Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1896-02-14
TEN LIVES LOST.
Three SchoonerS Driven OH
Northern Beaches.
Crews Take to Rigging and Some OF
Them Are Rescued.

NEWBURYP0RT, Mass, Feb. 1l-Three
c0al-laden schoOners were wrecked on this
coast resulting in the loss of ten lives.
bowling northeast gale has prevailed and
the seas have been rolling in upon the
beaches mountain high.
In the middle ofthe afternoon the schooner
Florida was seen by residents of Salisbury
beach coming head on b the Hampton end OF
the beach about one and a half fmiles from the
mouth of the Hampton river. She was un-
der a double reefed dspanker and single reefed
mainsail and foresail, and it was apparent
that the crew were unable to keep her off
shore. Within few minutes she struck the
sands and the sails were torn into shreds.
The crew attempted to launch the yawl
boat but il was taken up by huge wave
and swept away, washing ashore stove to
pieces. With the failure to get of in the
boat the seven men took to the rigging, five
lashing themselves to the mzzen mast, one
to the crosstrees of the main mast, and the
seventh to the foremast.
The vessel was fully half mile off shore.
Several fishermen battled in the surf for an
hour in an attempt to launch a boat, and
falling they could do nothing but await the
arrival of the Plum island life saving crew.
The men in the rigging could be plainly seen
waving their hands, but soon binding
snow storm set in, shutting the vessel from
view. All the crew were lost.
Later in the evening the papers of the
vessel were washed ashore. They showed
that the Florida was built at Belfast, Me-, in
1872 and hailed from New York. She was
owned by Charles Ryan Joseph G. Simpson,
Zeb Mayhem and Henry Miller.
Her crew consisted of Arthur Brown, cap
tain, New York r. McCuller, mate, Maine
Albert Williams, steward, st. John; Gusta-
vus Smith, Sweden Walter Bell, st. John
John L. Johnson, Sweden; William Wills,
West Indies.
The three-masted schooner AllianZa from
| New York with 400 tons of coal for st. John,
went ashore near the Simpson cottage on
| Plum island, between six and seven, and will
| prove total wreck. Three of the crew ,includ-
| ing the captain. were drowned and four were
rescued. The vessel first struck the outer
bar and pounded there for quite while,
then huge billow carried her over into the
deeper water within. The doomed vessel
was carried rapidly in shore until she struck
| the beach. Wave after wave dashed over
her and she soon commenced to break up.
The Plum island life saving crew was at
Salisbury beach. and there was no aid at
hand. The sailors attempted to reach the
| shore on the wreckage. 1t was fierce bat
tie against DEATH in which the elements
came off victorious in three cases.
| Those who reached the shore were Otto
| Nelson. mate. of Brooklyn. n. Y; George
| Keefe, Newfoundland; Albert Collier of Cor
| duroy. n. f., and Patrick Campbell OF Old
town Ne. The dead are Capt. Melanzo Of
St. John. who leaves widow and two chill
dren; John Read of Calais, Me and Andrew
--- of Spring Hill, Me. The Allianza is Il
British vessel and quite old
The three-masted schooner Glendon. which
had been in the company of the otherschoon-
ers wrecked, was driven upon Hampton
beach, a few miles beyond where the Florida
struck. Her crew of seven men were saved
after hard efforts. and by the aid of life lines.
| The crew was rescued.