The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1884-05-14
GOING DOWN IN MID-OCEAN.
The Los. of the State of FLORIDA.


QUEBEC, May The steamship
lltania from Glasgow, passed Farther
Polnt at 5.45 this morning. Sh,
mad on board "a of the crew OF the
lost steamer State of Florida. Th,
steamer was sunk in mid-ccean by
collision with bark. Dat of 16l
persons on the State OF Florida only
Al were saved, and of the bark S crew
only the captain and two of the mer
were rescued. One hundred ane
twenty-three souls went down with
the steamer and twelve with the BARI
making the total loss of life 135
The Titania stopped but for brie
time at Farther Point, which is three
hundred miles from here, and ther
steamed on to Quebec. She slowed
up here to change pilots at 9.15 ano
then went on to Montreal. She wai
boarded, however, by reporters, ano
the story of the disaster obtain
ed.
THE STORY OF THE COLLISION.
Among the survivors was DR.. An
drew Steele, the ships surgeon. He
says that the ill-fated steamer sail
ed from her pier at the foot ofCanal
street, New York, at 8 o'clock on
the morning of April II, bound tel
Glasgow. She carried 80 passen-
gers in her cabin, 80 in her steerage
and crew of 81 men and one stew
ardess. The vessel proceeded on
her course, meeting with no special
incident for six days.
About ten o'clock on the even
ing Of April 49," says the doctor,
II was setting in my cabin reading.
| had been on deck not long before
and noticed that it was a clear,
starlight night. Suddenly | heard
the clang of the gong in the engine
room, signaling the engineer to back
the engine at full speed At the
same time there was a confused
tramping about the deck. | saw
plainly the spars and the canvas of
a big sailing ship heading directly
for US. Her port red light was dis
tinctively visible. The men about
deck yelled Collision, collision ="
The next moment, as our ship rolled
to starboard on a big wave, the other
vessel crashed into Us, striking US
nearly amidships on the starboard
side. The shock completely demor-
allied every one. The men said
take to the boats, but many were
too badly frightened to help them
selves, even after some of the boats
were safely in the water, and the
ship was going down too rapidly TO
enable those of the crew on deck to
do much towards saving any lives.
Miss MacFarlane, the stewardess,
was lowered into the boat, but no
other was on deck. | got into one
of the boats, with others, and in a
very few minutes both vessels sank
cut of sight, Captain Hepburn
and two seamen of the sailing YES
sci We're found clinging to some Of
their vessel and were picked up by
the boat | was In.
DRIFTING ABOUT IN \ BOAT.
"We drifted about for two days,
having neither food nor water
There were forty four of us in our
boat. The weather remained tolera-
bly, fair. however, and We did not
suffer very badly, except for the cold
some of the survivors being very
thinly clad. In the meantime we
separated from the two other boats
that were launched. Captain Hep
burn told US that his vessel was the
Ponema, a bark belonging to the
Jardine Brother, of Chatham, New
Brunswick. On the 20 we succeeded
in attracting the attention of the
lookout on the Norweign bark
Theresa, which was bound for Que
bee from Christiana, and we were
all taken on board and kindly treat
ed. Two days later we fell in with
the bark Louis, of Cardiff, also bound
for Quebec. We were making seri-
Gus inroads into the provisions of
the Theresa, and accordingly twenty
people were transferred to the Louise.
| and nay shipmates remained on
the Theresa until May D, when the
steamer Titania overhauled us and
we were transferred to her and here
We are.