Aftenposten
- Probably no Norwegians killed
The correspondent’s reply offers reassurance while explaining why it remains provisional. The death list is incomplete and records Florida addresses rather than nationality; the conclusion about Norwegians is inferred from names. The headline’s “probably” is therefore essential to the selected report, not a qualification to remove in translation.
Upper-right headline and the New York correspondent’s reply dated September 21, ending “de omkomne”; the introductory request, condolence item and other stories are not transcribed.
Translation
Probably no Norwegians killed
New York, September 21. As far as I have been able to ascertain, no Norwegians have died. The list of the dead is still very incomplete. Beside the names, only the address they had in Florida is given, without their nationality. Judging by the names, however, there are no Norwegians among the dead.
Context
A foreign disaster becomes a search for compatriots
The correspondent asks the question most immediately relevant to Norwegian families: whether anyone from Norway had died. This turns a general disaster report into a search across borders. The first-person account records the work of checking names for people whose relatives might be waiting for news at home.
Why a Florida address was not enough
The available list recorded local addresses but not nationality. It was useful for identifying people within Florida, yet poorly suited to tracing their ties abroad. The correspondent therefore turned to names as clues, illustrating the mismatch between a locally compiled register and the questions asked by an overseas newspaper.
News arriving while the toll was still emerging
The hurricane had struck Miami on September 18 and another Gulf Coast region on the 20th. The dispatch was dated the 21st, during an evolving search and reporting effort. The uncertainty was part of a practical problem for families: they needed information before the entire disaster could be counted and documented.
Original
Antagelig ingen norske omkommet.
New York, 21de september.
Saavidt jeg har kunnet bringe paa det rene, er der ikke omkommet nogen norske. Listen over de døde er endnu meget ufuldstændig. Der opføres ved navnene bare den adresse, de har hat i Florida, uten at angi deres nationalitet. Efter navnene at dømme er der imidlertid ingen norske blandt de omkomne.