The New York herald., 1871-09-05
THE LOST L0DONA.
Sad Story OF Shlpwreck and,
i' Suffering.
Two Days Without Anything to Eat but Raw
Vegetables Dashed About, HALF Drowaed,
Hall Naked and Sorely Suffering

Lewis Wolf, mess boy, who was on board OF the
steamer Lodona 73o tons burden, bound from New
York to New Orleans which struck on Coral reef,
on the Florida coast, Thursday. August H. and was
totally lost twenty persons losing their lives ana
thirteen being saved makes the following state
ment:- .Ef@ =
l was on the Lolona one trip before this one In
which the Lodona was lost. was mess boy for the
sailors and iremen's mess. received
$l5 month and found. We left New York
on the Saturday before the Thursday on which
the ship struck the reel. We mad fair weather until
Wednesday previous TO the disaster, when we en-
cOuntered o heavy swell. We had general cargo.
We had crew and Oficers OF thirty.three men.
Captain Hovey commanded the vessel, and Mr..
Stevens was the first oficer and Mr.. Sconeld was
the engineer The engines were In good order as
far as know. The Lodona was an English ship,
and carried supplies during the war for the block
ade runners. About three O'Clock Thursday morn
ing heavy gale prevailed, and all the nremen
were ordered below TO keep the nres up The sea
was running into the sSylighI About nailpase
seven we struck reef and she
SHIFTED OVER ON HER BEAM ENDS.
The captain was In the pilot house &C the time
she shifted and he ell out and stumbled while try
ing TO catch hold OF the main rigging. The sea
broke over the ship ana washed him OF and carried
away the pilot house. The captain was not seen
any more. Some OF the crew got into boat ana
when about thirty yards on che ship the Lodona
turned over and capsl,ed. was amidship on deck,
holding on to the rore rigging. 1t was very
hard to hold on with the heavy seas breaking
over me- There were fourteen Of the crew
in the main rigging the mainmast gave away ana
the sea broke 1t right On. AL Of the fourteen, ex-
ceptlng the captains son Freddy, hfteen years OF
age, ana the chief cook. Frank, were washed over
board, but they swan ashore as well as they could
In the t Isn rF
SEA WHICH WAS MOUNTAIN HIGH.
The Florida coast was nearly ten miles OF. and
don't know how they reached she shore. Mr.. Ste
vens the nrst mate, got into the only other boat,
which was llIe5oat, and a heavy sea broke again
ana washed the boat aud himself away He reached
rst assis. ant engineer, hve sailors myself and
fireman. worked our way out forward to the gal
gradually, and we remaiued on ner untn two nours
alter the manmast came down, when we found
9rsys ae or Sas @
fireman swan ashore frat and the second mate
followed, and the remaining members Of
the first assistant engineer and sailor remained
on the wreck for Two days-untl Saturday. Tne
NAMED on the wreck. Tho first assistanI engineer
took the raft TO go ashore and he was washed on
make il. and went ashore with the sailor. BY TINS
mate s and md the, the COOK had gone down to the light
house. ak mAes, distant, and the keeperC told the
tHe frst Custom House station. Wins living two
days on the vessel we had
NOTHING TO EAT BUr ONIONS, ~
raw potatoes anu raw goldfish The onions made
us verv thirsty as we could not get any water.
We Sa as %
were two days and half making the distance: with
nothing to eat, only we nad little wafer 70 drink.
teen OF the bodies tnat had been washed ashore
from the wreck. the trst one we saw was about
frny
nearly Va twenty-five miles from the Inflated Lodo.
ma. They all looked terrible, were black in the
extremely dirlcult to reoognze them most Of the
bodies had been strippei naked by the violence OF
chi Chief engineer, second mate. head cooE. Inc cap
ain's son and one oi the sailors gave out as their
strength W. vas sop spent ana they walked BACK TO the
~ SCARCELY ANY CLOTHING
upon u.s. and our feet, blistered and sore were torn
from the friction or the spars which had rubbed
against our bodies and had caused abraslons. The
myself walked ahead, thinking that tnele was
q house where we might get something to eat.
%s ys n snr .s s yns s; aag %'
time came we sat down and rested ourselves
we se sSn sSan gC
slept on the sand, where we slept heartily:
We vaEea E en to aa;S We q in
we recognized as the man who had left US
weak manner. Away back again we walked aoout
three miles, when we met man with IN axe on
his shoulder. We stopped and asked hnn where
1--WE was" lie told US that we were about fourteen
miles from Smyrna. We asked him II he would
somethlng-what he nad-H we would 60 to his
boat we went to his boat and got some;
fresh meat and fresh water. / agreed TO work for
him for my board. got one meal there, that was
s @ the %ae MS Tners Seasa
sons there then picking up the goods One told us
that the engineer had started before !or Sand Point.
A nail ackQ
put on light boat to take ME on. went ~ St.
Augustine and from there came to New York.