The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1871-09-23
THE LOST LONDUNA,
Sad Story of Shfpwreck and Suffering.

Sad Story of Shfpyyreck and Suffering.
From the New York Herald, Sept s.
Lewis Wolf mess boy, who was
the steamer Londona, 730 tons burden,
bound from New York to New Orleans,
which struck on Coral reef on the
Florida coast, Thursday, August II,
and was totally lost, twenty persons
losing their lives and thirteen being
saved, makes the following statements
| was on the Londona one trip be-
fore this one in which the Londona was
lost. | was mess boy for the sailors
and tiremen's mess l received So a
month and found. We Left New York
on the Saturday before the Thursday
on which the ship struck the reef We
had fair weather. until Wednesday pre-
vious to the disaster, when we encoun-
tered heavy swell. We had a gener-
al cargo. We had crew and officers of
thirty-three men. Captain Hovey
commanded the vessel, and Mr.. Stevens
was the fist officer and Mr. Scotield
was the engineer. The engines were in
good order as far as l know.
The Londona was an English ship,
and carried supplies during the war for
the blockade runners About o'clock
Thursday morning a heavy gale pre-
vailed, and all the firemen were ordered
below to keep the fires up. The sea
was running into the skylight About
half past I've struck reef, and she
shifted owe, on her beam ends. The
she shifted, and he fell out and STUN
bled while trying to catch hold of the
mann rigging The sea broke over the
ship and washed him off and carried
away the pilot house. The captain
was not seen any more. Some of the
crew got into a boat, and when about
thirty yards off the ship the Lopdona
turned over and capsNed. / was
amidship on deck, holding on to the
fore rigging. 1t was very hard to hold
on with the heavy seas breaking over
me. There were fourteen Ct the crew
i'll the main rigging, the main mast
gave away, and the sea broke it right
off All of the fourteen, excepting the
Captains son, Freddy, Is years of age,
and the chief cook, Frank, were washed
over board, but they swan ashore as
well as they could in the sea, which was
mountain high.
The Florida coast was ten miles off,
and l don't know how they reached the
shore, Mr.. Stevens, the first mate,
got into the other boat, which was a
life boat, and heavy sea broke again
and washed the boat and himself away.
He reached the shore first of all The
crew, the chief engineer, first assistant
engineer, five sailors, myself and fire
man worked our way out forward to
the gallant forecastle. The wreck was
washed ashore gradually, and we re-
manned on her unfit two hours after
the maiumast came down, when we
found ourselves on the breakers, three
or four hundred yards from the bank
The chief engineer and the fireman
swan ashore first, and the second mate
followed, and the remaining members
of the crew, with the exception of my
self, the first assistant engineer, and a
sailor, remained on the wreck for two
days--~,,ntil Saturday. The sailor made
a raft None of us could swim who re-
NAMED on the wreck. The first assist
ant engineer took the raft to go ashore,
and he was washed off several times by
the breakers. The sailor and myself
made it, l broke the bulwarks out of
her to make it, and ws'nt ashore with
the sailor,
BY this time the cbeef engineer,
Captains son, the second mate, and
the cook had gone down to the light
house, six miles distant, and the keep
er told the party to walk twont.v-eisht
miles up the beach to the first Custom
House station, While living Two days
or Tie vessel we had nothing to eat but
onions, raw potatoes, and raw Goldfish
The onions male us very thirsty as we
could not get any water. We stopped
on the beach that night, and next
morning we started cliii walked twenty
eight miles, and were two days and a
half making the distance, with nothing
drink. While walking along this
beach we passed fourteen of the bodies
that had been washed ashore fron, the
wreck. The first enc We saw was about
four miles from the wreck, the further
est was nearly twenty-five miles from
the Inflated LondOna. They all looked
terrible, were black in the face. and
bloody and disfgured, aud it was ex-
tremely difficult to recognize them, as
most Of the bodies had been stripped
naked by the violence Cf The waves.
Tie Captains body was missing. -
The chief engineer, second mate, head
cook, the Captain S son, and one of the
sailors gave out, as their strength was
spent, and they walked back to the
camp. We had scarcely any clothing
upon us, and our feet, blistered and
sore were torn from the friction of the
spars which had rubbed against onr
bodies and had caused abraslons. The
mate, four sailors, the first assistant
engineer and myself walked ahead,
thinking that there was a house where
we might get something to eat. we
walked about the thirty miles, and
three or four miles farther that day
When nighttime came we sat down
and rested ourselves about two hours,
when we again got up and walked down
further. We then laid down and slept
on the sand, where we slept heartily
The mosquitoes almost eat IFS mp.
We walked theh to daylight We
then saw in the early morning mali
advancing to us, whom we recognized
as the man who had left us to travel on
his own account, returning IN very
weak manner. Away back again we
walked three miles, when we met
man with an axe on his shoulder. We
stopped and asked him where eve was. "
He told us that we were about fourteen
miles from Smyrna. We asked him if
he would give us something to eat. He
said he WOuld piyeuc Somethin0-Wh
he had--if we would go to his boat.