Delaware gazette and state journal., 1884-05-15
THE FATE OF THE FLORIDA.
Sunk In MIDI Ocean by = Collision
One Hundred and Thirty five Lives
LOsf-Sfatemenfs of Survivors,

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Sunk In Mtd-Ocean by . Collision
One Hundred and Thirty five Lives
LOsf-Statements OF Survivors.
QUEBEC, May 7.-The painful suspense
that prevailed here all day with regard
to the survivors OF the disaster to the
i'll fated State of Florida was relieved to-
night by the arrival of the Donaldson
steamer Titanis, from Glasgow for Mon
treAl, with GOAL and general cargo,
which WAS reported by telegraph this
morning as on her way to Quebec with "a
OF the rescued party. The 20 other snr-
vivors are on the Norwegian bsrque
Theresa, en- route to Quebec.
The Titania's captain reports: May
9th, at p. m, while proceeding up the
gulf and when off Bird Rocks, observed a
ship exhibiting two bright lights, and
thinking she wished to communicate,
bore down upon her and took off "a pas.
sengers and crew rescued from the State
of Florida of Glasgow. The City of Rome
passed the survivors while on board the
ship Louisa, and answered their signals,
but did not stop.
The following is the official report OF
the third officer Of the State Of Florida
1--WE left New York on the 18th OF April
with about 1877 passengers and crew and
q full general cargo. Ali went we'll until
the night OF the 18th, at 11.30 when we
oollided with the barque Ponema OF
Chatham, N. B., Captain Hepburn. Both
vessels went down almost instantly, and
out OF the steamers passengers and Grew
only a., including the stewardess,
managed TO escape in the boats. OF the
barqus's Grew Of 15 only the cap-
tain and two seamen were saved. The
next morning the bsrqus WAS observed
bottom up. The survivors, after having
been 30 hours in the boats without food
or water, were rescued by the Norwegian
barque Theresa Of Christiana, from that
port bound for Quebec. On the 22d, "a
of them were transferred on board the
ship Louisa, of and from Cardiff for
Quebeo. They remained on that vessel
until the 9th Of May, when they were
taken on board the Titania Tor Quebec.
1t is believed that 1856 lives were lost"
The third officer, James Allan, In an
interview, told the following story
"The night on which the disaster occurred
was clear, though moonless, and the sea
was ss smooth as glass. He (third
VAAopi ou W hib uuhh dt o
leaving Chief Officer Thompson in charge
OF the deck. About lilo O'Clock he
heard the signal suddenly given to stop
the steamers engines, followed by fear
full crash. He rushed Immediately on
deck, and the first thing he noticed was
a red light pretty close on their
starb .ard bow. The same moment he
hea the chief otiicer's voice and q
cfy ot Collision and perceived
ne 6Irque which had run into them 90
tosa. This b,rque he afterwards learned
r..u its captain and two OF its Grew, who
vefe picked up and saved, was the
pJnems, If Chatham, N. B., bound from
liverpool to Miramiohi. Running to the
ide of his own vessel he endeavored to
ascertain the damage done, and perceiv,
ing an immense gaping hole, into which
the sea was fast ponring, and feeling, as
he said himself, that the steamer
was goner, he at once hurried
to the captain, who Immediately
gave orders to get out the boats,
four Of which were down in 15 minutes,
when the State of Florida just keeled
over to port and went down stern fore
most. As near as he oould calculate the
disaster occurred in latitude 40 north,
longitude 36 30 west, or within about
l,200 miles of the Irish coast, as when
their last bearings were taken on that
day they were in about latitude AZ SO
north, longitude 38 35 west. As the yes.
sci went down sll on daok, including the
captain, were washed off by the sea -
MIR. Allan further stated that the oap-
tain WAS exceedingly cool, too cool in fact,
as he did not seem to look upon the
danger as serious or pressing, and this,
together with the fact that he appeared
in no hurry to save himself, was possibly
the reason that more of the passengers
were not saved. They would not take
to the boats, as they supposed, when they
saw him 30 cool, that the danger was not
so great, and moreover, the sea was 30
calm. OF the eight toats carried, four
weresafely launched. Two we're smashed by
the collision, and Of tie other two he knew
nothing, but believed they were washed
away when the steamer went down. He
did not believe that any one had escaped
in them. However, II they had he did
not want to raise any false hopes, his
opinion being that they never would be
heard from again. When No. 2 boat Was
being lowered the tackle WAS cut too
quickly and its occupants, who were all
passengers, were upset into the sea-
number of them, including
Mr.. Bennett of London, Ontario, he
says, clung to the boats bottom during
the remainder Of the night, and were
picked mp in the morning by the other
boat. On Sunday, after drifting 35
hours, We were picked up by the
| Theresa, and on the following Tuesday
the party now on board the Titania were
transferred to the b-rque Louisa OF Car
diff, while off Bird Rocks, but the latter
being overcrowded the party were again
transferred TO the Titania.
The members of the rescued party on
board the Titania presented pitiable
appearance. 30 sudden WAS the acct
dent that many of them, who were in
their hunks at the time, had to hurry on
deck aud into the boats in their night
clothes. Most of them had a very con-
fused idea of what traDspired.
QUEBEC, May 8.-Ths following addi-
tional details of the disaster to the State
of Florida have been furnished by Joser b
Benz ett, whose experience WAS one OF
fearful privation and heroic endurance.
He was standing SO near the side when
the collision took place that had not a
friend pulled him away, he would have
been killed on the spot. The ships
doctor, who was standing alongside OF
him, was injured by broken spar. The
crew all rushed for the boats The pas
sengers seemed paralyzsd, as did also the
captain, who WAS washed from the deck
just before the vessel went down, which
she did within IL minutes Of the time
che was struck. Mr. Alan, the third
officer was the frat to give the alarm that
the vessel was sinking.
Mr.. Bennett says that he pushed q
number OF friends into one OF the boats
AID jumped in himself just before it was
lowered. Some one cut one OF the falls
too soon and the boat emptied all its
occupants into the sea. He with five
others climbed on the keel of the over
turned boat and sat there all night
Underneath the boat were a number o
his former comrades all OF whom were
found dead the next morning.
The small number OF passengers saved
he attributed to the rapidity with whtct
the steamer went down and to the fac
that the captain, who apparently did mo-
realize the position of affairs, mad,
no effort to get them into the boats. The
surviving officers are all reticent as t.
the responsibility of the accident
The Impression seems to be- tina
the steamer was to blame. TIL,
men on the keel o. tn,
boat were picked off the next morning By
their companions in the other boats. Tney
saw upside down the baIque which hat