The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1884-05-15
STEAMER STATE OF FLORIDA SUNK
A Fearful Wreck Mt sea Carries 135 Lives
to the Bottom Of the Ocean.

QUEBEC, May THE steamer Titania
did not land the rescued people from the
State of Florida at this city, as was ex-
pected, but carried them on to Montreal.
The vessel was boarded here by reporters,
who ascertained the list of those saved,
a large majority of whom were members
of the crew of the lost steamship.
The following is the official report of
the third officer of the State of Florida,
now on board the Titania:
eve left New York on the 18th Of
April with about one hundred and sixty.
seven passengers and crew and a. full
general cargo. All went we'll until the
night of the 18th, at 11:90, when we col
lided with the bark Ponema, of Chatham,
N. B., Capt. Hepburn. Both vessels
went down almost instantly, and out Of
the steamers passengers and crew only
A, including the stewardess, managed to
escape in boats. Of the bark's crew OF
fifteen only the captain and two seamen
were saved. Next morning the bark
was observed bottom up. The survivors,
after having been thirty. five hours in the
boats without food or water, were rescued
by the Norwegian bark Theresa, Of
Christiania, from that port bound for
Quebec. On the 22d, twenty. -four Of
them were transferred on board the ship
Louisa, off and from Cardiff for Quebec.
They remained on that vessel until the
5th of May, when they were taken on
board the Titania, for Quebec. 1t is be-
lieved that 135 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
as smooth as glass. He (third oficer)
retired to his bunk at 8 O'Clock, leaving
chief officer Thompson in charge Of the
deck. About lilo he heard signals sud.
denly given to stop thesteamer's engines,
followed by fearful crash. He rushed
Immediately on deck and the first thing
he noticed was a red light pretty close on
their starboard bow. At the same mo.
ment he heard the chief: officers voice
and the cry of collision" and perceived
the bark which had run into them go
down. Running to the side of his own
vessel he endeavored to ascertain the
damage, and perceiving an immense
gaping hole, into which the sea was fast
pouring, and feeling, as he said himself,
that the steamer was "goner," he hur-
ried to the captain, who at once gave
orders to get out the boats, four of which
were down in fifteen minutes, when the
State of Florida just keeled over to port
and went down stern foremost.
As near as he could calculate the dis
aster occurred in Lat. 49o n, Long. S60
3O> w., or within about one thousand
two hundred miles of the Irish coast, as
when their last bearing were taken on
that day they were in about Lat. 470 50>
n, Long. $50 35< w. AS the vessel
went down all on deck, including the
captain, were washed off by the sea-
Allan further stated that the captain was
exceedingly cool, too cool III 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 we're
not saved. They would not take to the
boats as they supposed when they saw
him so cool, that danger was not so great,
and moreover the sea was so calm.
Of eight boats carried four were safely
launched. Two were smashed by the
collision, and of the 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, if 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. A
number of them, he says, clung to the
boats bottom during the remainder of
the night and were picked up in the
morning by other boats. On Sunday
after drifting thirly.fiye hours we were
picked up by the Theresa and the follow
ing Tuesday the party now on board the
Titania were transferred to the bark
Louise Of Cardiff while oft Bird Rocks,
but the latter being overcrowded the