The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1885-11-11
MANY VESSELS LOST.
OBSTRUCTION of the Fishing Fleet
on the Labrador Coast.
Peoples Houses Swept Away and
Numerous Persons Drowned.

COpIO . 44OutoOo o"oPo N"~J ~"
Numerous Persons Drowned.
Advices have been received at Halifax,
Nova Scotia, of a terrific hurricane along
lie coast of Labrador. On October 10 the
winI wa high. During the night itincreased
rapidly, and by 10 o'clock the following day
it was blowing a hurricane. The fishing fleet
in the neighborhood had no warning of the
storms approach, and being taken almost
unprepared was almost entirely destroyed.
The vessels sought such shelter as the
~inhospitable coast afforded, but YES
sci after vessel was blown from its moorings
and driven ashore IN the rocky reefs, there
to be dashed to pieces. Wreckage is strewn
along the coast for miles, and more of it Is
coming ashore every hour. The full extent
of the damage cannot yet be estimated for
want of communication, but from what has
been learned so far from seventy to ninety
vessels have gone to pieces, and only a few OF
their crews had any chance to escape. AS
far as estimated some one hundred fishermen
have lost their lives.
The people ON the shore, mostly women
and children, are thus bereft of their sole sup
port at a time when the entire coast is suffer-
Ing from a dire famine. Many Of the lost
vessels are from other localities, and this adds
to the difficulty in getting the list of vessels
dsstl Dyed. The reason why this disaster is
particularly felt by the inhabitants there is
due to the fact that the fisheries were O COM
pete failure.
Every able bodied man and boy had been
tempted to take advantage of large schools Of
mackerel which had suddenly appeared in
those waters. For the same reason the YES
sells had all remained on the grounds some
what later in the season to make up for their
past hard luck.
<-There are now fully 1000 persons on
shore completely destitute. Their appeals
for aid made a few weeks ago upon the
strength of the fisheries have now become
doubly urgent. A steamer is fitting out to
60 at once to their assistance with all the
necessaries needed and then it is hoped that
complete returns Of the disaster can be OBJ
tanned. The Dominion parliament has been
called upon and a liberal donation is ex-
pected.
The damage done, according to the reports,
is not confined to the sea, but numbers of
dwellings, many of them little better than
huts, but still the only home and shelter these
unfortunate persons possessed, were leveled
to the grouEd or washed away by the
tide, which is reported to have risen
to an unprecedented height within a few
hours. In many instances the people were
away from home, being down On the beach
assisting some unfortunate craft ashore, and
so, when the flood came they were not there
to remove their effects AMI consequently lost
their all.
The many thus left homeless are subsisting
tn, best way they can either in the houses of
T,;ooIs in tho oil foctoriov nr in fam porarv
shelters made up of old boats, pieces of can
vas, etc., in sheltered hooks. This Is having
q fatal effect on the many victims of the
dreaded scurvy which made its appearance
some time ago.
Anumber of bodies have been washed up,
So me fifty being recovered so far, but so dis
figured are they from the action Of the water,
or firm having been beaten out of al human
resemblance on the rocks, it was possible to
hastiiy-made graves as soon as recovered, the
inhabitants religiousiy accompanying each to
the grave and seeing that some burial service
was held.
So violent was the surf that only little
came ashore from the wreck sufficiently in
tact to be utilized. The vessels were most Of
them small, so the loss in money will hardly
reach over $4,000, but it is thu fishermen's
all.
A later dispatch from st. Johns. New
foundland, says: ga great storm ragged OFF
the coast Of Labrador on October II, doing
immense damage among the fishing fleet
gathered there. Eighty vessels were
at least seventy men from the
crews of the vessels lost their lives. Two
thousand persons are now ashore in q desti-
ute condition. The news created great ex-
element here. Steamers will be Immediately
dispatched to the scene Of the disaster with
provisions, clothing and other comforts for
ths use of the castnways."
Latest Reports.
The parkentine Nellie has arrived at st.
Johns. N. F., from Labrador. She brings
terrible news of the hurricane that recently
ravaeed the wave washed shores of that
bleak and inhospitable country. Not
only lave the fisheries failed the sturdy
toilers of the sea, but the very ele-
ments seem to nave particular spite agalnst
them. With the beginning of the month the
weather grew bad and frequent storms pre-
vailed. On the 18th inst. a hurricane came
OH. 1t struck the coast quite unexpectedly
and the fishing vessels suffered severely.
Many foundered at their anchors, and others
were dashed high on the rocks and became
total wrecks.
The loss Of life was terrible. Some of the
passengers Of the Nellie estimate the number
at three hundred. Several women persisted
from exposure and starvation and others
were drowned.
At Esquimaux Point, out Of a population
of $50 families, only twenty have supplies Tor
the winter. Thirty more hope to get enough
from the merchants who usually make Id
vances to them to pull them through. The
remaining 100 families have nothing
whatever with which to face the win
ter, and it will be necessary either
to bring them off tho coast or to send sup
plies to them. The failure of the fisheries
was due to the action Of the ice in the spring
The fall fishing has been poor all over the
gulf owing to rough weather. Prices OF all
kinds of fish are low.
Over two thousand persons are destitute
AMI stranded OH the coast. Five steamers
have been dispatched to their assistance.
The worst is not yet known, but suti
Gent information has come to hand
to make it fully known that dire
distress prevails on the coast. The hurricane
blew with such violence that many OF the
rude nuts OF the fishermen were swept away,
Hundreds of families are deprived of a roof
and seek shelter day and night under the
scanty protection afforded by wreckage ano
tattered sails. Unless speedy succor reache:
tbap, ropv ,nuet die of eyDOSure and famine