets verried waaraan hij was gestorven | . . . op de commando-brug vonden wij de 2de officier. Ook hij was dood en niets verried waaraan hij was gestorven . . . | MINOR | |
| 42 | De locomotief 3 Feb, caption 2 (Fig. 11c) | Het uitgebrande wrak van de 'Ourang Medan' kort voordat het naar de bodem van de Oceaan zonk, zijn geheim medenemend | Het uitgebrande wrak van de „Ourang Medan" kort voordat het naar de bodem van de Oceaan zonk, zijn geheim medenemend. | MINOR | quotation marks |
| 43 | De locomotief 28 Feb 1948, headline (Fig. 12a) | "Ondergang der „Ourang Medan""; box signed "Red. Loc." | Ondergang der „Ourang Medan" / „Voor het Eerst Werd ik Bang" / De Enige Overlevende, Silvio Scherli, Vertelt zijn Verhaal | MATCH | |
| 44 | De locomotief 28 Feb, editors' box (quote block) | Het heeft enige tijd geduurd, alvorens wij van de schrijver van „Ourang Medan", het verhaal over de mysterieuze ondergang van een schip in de Stille Oceaan, het vervolg van zijn verhaal ontvingen. De auteur, Silvio Scherli, vertoeft thans te Triëst. Hij verzekert, voor de authenticiteit van dit verhaal in te staan. Daar wij over generlei verdere informatie dan die, welke in deze vervolgartikelen vervat is, beschikken, moeten wij met de persoonlijke verzekering van de auteur volstaan. — Red. Loc. | identical | MATCH | |
| 45 | De locomotief 28 Feb, the island | the island of Taongi, belonging to the Marshall Islands (in quotation marks) | het eiland Toangi, behorend tot de Marshall-eilanden; Revista da Semana 1950 also "Toangi" | CORRECTION | the printed name is "Toangi"; quote it as printed and keep "Taongi (Bokak)" for the report's own prose |
| 46 | De locomotief 28 Feb, Lloyd's Register | such ships "are no longer listed in Lloyd's Register" | … de schepen, welke langs de Chinese kust varen, die telkens de naam verwisselen en in Lloyds Register al lang niet meer genoemd worden | MATCH (translation) | |
| 47 | De locomotief 13 Mar 1948, headline and sub-head (Fig. 12b) | "Mysterie der „Ourang Medan""; "Fantasie of Realiteit?" | Mysterie der „Ourang Medan" / De Dodelijke Zwavelzuur-Gassen Doortrokken het Gehele Schip / Fantasie of Realiteit? | MATCH | |
| 48 | De locomotief 13 Mar, editors' box (quote block) | Hiernevens volgt het slot van het verhaal van de „Ourang Medan". De ontknoping geeft ons aanleiding te herhalen, dat ons omtrent dit „raadsel van de zee" geen andere gegevens ten dienste staan. Op de vele in dit relaas onopgeloste vragen kan geen antwoord worden gegeven. De conclusie ligt voor de hand, dat het ganse verhaal een fantasie, een boeiende romance is. Hiertegenover staat de verklaring van de auteur, Silvio Scherli, te Triëst, die in zijn verzekering omtrent de authenticiteit volhardt. | identical | MATCH | |
| 49 | De locomotief 13 Mar, passport | afgegeven door de Chinese autoriteiten te Shanghai, met de naam Alfred Schutzwald uit Hamburg | identical | MATCH | |
| 50 | De locomotief 13 Mar, invoice | 15.000 kisten en vaten zwavelzuur, nitro-glycerine in vloeibare vorm en nog andere chemicaliën | identical | MATCH | |
| 51 | De locomotief 13 Mar, burial | begraven bij de oude palm op het kerkhof achter het missiegebouw | „Dit was het verhaal", zo vertelde de missionaris, „dat de schipbreukeling mij vertelde. Zijn ware naam mag ik niet vertellen. Hij was een Duitser. Hij biechtte en ontving de Communie. Hij werd begraven bij de oude palm op het kerkhof achter het missiegebouw". | MATCH | |
| 52 | De locomotief 13 Mar, the end | leaves in the one lifeboat with six men; "Einde" | Zes mannen volgden mij. De boot ging omlaag. Drie uur later zagen wij de „Ourang Medan" niet meer. / Einde | MATCH | |
| 53 | Source list S14 | De locomotief, 3 February 1948, p. 3, "Brand in luik vier. Raadselachtige ondergang van de „Ourang Medan"". Delpher ddd:010862918:mpeg21:a0033 to a0036 | the 3 Feb page is ddd:010862872:mpeg21 (a0050, continuation a0051); printed headline "Een Mysterie van de Zee / Krampachtige Houding der Doden / De Raadselachtige Ondergang van de „Ourang Medan"" | CORRECTION | 010862918 is the 28 Feb issue; "Brand in luik vier…" is the Elsevier title reported by Paijmans, not the Semarang headline |
| 54 | Source list S16 | De locomotief, 28 February 1948, p. 2, "Het geheim van de „Ourang Medan"" … Delpher ddd:010862945:mpeg21:a0036 and a0038 | 28 Feb = ddd:010862918:mpeg21 (a0033 headline article with the box; a0034–a0036 continuations); headline "Ondergang der „Ourang Medan"" | CORRECTION | |
| 55 | Source list S18 | De locomotief, 13 March 1948, p. 2, "Einde", with the editors' box "Fantasie of Realiteit?". Delpher ddd:010862872:mpeg21:a0050 and a0051 | 13 Mar = ddd:010862945:mpeg21 (a0036 headline article incl. "Fantasie of Realiteit?"; a0038 "S.O.S." continuation); headline "Mysterie der „Ourang Medan"" | CORRECTION | |
| 56 | Daily Mirror 22 Nov 1940 (Fig. 7) | "Crew Dies In S O S Mystery"; ending "A ship of the British Merchant Marine was first to arrive on the scene. — Associated Press."; "yesterday"; "taking her secret with her" | CREW DIES IN S O S MYSTERY … said an officer of the rescue party yesterday … taking her secret with her … A ship of the British Merchant Marine was first to arrive on the scene. —Associated Press. | MATCH | |
| 57 | The China Mail 27 Feb 1941 (Fig. 8) | verbatim AP reprint; "off the Solomon Islands, in the Pacific Ocean" | CREW DIES IN S.O.S. MYSTERY … off the Solomon Islands, in the Pacific Ocean … (no "yesterday") | MATCH | |
| 58 | Yorkshire Evening Post 21 Nov 1940, SOS 1 | "S O S from the steamship Ourang Medan. Beg ships with short wave wireless get touch doctor, urgent." | identical | MATCH | |
| 59 | YEP, SOS 2 and fragment | "Probable second officer dead. Other members crew also killed. Disregard medical consultation. S O S urgent assistance warship." / "crew has …" | identical; 'crew has . . .' | MATCH | |
| 60 | YEP, lead and dateline | "an eye-witness account of the last phase of a mysterious sea tragedy" … "by a merchant marine officer who went to the rescue of the steamer Ourang Medan off the Solomon Islands last November"; dateline Trieste | identical; "TRIESTE, Thursday." | MATCH | |
| 61 | "200 miles south-east of the Solomon Islands" (comparison table, sources S1 and S4) | quoted as if from both | YEP/AP: "We were about 200 miles south-west of the Solomon Islands"; Piccolo: "a circa duecento miglia a sud-est del gruppo delle Salomone" | CORRECTION | the AP cable says south-WEST; the English phrase is a translation of the Italian and cannot be attributed to [S4] |
| 62 | Lloyd's Register 1947 (Fig. 13) | Santa Juana (ex Silver Star-47, ex Santa Cecilia-46), Grace Line Inc., New York | 89171 Santa Juana (exSilverStar–47, 242111 exSantaCecilia–46) … 1942 Federal S.B.&D.D.Co. Kearny,N.J. … GraceLineInc. … NewYork Utd.States | MATCH | spacing; the official number 242111 stands between the two former names |
| 63 | Proceedings MMC May 1952, SOS block | "S. O. S. from Ourang Medan * * * we float. All officers, including the Captain, dead in chartroom and on the bridge. Probably whole of crew dead * * *." … "I die." | identical (p. 107, "WE SAIL TOGETHER") | MATCH | |
| 64 | Proceedings, details | "February 1948"; "Straits of Malacca"; "No. 4 hold"; "50 miles"; "frozen faces upturned to the sun … horrible caricatures"; "a Dutch vessel" | all as printed ("approximately 50 miles from her indicated position") | MATCH | |
| 65 | American Weekly 10 Oct 1948 (a) | Ourang Medan means Man of Medan | IN THE Malay tongue, Ourang Medan means Man of Medan. | MATCH | |
| 66 | American Weekly (b) | down the Strait of Malacca | … is standing down the Strait of Malacca for the Java Sea, apparently having cleared Medan under cover of darkness. | MATCH | |
| 67 | American Weekly (c) | "an Italian officer" | The original story appearing in Elsevier's Weekly purported to be that of an Italian officer … | MATCH | |
| 68 | American Weekly (d) | Dutch circles in Africa were disturbed | identical | MATCH | |
| 69 | American Weekly (e) | Lloyd's says: For the moment it has us sunk as well | Lloyd's says: "For the moment it has us sunk as well." | MATCH | |
| 70 | American Weekly (f) | credits "Elseviers Weekly, last January" | It was printed in a Holland newspaper, Elsevier's Weekly, last January. | MINOR | apostrophe |
| 71 | American Weekly, other | "our research indicates this tragedy did happen"; editor "had bought the story and picture from the Italian officer and the latter had vanished"; dead dog; "No. 4" hatch; 50 miles | as printed; Brooks: "50 miles from the position given" | MATCH | "from her indicated position" is the Proceedings' phrase, not Brooks's |
| 72 | Revista da Semana 27 May 1950 | "Navio fantasma", text by Wolf Kneip, "narração de Silvio Scherli"; "padre Christ" | NAVIO FANTASMA; Texto de WOLF KNEIP; I PARTE / A NARRAÇÃO DE SILVIO SCHERLI; "O relato que segue é do padre Christ, missionário em Toangi, nas ilhas Marshall." | MATCH | |
| 73 | De West 16 Apr 1948 | "Schip vergaan"; the Dutch motor ship … 22 aboard, a report picked up on the Wednesday evening | Schip vergaan. Een lezer van ons blad ving Woensdagavond jl. een bericht op, dat het Nederlandse motorschip „Orang Medan" tengevolge van een ontploffing aan boord gezonken was in de Stille Oceaan. Er waren twee en twintig personen aan boord. | MATCH (image) | spelled "Orang Medan" in print |
| 74 | Amigoe di Curaçao 7 Jan 1955 | still "somewhere on the Pacific", cargo now potassium cyanide | Dramatisch is het verhaal van de „Ourang Medan" die ergens op de Stille Oceaan met een dode bemanning ronddreef. De lading van het schip bestond uit cyaankali … | MATCH (image) | |
| 75 | De schalmei April 1948 | "het sensatieverhaal van de Ourang Medan" | not accessible (see section 5) | UNCHECKED | |

## 2. Translations checked against the originals

- Piccolo 1940 block: accurate ("Cancel medical consultation" for "Annullate consulto medico"; "estimated position" for "punto stimato"; "auxiliary set" for "apparecchio ausiliario").
- Leekster first paragraph: accurate.
- Leekster radio block: accurate except "Only two words still came through: 'I die… I die'" — should be "'I die…'" (row 32).
- Leekster "pre-war listing" block: accurate; if the Leekster continuation reads "troepentransportschip" as De locomotief does, "as a Chinese transport" becomes "as a Chinese troop transport" (row 34).
- De locomotief 28 Feb box: accurate ("is at present staying in Trieste" for "vertoeft thans te Triëst").
- De locomotief 13 Mar box: accurate; "other than these" is a small gloss not in the Dutch ("geen andere gegevens ten dienste staan" = no other data are available to us).
- Gazzetta: accurate ("son of the late Giuseppe" for "fu Giuseppe").
- Figure 3, 5, 6, 11b, 11c translations: accurate.
- "the island of Taongi, belonging to the Marshall Islands": accurate as a translation but silently corrects the printed "Toangi" (row 45).
- Proceedings and YEP SOS blocks are quotations, not translations: exact.

## 3. Figure captions against the figure images (report/img/fig_*.jpg)

- Fig. 1 (fig_piccolo_1940-10-16_headline.jpg): shows the header line and the headline — caption correct.
- Fig. 2 (fig_piccolo_1940-10-16_wreckphoto.jpg): shows the second photograph, but the crop cuts the caption line "L'«Ourang-Medan» sta per inabissarsi" in half (only the top of the letters is visible); re-crop a little lower. The caption's statement that "the same two pictures illustrate the Milan reprint of December 1940" is wrong: L'Illustrazione Italiana p. 846 has the bridge photograph and, below it, a different picture of corpses on the deck beside an anchor chain, with one caption for both: "IL TRAGICO SPETTACOLO CHE SI PRESENTO' AGLI OCCHI DI COLORO CHE SALIRONO A BORDO DELL'«OURANG-MEDAN»: SUL PONTE DI COMANDO GIACEVA MORTO IL SECONDO UFFICIALE MENTRE CADAVERI DI MARINAI INGOMBRAVANO LA COPERTA." The sinking-ship picture is not on that page. The statement is right for De locomotief 3 Feb 1948.
- Fig. 3 (fig_piccolo_1940-10-16_byline.jpg): ending and byline — correct.
- Fig. 4 (fig_illustrazione_1940-12-08_p846.jpg): the page — but "with the same photographs" is wrong as above (one shared photograph, one different).
- Fig. 5 and 6 (fig_piccolo_1941-02-05_headline.jpg, _lead.jpg): headline; dateline and the survivor's account — correct.
- Fig. 7 (fig_dailymirror_1940-11-22_p11.jpg): the item with "yesterday" and the AP sign-off — correct.
- Fig. 8 (fig_chinamail_1941-02-27_p8.jpg): the AP item — correct.
- Fig. 9 and 10 (fig_leekster_masthead.jpg, fig_leekster_article_top.jpg): masthead; article opening — correct except "fourth sentence" (row 37).
- Fig. 11a–c (fig_locomotief_0203_*.jpg): dateline "No. 128", headline, bridge photo, wreck photo — all from the 3 Feb page; correct.
- Fig. 12a (fig_locomotief_0228_*.jpg): "No. 149", "Ondergang der „Ourang Medan"", the "Red. Loc." box — correct.
- Fig. 12b (fig_locomotief_0313_*.jpg): "No. 161", "Mysterie der „Ourang Medan"", "Fantasie of Realiteit?" and the box — correct.
- Fig. 13 (fig_lr1947_santa_juana.jpg): entries 89170 Santa Adela and 89171 Santa Juana — correct.
- Fig. 14 (fig_gu_1930-10-04_decree.jpg): the decree with "Scherk" — correct.

## 4. Corrections (old → new)

1. Leekster quote block: "de ondergang van de „Titanic"" → "de ondergang van de „Titianic" [sic]"; "het grote vrachtschip" → "het groote vrachtschip" (or state that spelling has been normalised).
2. Leekster quote block: "Alleen twee woorden kwamen nog door: „Ik sterf… Ik sterf"." → "Alleen twee woorden kwamen nog door: „Ik sterf......"."; translation "Only two words still came through: 'I die… I die'" → "Only two words still came through: 'I die…'".
3. Leekster quote block (probable; the Leekster continuation page was not available, De locomotief 3 Feb 1948 checked): "gevaren als Chinees transportschip" → "gevaren als Chinees troepentransportschip"; translation "as a Chinese transport" → "as a Chinese troop transport".
4. Inline quotation "the island of Taongi, belonging to the Marshall Islands" → "the island of Toangi, belonging to the Marshall Islands" (De locomotief 28 Feb 1948: "het eiland Toangi, behorend tot de Marshall-eilanden"; Revista da Semana: "Toangi"); "Taongi (Bokak)" stays in the report's own prose.
5. Comparison table, 1940 row: "200 miles south-east of the Solomon Islands" cited to [S1, S4] → quote the Italian ("a circa duecento miglia a sud-est del gruppo delle Salomone" [S1]); the AP cable [S4] reads "about 200 miles south-west of the Solomon Islands" — a discrepancy worth stating.
6. Figure 2 caption: "The same two pictures illustrate the Milan reprint of December 1940 and the Semarang reprint of February 1948 (figures 11b and 11c)" → "Both pictures recur in the Semarang reprint of February 1948 (figures 11b and 11c); the Milan reprint of December 1940 reuses the bridge photograph and adds a different picture of bodies on the deck".
7. Figure 4 caption "with the same photographs" and the timeline entry "the Trieste text reset with the same two photographs" → "with the bridge photograph and a different second picture (corpses on the deck)"; the sentences "the same two photographs serve for events eight years apart" / "he re-used the same photographs" are true of Il Piccolo → De locomotief only.
8. Figure 10 caption: "The fourth sentence credits the source" → "The third sentence credits the source" (or "the end of the first paragraph").
9. Source S14: "De locomotief (Semarang), 3 February 1948, p. 3, "Brand in luik vier. Raadselachtige ondergang van de „Ourang Medan"". Delpher ddd:010862918:mpeg21:a0033 to a0036" → "…, "Een Mysterie van de Zee. Krampachtige Houding der Doden. De Raadselachtige Ondergang van de „Ourang Medan"". Delpher ddd:010862872:mpeg21:a0050 and a0051".
10. Source S16: "De locomotief, 28 February 1948, p. 2, "Het geheim van de „Ourang Medan"" … Delpher ddd:010862945:mpeg21:a0036 and a0038" → "…, "Ondergang der „Ourang Medan". „Voor het Eerst Werd ik Bang"", with the editors' box. Delpher ddd:010862918:mpeg21:a0033 to a0036".
11. Source S18: "De locomotief, 13 March 1948, p. 2, "Einde", with the editors' box "Fantasie of Realiteit?". Delpher ddd:010862872:mpeg21:a0050 and a0051" → "…, "Mysterie der „Ourang Medan". De Dodelijke Zwavelzuur-Gassen Doortrokken het Gehele Schip", with the editors' box. Delpher ddd:010862945:mpeg21:a0036 and a0038".
12. Citation of the first quote block: "the same text in L'Illustrazione Italiana, 8 Dec 1940, p. 846 [S7]" → "reset with small variants in L'Illustrazione Italiana … ("dal gruppo", "lingua oggi corrente"; its reply omits "S.O.S. urgente assistenza nave guerra")".

## 5. Passages that could not be checked

- De schalmei, April 1948, p. 57 (MMKB14:002764008:mpeg21:00011): the Delpher resolver returns HTTP 403 "InCopyrightOnSiteAccessOnly" for the page image, the OCR and the ALTO; the page's HTML contains no text. Not checked.
- Leekster courant 24 Jan 1948, continuation of the article (the sentences "Tussen 1935 en 1937 …" and "Overal lagen lijken …"): only p. 1 was supplied and the column breaks off at "met vier houten"; checked against De locomotief 3 Feb 1948 instead (rows 34–35).
- Il Piccolo 16 Oct 1940, column 1: the first one to three letters of most lines lie under a fold in the only available scan (the archive PDF holds the same 3284x4745 image and no text layer). Unresolvable there: the numeral of the sub-heading "13 novembre 1939", "del/dal gruppo", "si navigava/navigava", and the "SW" of the sigla; the Milan reprint was used for these.
- Elsevier's Weekblad, 7 Jours, Paijmans, Mielke, Fate and other "reported" sources: no images supplied; outside this check.
- Delpher identifier of the Leekster courant, the Internet Archive item identifiers, "leaf 1407", and the Leekster being "a four-page weekly": not verifiable from the page images.
- The Piccolo 1941 details "three Malay companions dying in the boat" and the 1948 Locomotief details of the earlier instalments ("ruim 4", "1.100 ton", Luik IV) were seen in passing and agree, but were not among the passages formally transcribed.

## 6. Overall assessment

The report's transcriptions are of high quality. Of 75 passages compared, 55 match word for word, 12 differ only in typography (capitals, quotation-mark style, spacing, a hyphen, an apostrophe), one could not be checked, and seven need correction. The corrections are of three kinds: (i) small silent normalisations inside verbatim Dutch blocks ("Titianic", "groote", the probable "troepentransportschip", the name "Toangi"); (ii) one misreading of sentence boundaries that puts words into a radio message that are not there ("Ik sterf… Ik sterf"); and (iii) errors of attribution rather than transcription: the AP cable's "south-west" quoted as "south-east", the three De locomotief Delpher identifiers and headlines rotated in the source list, the "fourth sentence", and the claim that the Milan reprint carries the same two photographs when it shares only one. The Italian quotations (1940, 1941, the Gazzetta decree), the English quotations (Daily Mirror, China Mail, Yorkshire Evening Post, Proceedings, American Weekly), the Dutch editors' boxes and the Portuguese and Delpher items are accurate; the translations are faithful apart from the two points noted. Nothing found changes the report's argument, but the corrections in section 4 should be applied before publication.